I needed a week to recover from this one. The Grandfather Trail along the summit ridge at Grandfather Mountain State Park is a crazy obstacle course of ladders, cable routes and 50-ton boulders. Strong hikers can do all the trails…
North Carolina
Hikes in North Carolina
Summer hikes at River Sections of Pilot Mountain State Park
by tom • August 22, 2010 • 4 Comments
I have as much fun finding these trails as I do hiking on them. They’re all tucked way, way back in the countryside, and while there are reasonably direct routes (like less than a half-dozen turns from a major highway),…
Another stroll at Stone Mountain (N.C.) State Park
by tom • August 15, 2010 • 6 Comments
You know how in the movies where the heroes are slogging through the jungle, then the camera shows subtle changes in scenery implying something big is about to happen, then they round a bend and see this vast civilization splayed…
Dirt walking on a mountain bike path
by tom • July 27, 2010 • 4 Comments
It was so hot this past weekend I couldn’t muster the ambition for an ambitious hike; best I could do was 4.6 miles on the mountain-biking single-track at the park across the road. Tanglewood Park has a raft of amenities,…
Revisiting the peak of Pilot Mountain
by tom • July 18, 2010 • 7 Comments
I’m warming to this idea: at least one sweltering outing a year at the top of Pilot Mountain, just to test the principle that there’s no bad time to hike up there. I finished a sweat-drenched wretch on Sunday just…
Quick trip to Clingmans Dome
by tom • July 12, 2010 • 7 Comments
The road to Clingmans Dome — highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park — opened a few weeks back after a long closure for renovations, so it’s been high on my list of places to check out.
Craggy Gardens minus the rhododendrons
by tom • July 3, 2010 • 6 Comments
Craggy Gardens, about 20 miles north of Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway, is a must visit in mid-June, when the peak bloom of the Catawba rhododendron lights up vast swaths of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
One more at Grandfather Mountain — Profile Trail to Calloway Peak
by tom • June 27, 2010 • 6 Comments
I’ve proved beyond doubt that Grandfather Mountain is no place to hike if you’re in a hurry. I’ve established a firm 1.1 mph pace after five outings totaling about 25 miles. Sign for the Profile Trail, seen heading north on…
Dan River to Hanging Rock via Indian Creek Trail
by tom • June 13, 2010 • 7 Comments
One-word summary of this outing: Wet. Sweat on the way up, rain on the way down. I finished soaked from the top of my cap to the soles of my shiny new New Balance trail runners. Yes, I took rain…