Sunday, September 12, 2021

Even More NC Hiking

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It’s like there is a never ending supply of hiking options from our spot in Pineola NC. Our next hike will again take us to the Harper Creek Wilderness Study Area off of FS-464. The trailhead for Bard Falls is almost 6 miles of the twisty and bumpy dirt road. The actual name of the trail is the North Harper Creek Shortcut Trail (#266A) and is about a 3.2 mile out and back hike to Bard Falls. It has just over 500 feet of elevation gain but that will all be tackled on the return trip since the hike to the falls is almost entirely downhill. This trail will intersect North Harper Creek Trail (#266) around a mile from the trailhead. We’ve hiked a section of this trail earlier in our stay but a couple miles to the west of this hike.

We knew the trail had at least one creek crossing that can be deep and with the rains from Hurricane Ida a few days earlier, we opted to bring along our water sandals in case we needed them. The crossing at the 0.6 mile mark was shallow enough and had rocks to walk across, but when we got to the next crossing at 1.2 miles we realized it was deeper than the tops of our boots and wide enough that getting across with dry feet wasn’t possible. We don’t enjoy hiking in soggy boots and if we were going to take off our boots in order to dump out the water and wring our our socks, we might as well just switch over to the water sandals. It took us much longer to change footwear than it did to walk across the creek but at least we could continue the hike to the falls with dry feet.

Chris Crosses Creek

The next half mile of trail follows the creek but usually with a buffer of trees and brush between the two. There were many small falls that we could hear all along the trail and occasionally we could actually get a glimpse of them. We were constantly wondering if the one we were near was Bard Falls or not. We decided to trust the maps on our Garmin and phones and kept following the trail.

Smaller Cascade Along the Way

We finally got to a large waterfall we could see from the trail but we are 15 feet above the creek level and the most direct route down looked dangerous. We continued past the falls and found a runoff ditch that appeared to be the normal route people took to get down to the base of the falls. It was still challenging but there were small trees to hang onto as we worked our way down.

Approaching Bard Falls

There was a bit of a camping spot well below the falls but in order to check it out better, we needed to work our way over to the rocks at the base of the falls. The footing was pretty good but there are some steep sections to be careful around. We sat down and had a snack as we enjoyed the sound of the water just feet away from us.

A Bit Closer

View from Our Snack Spot

Bard Falls

We had the place to ourselves for nearly 25 minutes before another group of hikers showed up. As we surrendered our prime viewing spot, they came over and were much more adventurous than we had been. We couldn’t tell for certain, but we suspect they actually came prepared to take a dip in the small pool at the base of the falls.

More Bard Falls Visitors

The return trip wasn’t too bad even though it is all uphill. We repeated our footwear change at the deeper creek crossing and eventually got back to the car. We had a couple other potential short hikes nearby, but we decided this one was enough for the day and headed back out the bumpy road.

Trailhead for Bard Falls

The next day we would try another hike on the western side of the Linville Gorge a mile or two south of Linville Falls. The combination of Pine Gap and Bynum Bluff Trails along with the forest road will make about a 3 mile loop with nearly 800 feet of elevation gain. The dirt road that continues past the Linville Falls parking area to the Pine Gap trailhead isn’t too bad and there was plenty of parking. At the start we are about 350 feet above the Linville River and the trail more or less parallels the river as it works it’s way down. The roar of the water is constant but there isn’t much of a view of the river for the first half mile or so. Even though it hasn’t rained in a few days, the trail was rather wet - rain forest like. But we manage to keep our footing even in a few tricky sections.

Open View Along Pine Gap Trail

Mushroom Sample A

Mushroom Sample B

Miniature Fall Colors

At about the 3/4 mile point is a convergence of trails. It was helpful to know what we intended on hiking and could continue straight down a fairly steep ridge that will drop to the water level. There were several different views since the river makes a horseshoe bend at this point. It was quite rocky along the edge of the river. I searched a little bit to see if I could spot one of the signs or railings that had been swept away from the upper Linville Falls viewpoint by TS Fred a few weeks earlier but had no luck. After taking a break for a snack, we started the long climb back up Bynum Bluff Trail.

Mushroom Sample C

At Linville River Level

Very Rocky Shore Line

I found one other viewpoint we had missed on our way down that provides a nice view of the river. At the trail intersection, there are three options: right, straight or left. Going right would take us back the way we came on Pine Gap Trail and would be the shortest way back to the car. Going left actually picks up the Linville Gorge Trail and will head back down to the river. It might be a pretty hike and head past another waterfall, but it would probably double the length of the hike. Taking the center (straight) trail will have us continue along Bynum Bluff. There are some neat rock outcroppings at the 1.6 mile point that requires the trail to have a switchback or two in order to go up and thru them. After that, the rest of the trail is fairly flat along the top of the gorge before we get to the parking lot for this trailhead. From here we simply walk the dirt road about 2/3 mile to the car. It’s pretty easy since it’s almost all downhill and there was minimal traffic to contend with.

