GET AMP’D
Last
spring I introduced Bob to one of the finest hikes in the southeast when we
hiked the Rockjock Trail in Linville Gorge. That hike took us on a tour of the cliffs on
the west rim of the gorge. From one of
those cliffs, Bob gazed across the canyon to a massive grotto carved out of the
east wall of the gorge. He asked about
it, and I told him he was looking at the Amphitheatre. I went on to describe the Amphitheatre as the
most spectacular spot in the canyon.
When he heard that, he made me promise to take him there someday.
That
day turned out to be last Sunday. On
Saturday, the dog and I headed up to Boone for the ASU football game. I had dinner with friends after the game,
before heading for the gorge. It was
long after dark when I reached the end of the pavement beyond Gingercake Acres, and I was exhausted. Luckily, I didn’t have to go far to find a
place to camp. Just a short distance
down the road, I spotted a pulloff on the left.
It was an odd spot, featuring an old railing similar to the ones the
forest service uses to mark off trailhead parking areas. It wasn’t a trailhead though, and there was a
flat, leafy spot large enough for several tents.
I
pulled in and had the tent pitched in a matter of minutes. I let Boone out and allowed him to run
around, as he’d been cooped up in the car most of the day. He took a grand tour of the area while I
unpacked everything else. I slept fairly
well that night, even though Boone got up and paced around inside the tent
every hour or so. That and he kept
trying to crawl into my sleeping bag, despite the fact that this was obviously
physically impossible. I eventually
managed to tuck him into the wool blanket I’d brought for him, and he slept
better for awhile after that.
Originally
I planned to get up before dawn and hike to the top of Hawksbill. Then I remembered that I went to bed at 11pm
after partying all day. I came to my
senses and re-set my alarm for 8am.
Sadly, I still woke up before sunrise, and noticed a bright red sky to
the east. I probably missed a great
opportunity for a spectacular sunrise, but sleeping in was pretty nice, too.
I
was eating a bowl of cereal when Bob pulled up.
We had planned to meet at the trailhead, but he was running early and
spotted me on his way down the road. A few
minutes later, I was packing up when a pickup truck full of mountain bikers
pulled in. I’m not sure where they were
headed, but they were definitely starting their ride from there. While I was busy packing up, Boone managed to
chew through the leash that was anchoring him to a tree. We managed to chase him down and coax him
into the car, but it meant that we’d have to get through the hike without a
decent leash.
We
headed down the road, but I stopped at the Devil’s Hole Trailhead to get water
for the dog. There’s a decent spring
here, so I let Boone out. He got his
water, but then he didn’t want to have anything to do with getting back in the
car. Sigh. Sadly, it’s impossible to explain to a dog
that we just need to drive a couple more miles before we can start our hike. I chased him around the parking area a bit
before realizing the futility of that approach.
Things finally came to a head when a couple of trucks came from the
direction of Table Rock, and Boone was still in the road. Somehow Bob and I managed to corral him, and
I literally picked him up and carried him to the car. This probably wasn’t a great idea, as Boone
now weighs over 80 pounds, but I was tired of fooling around and ready to start
hiking.
We
reached the Spence Ridge Trailhead a few minutes later, and found the parking
area overflowing. I guess I shouldn’t
have been surprised – it was a rare weekend with a nice weather forecast. We drove past the official parking area and
joined a long line of cars pulled off the side of the road. As I parked, I realized just how lucky I was
to find a decent place to camp the night before.
We
gathered our gear quickly and hit the trail before 10. We started out on an old roadbed, which took
us up to a junction with the Mountains to Sea Trail at a large camping
area. From there, we started up a steep
stretch of the MST. This stretch of
trail isn’t particularly exciting, but I like it because it’s not heavily
traveled. It gave us a chance to let
Boone run around before we got into the crowds below Table Rock.
Once
beyond the Table Rock junction we began seeing lots of people and dogs. Eventually I resorted to a backup leash,
which was a hassle to use, but necessary under the circumstances. As we hiked, we enjoyed views of Little Table
Rock as well as Table Rock above us.
Ahead, the Chimneys stood guard over the far end of the gorge.
We
hurried ahead, as I was looking forward to getting this part of the hike behind
us. At the picnic area we found a
parking lot crowded with climbers, hikers, backpackers, and tourists. Beyond,
the crowds thinned a bit, while the scenery continued to impress. We weren’t far from the picnic area when Bob
mentioned that he’d never hiked this stretch of trail. I was stunned, as Bob has done a lot of
hiking in the southeast. I consider the
trail from Table Rock to Shortoff to be one of the
most scenic hikes in the state, and I couldn’t believe he hadn’t hiked it. He was amazed by the scenery, and the best
was yet to come.
The
constant views from the Chimneys were fantastic. To the east, we gazed out over ridges and
valleys still bright with the last lingering fall color. In the other direction, we looked down into
the depths of the canyon carved by the mighty Linville River. Rugged cliffs towered above the river,
providing a dramatic foreground for the magnificent Black Mountain Range in the
distance. We wandered among a fairyland
of twisted towers and rock spires, stopping at each new mysterious
feature. Keeping Bob moving towards our
goal was a challenge through here, as we kept exploring the numerous pinnacles
looming over the trail. We scrambled
most of the way up one of them, just for the fun of it. Doing so didn’t really change the view, but
it didn’t matter. We were having a
blast.
