All being WessexWarrior and me.  No one else showed, which was fine.  We both had a really nice time getting to know each other.

It was a delightfully cool, misty morning on Grandfather Mountain – a nice escape from the 94 hot and muggy degrees that was forecast for Charlotte when I left.  Visibility was not great, but we could still see the surrounding peaks and valleys.  It was actually quite beautiful, and felt like we had the mountain all to ourselves (for the first half of the day at least).

The access to Grandfather trail from the Swinging Bridge was temporarily closed, so we had to drive down to the next parking area and start from a connecting access trail.  Weather conditions made the trail wetter and the rocks and logs a bit slippery.  WW and I both regretted not having shoes with better tread, but we marched intrepidly onward.  We hit the first of the ladders and took in the magnificent views atop the granite outcroppings.  We climbed to the top of McCrae Peak and ate our sandwiches in the misty drizzle.  Wind started to pick up and it got fairly chilly – we continued on, but decided if the rain intensified that we would turn back around.  We climbed the Chute and made it as far as Indian Cave, then decided to go back.  On the return leg we heard a noise crashing through the brush – turned around just in time to see a full-grown doe leaping across the trail and up the hillside no more than 20 feet behind us.

Total hike was probably only 2.5 miles, with an additional 1 mile out to Grandmother view and back. By then the sun had come out and we enjoyed basking in its warmth. We also walked the swinging bridge and talked to the animals at the nature preserve – saw some beautiful black bears, cougars, deer, otter and a huge bald eagle.

A stop in Blowing Rock for a cold beer and dinner was the perfect cap to a perfect day.  Thanks WW for making it so much fun!  I look forward to the next adventure.

Sorry – no photos.  My camera is 3000 miles away, spending the week in Lake Tahoe.