Another Overlook View

Bynum Bluff Trailhead

We had read about a place called Wiseman’s View that was 3 miles further south on this same dirt road. It sounded pretty and figured the road up to this point hadn’t been too bad so maybe the next stretch would be fine. Wishful thinking! The road deteriorated quickly after we passed the Bynum Bluff trailhead parking lot. Even with the Jeep, it was slow going. It wasn’t just a washboard surface like many dirt roads turn into. This road was a mogul course that ski bums would be envious of! Surprisingly the parking lot at Wiseman’s View was in excellent shape and the quarter mile trail from parking to the viewpoint was paved with wheelchairs in mind.

Entrance to Wiseman's View

There are two beautiful stone overlook platforms: one facing south and the other facing east. The overlook is more than 1300 feet above the Linville River so it is a rather dramatic view. There are two prominent peaks on the opposite side of the gorge that standout from the rest of the ridge line. Hawksbill is to the northeast while Table Rock is to the southeast. They are both over 1 mile across the gorge and more than 500 feet higher than our spot on this side of the gorge.

Overlook Facing South

Overlook Facing East

Hawksbill Mountain
Table Rock Mountain

There are also some rock outcroppings besides the platforms that provides views to the north. While they are not technically accessible to visitors, they are not really blocked off and as long as you’re careful to not approach the edge they seem fine. Chris was a bit more cautious here!

View Looking to the Northeast

Hawksbill in the Distance

Table Rock Above, Linville River Below

Chris and Jack Pose at Wiseman's View

One Last View

There are many other trails south of Wiseman’s View but given the road, we opt to make this as far south as we go. As we were coming to the exit of this region, we stopped at the small visitor center. It wasn’t open but the old log cabin is in great shape. This was a nice outing for the day, I just wish they would do a bit more road grading to improve the conditions.

Visitor Center Cabin

Several days later we decided to take a longer drive up to the town of West Jefferson northeast of Boone. We had a few goals. One was to grab some geocaches in a couple other NC counties and also visit the home of Ashe County Cheese. I have a bit of an addiction to cheese curds and I wanted to see where they are made. The first stop was to the library in town. Just down the hill from the building is an old caboose. The thing is in great shape with what appears to be a new paint job. The car is open so we were able to go inside as well. The raised portion in the center of the caboose has 4 seats. In order to get to them, one must climb the steps to get 4 feet above the floor of the car. Having never been in a caboose before, I’m not sure if this is a standard configuration. After we found the cache hidden in a book in the library, we headed over to the cheese place.

West Jefferson NC Caboose

Raised Seating in Caboose

View of Mount Jefferson thru Library Sign

We knew they were not making cheese the day we visited but the visitor center room that overlooks the production floor has a very well done video showing the steps. In some ways, the video might be better than the real thing since we can see the whole process, not just the snapshot in time of our visit.

Big Cows Provide the Milk for Cheese

Vacant Cheese Production Vats

Cow Mural

Across the street from the production area is the retail store. It’s a very big place with a wide assortment of cheeses and other locally sourced products. We picked out a handful of different cheeses and of course some cheese curds.

Inside Retail Store

Strange Dogwood Fruit

We had timed our visit so we would be here at lunchtime. Just to the east of town is Mount Jefferson. It towers about 1500 feet above town but a road will get us to the top with relative ease. We knew there was a picnic area near the top so that was our goal. We had picked a rather hot day for the trip but as we drove up the mountain, the temperature kept dropping and by the time we were at the end of the road, the temperature had dropped 11 degrees so we could eat lunch in relative cool conditions. There are several overlooks along the course of the two plus mile drive with large pullouts for cars. We stopped to check out the incredible views such an elevation provides. Besides the conventional overlooks with railings, one of them has a large rock outcropping to venture out on if you dare - Chris made it partway out but the wind was rather strong so even I kept well back from the edge.

Mount Jefferson Overlook

View From Overlook

West Jefferson NC

Rock Outcropping

We took the Blue Ridge Parkway back to camp. It’s a much more leisurely drive but also very pretty. Our first stop was for a quick hike at a trail called Jumpinoff Rocks. We didn’t know much about the trail, but the name intrigued us. It’s just a 1/2 mile section of the Mountain to Sea Trail which we seem to find wherever we’re at. The trail ends at an overlook but to our disappointment, there were no signs warning about “jumping off the rocks”. It was a pretty view from the overlook although similar views can be seen at most BRP pullouts.

Unusual Plant with Berries and Red Tinted Leaves

Only 317.2 Miles to Clingman's Dome

Jumpinoff Rocks Overlook

View from Overlook

As we continued south along the BRP, we came upon dozens of people running along the road. We weren’t sure what was going on but they all seemed to have race numbers like marathoners wear. They were spaced out pretty far apart over the course of several miles. When we got back and investigated what was going on, we discovered this was a race called the Blue Ridge Relay. It’s a race that starts at Grayson Highlands State Park in southern Virginia and ends at the Highland Brewing in Asheville NC. There are 36 legs in the 208 mile relay race! We had stumbled across legs 12 & 13 which covers about 10 miles of the parkway. Each team must have between 4 and 12 runners. After the race was over, I checked the results. 143 teams completed the race and the winning team had a time of 22 hours and 10 minutes!