Eventually
we reached the end of the Chimneys, and the excitement dwindled briefly. We hiked through the woods for a few minutes,
still on the crest of the east rim of the gorge. I was moving slowly through here, as I didn’t
want to miss the turn to the Amphitheatre.
It turns out that I didn’t need to worry. We found the junction easily, as it is now
marked with a giant cairn. We headed
down the side path here, which was clear and easy to follow. After a lengthy descent, we reached a narrow
spine of rock. We followed this out to a
point overlooking the Amphitheatre and the gorge below.
This
spot overlooking the Amphitheatre is probably my favorite in the entire
wilderness. It literally hangs over the
deep cleft of the Amphitheatre, and the view down the gorge to Shortoff is superb. From
that point, a long stretch of river is visible, and seems to lead all the way
to the South Mountains on the horizon.
Bob
was impressed by the Chimneys, but the Amphitheatre blew him away. Both of us took abundant photos before we
settled in to enjoy a late lunch. While
we ate, we spotted a pair of climbers as they reached the top of wall on the
south side of the Amphitheatre. Once off
the wall, the climbers wasted no time heading up a path above the Amphitheatre
across from us. I consulted my map, and
realized that they were on the climber’s ascent trail. I had never hiked that one, so we decided to
check it out.
We
climbed back above the top of the Amphitheatre, but missed the junction with
the side trail. Eventually we realized
our error and doubled-back. We spotted
the side path easily this time, as its more obvious coming from that
direction. We followed this path around
the head of the Amphitheatre. This trail
is more primitive and rugged than the main trail down to the Amphitheatre, but
it was still reasonably easy hiking.
Before long, we found ourselves working our way along the cliffs of the
south edge of the Amphitheatre. This was
a little precarious, yet dramatic. As we
hiked, the views up the gorge began to expand.
Eventually we reached a point opposite of, but below, or lunch
spot. This was a really cool vantage
point, too. We spent some time exploring
around here as well, enjoying the views up and down the gorge.
We
hung around a bit before heading back.
Once back on the north side of the Amphitheatre, we contemplated hiking
down into it. We started down the steep
path at the head of the Amphitheatre, but we didn’t go far. The path was wet, but covered with dry
leaves. I can’t imagine more treacherous
footing, and our progress was slow.
Originally I’d thought about making an attempt to reach the Lower NC
Wall, but the day was getting late.
Plus, I was afraid that we’d never get the dog through there. Instead, we doubled-back to the top of the Amphitheatre. From that point, we decided to loop back to
the MST along the top of the NC Wall.
The
hike along the Upper NC Wall is one of the most scenic in the entire
gorge. Unfortunately, there isn’t much
left of the trail. From the Amphitheatre,
we dropped down to a small stream and followed a faint track around to the tops
of the cliffs. The path was barely a
memory though, obscured by fallen trees and briars. We pushed through some nasty tangles, before
pausing to reconsider. We only had a
couple of hours of daylight left, and there was no telling how long it would
take us to get through. I’m sure we
could’ve made it eventually, but it probably would’ve been after dark. We decided to come back another day, when we
had more time, and perhaps a machete.
This was disappointing, as I was really looking forward to visiting the
Upper NC Wall for the first time in years.
Fortunately, our explorations of the far side of the Amphitheatre
more than made up for it.
We
backtracked again, and followed the main trail back up to the MST. Along the way, we noticed that we were both
bleeding. I always say it’s not an
official hike in Linville Gorge until someone bleeds, and this one was no
exception! We were almost at the top
when we met a couple on their way down.
As they passed, they asked if they were still on the trail to Shortoff, or if it was a side trail to the river. I found this a little alarming, and explained
that they were on neither. I told them
that the trail was a steep dead-end, but that it was well worth it. This seemed to be all the info they needed,
and they continued on down towards the Amphitheatre.
Once
back on the MST we doubled our pace. We
returned to the picnic area in record time, where we found Burke County Search
and Rescue. I’m not sure what was going
on, but it looked like they were responding to either an injury or a missing
person. We never did find out what
happened.
We
maintained our aggressive pace, and made it back to the trailhead around
4:30. This was quite a bit faster than I
thought we’d be able to manage, but it meant that we’d make it out to highway
181 before dark. There wasn’t a good
place to turn around where we had parked, so we continued down the road towards
Table Rock. By the time we reached a
wide spot, I decided that we might as well keep on trucking. I hadn’t driven the direct route from Table
Rock down to 181 in many years, and before long, I remembered why. That dirt road seems to go on forever! The good news is that it brings you out to
181 at the bottom of the mountain. It
was kind of nice to skip the windy section of that “highway” for once.
Bob
and I definitely plan to return to the Amphitheatre for more exploration. I want to hike the Upper NC Wall again,
too. Plus, the Lower NC Wall looks like
a good place for some adventure, although I’ll probably need to leave the dog
at home if we attempt that.
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