Christy, Dave, Saucony and I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Boone. We camped at Linville Falls Saturday night and waited for the snow to fall. It never really happened, but it got plenty cold. Still, a roaring campfire helped us through the night. Getting up the next morning to hike was a challenge though. When Bob and Laura pulled into the campground at 9:30, we were still cooking breakfast.
The water had been turned off at the campground, and Bob and Laura were kind enough to run to the store for us. By the time they returned, we were finally breaking camp. We decided to hike the Tanawha Trail, and Bob, Laura, and Dave went ahead to run the shuttle. Christy and I followed shortly afterwards, and met the others at the Beacon Heights parking area on the Parkway. It had been cold at Linville Falls. It was downright Arctic on the Parkway. Getting out of the car and gathering our gear was a challenge in the howling wind. Finally we made it into the shelter of the woods.
We reached the Mountains to Sea Trail (also the Tanawha) quickly, but took a short side trip up to Beacon Heights. The side trail led to a pair of cliffs offering great views. The first looked south and west, and gave us a great view of Table Rock, Hawksbill, the Black Mountains and the Wilson Creek area. Luckily, the wind was coming from the north, and we were sheltered. It seemed almost pleasant in the sun. The view was spectacular, as there were no clouds or haze.
We returned to the Tanawha Trail, and followed it across a bridge over icy Stack Rock Creek. We continued on to the Linn Cove Viaduct visitor's center. It was closed, but the back porch provided a great place to sit and eat lunch. Afterwards, we hiked under the viaduct, and passed numerous rock formations. Then we began a steady climb up to Rough Ridge. From the top of Ship Rock, we had a great view of Grandfather, the Parkway, and the valleys and ridges of the Wilson Creek drainage. We enjoyed a long break in the sun, despite the biting wind.
We descended from Rough Ridge, and hiked for a few miles through the woods. This part of the hike was quiet but uneventful. Finally we descended to a bridge over Boone Fork, and a few minutes later reached Bob's truck at the parking area. We finished shortly before 5, and everyone was eager to get to Blowing Rock for some pizza from Mellow Mushroom. Everyone enjoyed our first winter hike, but it was nice to warm up with some hot pizza.
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