Views from BRP

More Views from BRP

The following day would bring us back to the Lost Cove Wilderness Study Area. If you’ve been paying attention, we have spent a great deal of time there and the adjacent Harper Creek Wilderness Study Area. The reasons are simple. It’s close to camp and there are many excellent hikes in the area. The next hike will be the Hunt Fish Falls Trail - a 1.4 mile out and back hike with just under 500 feet of elevation gain. The trailhead is back on FS-464 about a half mile further than the Bard Falls Trailhead. Hunt Fish Falls was a hike we considered combining with Bard Falls a few days earlier if for no other reason than avoiding the long bumpy drive another time. When we arrived at the trailhead parking, the area was pretty full of vehicles - maybe because it was a nice Saturday. One of the vehicles was a small church bus. My first thought was somebody was getting married at the falls? It was a fairly easy downhill walk with a section of the trail right next to a small creek.

Hunt Fish Falls Trailhead

Cool Mushroom

When we first arrived at the falls there was one family of 6 and a couple other pairs of people, but not as many as I anticipated based on the number of cars. I setup my tripod and ND filters on the camera to get some longer exposure time shots.

Hunt Fish Falls

Another Angle of Falls

I’m glad I got my pictures done right away because 10 minutes later we heard a large and loud group approaching. It turns out the church bus hadn’t brought a wedding party but approximately 15 twelve year old boys. What had been a peaceful place turned into a noisy water park. They alternated between playing in the main fails, to jumping into the large pool, to sliding down the slick rock. It didn’t take much of their noise to convince us to head back up the hill.

Playing in the Falls

Jumping in the Water

Slick Rock Area Below Falls

Since this hike truly was a short one, we decided to fit one more hike in. Dark Side Cliffs Trail is just a 1 mile out and back hike with less than 160 feet of elevation gain. It seemed like one of those trails that wouldn’t be worth the drive to by itself but since the trailhead is just a mile or so back towards camp on FS-464, we stop to check it out. There was one other car at the small pullout along the road.
Dark Side Cliff Trailhead

The hike was really an easy one. We found the 4 people associated with the other car enjoying the views at the end of this hike. The large rock outcropping is smaller than the one at Big Lost Cove Cliffs but the views are similar since both look out over the valley formed by Lost Cove Creek. Turns out the people had some local ties to the area and we were able to pick their brains about other hikes, tourist attractions and restaurants in the area. The combination of Hunt Fish Falls and Dark Side Cliffs made for an enjoyable yet easy outing.

View at Dark Side Cliffs

Grandfather Mountain in Distance

Another View at Dark Side Cliffs

We mixed things up a bit the next day by heading to an orchard. We have driven by this place several times during our stay in the area but never bothered to check it out. Each time we’ve gone past, it seems quite busy so we figured we should investigate. The Orchard at Altapass is about 20 miles south of camp along the BRP. We stopped at the Chestoa View Overlook along the drive. There is a 1 mile loop trail but the reviews of the trail were mixed. We did go to the neat stone platform that has a great view of the valleys and mountains.

Chris Sits at Chestoa Overlook

Great View from Overlook

The Orchard was crowded but it was a Sunday, so not too unexpected. The apple trees cover a large portion of the hillside near the large building. I’m not sure how large the orchard property is, but it’s substantial.

The Orchard at Altapass

View Behind Orchard Building

They offer apple picking tours frequently throughout the day. You buy a small bag and get a picking time. Our group had close to 20 people in it. Besides the tour guide to tell us which apples are ready for picking, there are poles that can be used to pick those apples out of reach by hand. Given the size of the orchard, they limit the picking to just a small area uphill from the main building. Since we are on the side of a hill, the trees are sort of terraced in rows. This makes for difficult footing especially with lots of fallen apples on the ground. The trees and types of apples we were permitted to pick was rather limited but we managed to fill up our bag.

Apple Pickers Learning the Rules

We wandered around the inside of the building to see what else they had to offer. There were descriptions of all the different varieties of apples they grow on the property. It seemed like the majority of them were ones I’ve never heard of before. They also had a honey bee hive behind glass. There is a small clear section of hose that leads between the hive and outside. I stood and watched them for quite some time. They also had a large terrarium with dozens of monarch caterpillars and several chrysalis waiting for a butterfly to emerge.

Apple Varieties

Honey Bee Hive View

There also happens to be hiking trails at the Orchard. The main loop is Trail #2 - a 2.5 mile. We follow the loop in a clockwise direction. Even though the trail is marked, it isn’t super easy to follow. Since there are paths between each row of trees, it wasn’t clear which path to take. We relied on the AllTrails app to stay on course. The first mile is under full sun since the apple trees don’t provide much shade. Chris managed to twist her ankle again but tried to walk it off. Eventually we work our way down out of the orchard and into a heavily wooded section of the trail. The shade felt good and it was a much more enjoyable part. The southern end of the trail was confusing again and we likely would have wandered off the route if we didn’t have the trail map. It was a bit of a climb in the hot sun to get back up to the parking area. By then Chris’ ankle was really bothering her. Looks like she might be out of commission for a bit. All in all, not the most fun hike we have done in the area.

Trail Thru Orchard

Follow the Signs

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