Sunrise from the top of Grandfather, a morning to remember.

On a cold October day we set out on this modest eight mile walk across the mile high peaks of Grandfather.

Our monthly adventures had been on overdrive in the summer of '91 and by October we were a pretty rough looking bunch indeed. Maybe the kind of folks you might be wary of meeting on some lonely trail if you judged us just by our looks.

Left to right are Kevin, Robin, Bob, Dennis and Bruce.

The mountain was ablaze with the fall colors here on the crest of the Blue Ridge.

As we set off, above us loomed the first peak, McCrae's Peak, of the three we would cross on Grandfather

and right off the bat the trail wound through a broken rock garden of surreal shapes fallen from the ancient granite above...

As Bald Eagles soared above us in the crisp air all the trouble and expense of getting up here faded away.

This is a view back south towards the parking lot. Here we found a rope had been set along the trail to assist our climb..

As we climbed we could see Beech Mountain in the distance, and that horrible hotel at Sugar Mountain that caused the adoption of bans on building on ridgelines in the mountains.

Ever upward we struggled all day lugging 40 pound packs as a true sense of vertigo began to capture us.

But the top of each rise brought a sense of accomplishment and a readiness to climb on

Finally we get a clear view of McCrae Peak, and some fellow hikers already on the top...

Here as we climb we find our first set of stairs

Incredible vista's opened in all directions as we crossed the first peak and climbed down to begin an assault on the Attic Window

the steep trail headed for a narrow knotch in the facing rock wall

as we climbed all perception of flat became as twisted and tilted as the landscape around us.

At last we near the top, with McCrae Peak in the background ...

and with our last wind we reach the window ...

and pass through to the top of the second peak

From the top the view toward the east spreads out toward the flat lands, obscured on this day by the perpetual haze of the Blue Ridge, a heritage of our coal fired and automotive existence.

After a too short stay on top of Attic Window we head off for the third and highest of the peaks, Calloway Peak.

As the autumn wind grows colder we look forward to the swatch of forest down in the gap ahead, but dread the climb beyond.

The face of the old Grandfather for which the mountain was named is found in the rock face to the left of Calloway Peak. The name is well suited though, for Grandfather is said by geologists to be the oldest mountain in the United States.

As the wind picks up we reach Calloway's top at just under 6000 feet. This is the highest point in the Blue Ridge. Looking north we can see a storm is brewing

and a view to the west confirms the approaching weather...

as the cold rain begins we are happy to discover another series of ladders to assist us in descending the slick mountainside..

but sometimes these slick climbs down with loaded packs become real nail biters when the cold wind suddenly gusts

we are extremely happy when we finally find our stopping place at the Balsam Shelter on the west face of Calloway. Kevin begins a celebration right away

and donning his Moroccan Wool Herders Coat, Dennis soon joins in.

In fact, as the sun sets we all enjoy the warmth of a fire of left overs from the shelter's recent construction. The shear cliff next to the shelter led us to tie a rope up to prevent mishaps in the night time wanderings.

But as night arrived we were hit by another wave of freezing rain ...

and retreated to the little shelter for supper.

where we all stayed up much too late recounting the day's walk as the rain beat on the tin roof.

(No that's not a TV on the wall, it's a marker commemorating the builders of this shelter. We are thankful for their hard work as well you might imagine.)

By dawn the weather has passed, and the mountains arise from a sea of clouds

below us the Linn Cove Viaduct of the Blue Ridge Parkway appears from the morning mists ...

and we begin to look forward to the next leg of our walk, all downhill !

after breaking camp we discover the day has turned warm, and the sky a brilliant blue.

and as we walk we peel off the coats and press on down the Cragway's Trail.

As we approach the Parkway we can hear the distant sounds of traffic

but soon we drop over the edge of the Crags into the silent forest along Boone Creek. This valley and its surrounding formations are suggested to be the furthest south indications of glaciation during the Ice Age. A claim some scientist doubt.

The unusual bowl shaped valley with its surrounding crags make it easy to see why people think that though ...

At last we find ourselves hiking along the creek ....

(by the way the mileage to the swinging bridge is wrong on the sign, it should be 8.5 as Dennis is showing us on the map)

and on more civilized trails

 

Finally we reach the car we left on the Parkway, and after a precarious trip back to our starting place with all our equipment tied to the top of the car we begin to repack for the two hour trip home.

Visit Grandfather Mountains Home Page at :

www.grandfathermountain.com

 

THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL SITE FOR GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN AND IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THAT ORGANIZATION IN ANY WAY. THE PICTURES ON THIS PAGE ARE COPYRIGHTED AND NOT TO BE USED WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION.