Sept 28 The new Profile Trail parking area

Grandfather Mountain State Park's new parking access for the Profile Trail is quite an investment. The fabulous building above, houses bathrooms and a gathering area out of the weather. The new access adds 1/2 mile to the length of the trail. 

Just in case you get your boots muddy, you can clean them up here.

Wanna camp? Sign up here.

 Looks like a jail with 3 electrical outlets. To charge your phone? or electric shock for littlebugs?

The parking lot has 100 spaces and the overflow area is below.

Sept 27 Snake Mountain

Snake Mountain is one of the Amphibolite mountains in western NC. It has two distinct peaks (South and North) with a mile long ridge between them. I have been on the South peak before, accessing it off Rich Mountain Rd. New signage posted along the road, indicates the owners no longer welcome hikers. So, it is off to another private access point on Meat Camp Road where I've read the owner is more welcoming.

The entrance to the private land is through this locked gate, with the chain just sufficiently long enough to get through. There is a Leave no Trace sign immediately after entering. Further up the mountain, another sign indicates hikers are welcome as long as the property is respected.

I think I'm looking at The Peak Mtn, just north of Elk Knob.

The route up the mountain is rather short but quite steep. In the lower 7/10s of a mile we are walking on a cleared road through fields. There are expansive view east and north. A large rock outcrop is reached and then the trail disappears into the woods by an old campsite. There is a overlook with a view of the Sunalei Preserve.

Here is a shot of the road to the top of the Sunalei Preserve. I noticed a trail coming from its main club lodge at the top of the road. The trail snaked its way through a gap in the rocks. At the top of this gap, I got the most delightful breeze both on my way up and back down.

At 5518', Snake Mountain has commanding views in all directions. The day was a bit hazy but I could make out most of the Amphibolite Mountains, Beech, Sugar, Hanging Rock, Grandfather and Roan. The Blacks were in the haze as were the Linville mountains and Grayson highlands.

Elk Knob

The last 3/10s mile is a gnarly climb. There are several trails following the ridge. Pick your choice, they all lead the same way. It is quite a scramble anyway you do it. At the top, I'd climbed 1146' and geotracker measured 1.16 miles and 18% average grade. Wow.

The trail just barely slips through here.

Sept 26 Backbone Rock & Falls

Backbone Rock Recreation Area lies just 4 miles south of Damascus Virginia. As you head south, cross into Tennessee, you will begin to see the beginning of the recreation area which consists of campsites, picnic areas and trails. There is a trail that connects to the Appalachian Trail but the trail that gets the most activity, is the one that climbs these stairs to the top of Backbone Rock.

Backbone Rock is a tall but narrow slice of rock that in 1901 was in the way of transporting timber out of the region. A tunnel, referred to as the "world's shortest tunnel" was cut thru the rock, allowing railroad access. After the railroad was abandoned, a state highway was built through the tunnel. Here we are 100 feet above the road below.

This photo shows the rock to only about 10 feet wide. Both sides drop off precipitously. A trail goes up and over the road. On the east die of the road is the main picnic areas. There is one large log pinic shelter from another era. The picnic sites have stone fireplaces which predate the more commonly seen steel pedestal grills we see elsewhere.

Too bad the road curves as it goes through the tunnel. It seems dangerous, since folks want to stop and take photos and walk through it.

This is the lower part of a 45 foot waterfall nearby. An old stone staircase leads to it.

Sept 3 Vade Mecum has a new trail

It is just a short spur trail and doesn't even have a name. When you visit the old mineral spring house at Vade Mecum, the trail is within sight. It goes just a short distance to the dam which created Diamond Lake in years past. Sitting next to the dam is the waterwheel which generated power for the resort.

Another dam in Hanging Rock State Park, is located nearby on the Moore Springs property. It is visible from the road if you know when to look. There is currently a picnic table located nearby which gets a fair amount of use. The dam itself is not is good shape and looks as though it has been crumbling for some time.

Aug 21 Eclipse on Pilot Mountain

The Friends of Sauratown Mountains hosted this event on eclipse day. Another support group, Friends of State Parks had donated about 600 viewing glasses. They had sent about 10 times that many to Gorges State Park for folks to witness the eclipse in the Zone of Totality. It rained there and they missed it. We did not.

Enterprising folks built viewing apparatus to see the eclipse projected on a surface. 

Perhaps I should move out of the shade.

Everyone looks so stylish in their viewing glasses.The problem is that you can't see anything but the sun with them.

Our location would give us a 93% complete eclipse. One of the pleasant surprises for me, were the crescent moon shaped sun projections filtering through the tree leaves.

This family made it a science lesson. This gal is holding up a kitchen colander, projecting the eclipsed sun on a piece of cardboard. Enlarge the photo below for better effect. 

The sky darkened as it would before sunset but never got as dark as I was led to think it would.

We sent hundreds of glasses down to the park gate where cars were being turned away. The summit parking lot filled about noon. The eclipse began about 1:20, reached 93% at 2:40 and went on to about 4pm.

Glasses were handed out to those not able to get into the park. Most just viewed the eclipse by the side of the road outside the gate.

Thanks to Debbie Vaden for organizing this event.