May 17 Craggy Dome

 

Another 6000'+ peak. Last night, the weather was rocking and rolling in the mountains. In the morning it was foggy but not raining.  I got an early start, arriving at the trailhead (Craggy Gardens Picnic Area) at 8am. It is 48 degrees and overcast. There is water dripping off the trees and lots of wet vegetation overhanging the trail. I'm going to get wet and hopefully, not cold. 

The hike to the top of Craggy Dome and back is 6.7 miles, most of it on the MST. In the first half mile, I pass a gazebo with no view today and a large open air shelter. The trail is lined with Trillium Erectum. The ground is rich with vegetation. The trees are gnarly and large. 

Rose Twisted-Stalk

The trail is as rocky as it gets. Many flat rocks have been placed in the trail. That must have taken a lot of effort. Where there aren't rocks, there is mud. I slipped numerous times but never went down.

The sun never even made an attempt to break through. It was socked in all day until I finished hiking. Then it opened up into a sunny day. 

Meanwhile, I'm getting wet and footing is sloppy. The wildflowers didn't seem to mind the wetness. In addition to Erectum, I saw Painted and Yellow Trillium. 

The MST crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway and immediately after entering the woods, a side trail turned right. Alltrails lists this as the Reese Trail but there is no sign and it appears to be more of a manway than a trail. It headed up gradually and then steeply for .4 mile to the top. My pace slows to deal with the steepness and slippery footing. Toward the top, the trail turned into a cascading creek. Finally, I top out. It is completely socked in and there are no views. Once I found the highest point, I took no time to enjoy. I just turned around and started back. Coming down was painstakingly slow as I placed each footstep carefully. 

At the bottom, ready to the cross the parkway, I wonder if I'd be better off to hike the parkway back and not risk falling on slippery rocks. A quick look at my Alltrails map shows a tunnel along the road. So, that nixed that plan. Back into the woods I go.  

This looks like a yellow Erectum. Can that be?

On my return, I stopped in the large open air shelter to eat lunch. I'm back at the parking area by 1pm. Total hiking distance was 6.7 miles.