Yesterday, Bob, Laura, Joel, Eric, Christy, and Saucony joined me for an exploration of Linville Gorge. We set out on an ambitious route, starting at the Sandy Flats trailhead and leaving a car at the Pinch In Trailhead, where we hoped to finish. We quickly discovered that there is nothing flat about the Sandy Flats trail as we plunged over the rim and into the gorge. The route required a great deal of skill as we negotiated our way over rock ledges. At times it seemed that we were descending a waterfall, as the stream we followed merged with the trail. There were a few minor spills, but no major injuries as we finally reached the bottom of the gorge. However, it had taken us almost 90 minutes to hike the first mile. We were way behind schedule.
We lunched on huge boulders at the edge of a spectacular rapid on the Linville River. The river was near flood stage after Friday's rain, and it was loud enough that conversation was almost impossible. We hiked downstream, past more outstanding rapids and swimming holes. At one point, the river was squeezed between rocks walls only a few feet apart. The jagged rocks made the passage look like a blender. Thankfully, we were hiking, not kayaking.
We hiked farther down river, past a surprising waterfall on a tributary, and below the cliffs of Table Rock and Hawksbill. We then began a lengthy climb up the Conley Cove trail, past towering Hemlocks and more cliffs and caves. It was already past 4pm when we reached the rim of the gorge. Our original route called for another 3 miles of hiking on a primitive trail. We abandoned that plan, but still took time to explore a side trail. It led out to an outstanding view of the river, and Table Rock, the Chimneys, and the Amphitheater across the gorge.
We reached the road with less than hour remaining before dark. A brisk walk down the forest road got us back to the car at twilight. Along the way, we enjoyed a spectacular red sunset.
It was a great hike, although we only finished half of our original route. Of course, that will just give us an excuse to come back and finish it.
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