Brace Yourselves: Strenuous Hike Ahead!

Folks, today we scaled Stone Mountain to the summit and then saw Stone Mountain Falls. It was QUITE an adventure lasting 4 hours of hiking. Up the mountain, down the mountain, across some flat'ish land and then back up the mountain to see the falls. Okay, wait, let me tell you these grueling details. We got to Stone Mountain Park at 12:30pm, geared up with water bottles, snacks, tp just in case, and moleskin on our heels after yesterday's very verticle climb on the Mountains-To-Sea trail. We analyzed the trail map and I had taken note previously that it was a strenuous hike. It is, afterall, what I wanted. Moderate difficulty to hard trails for this trip.

We headed out and we walked for about 1.5 miles when we reached what at first I thought was the top, though at the same time I knew it could not be the top because it was not hard to get to, I was not winded, and the trail went on behind us....going slowly up. The first picture below is me on what I called the "false summit." We continued on, and I whined slightly to Will about how I thought we were going to the tippy top of Stone Mountain. We cleared the relaxed hill, and saw what we were REALLY GOING to climb up. I didn't take any pictures of this long part, but it was absolutely incredible and VERY tough. We made it down the foothill to the base of the mountain and began on the multitude of switchbacks. My legs were getting tired, my breathing short and heavy, and my boots were rubbing still against my heels and sides of feet. Will always strays much further ahead when we hike. I blame his longer stride and general better endurance. So, he got to take lots of breaks at each point of a switchback. He would shout down at me, "Just think of it as training!" And, you know what, I (I mean "we") finally made it to the top! I was wearing shorts and a tshirt and my hair is short as heck and yet, I was sweating like a piggy. But it was a super accomplishment.

After making it to the summit, Will and I enjoyed the sandwiches we packed, some yummy fresh dried mango slices, and plenty of water. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't the most peaceful rock perch and picnic I've ever been present for. Once we had our fill of these serene moments (though I feel I could have spent hours on that slab of rock), we began our descent down the mountain. It was comprised of stairs, metal rope railings, staggered dirt steps, and endless switchbacks - all to combat the sheer steepness.

At the bottom, we walked for quite some time on mostly flat trail before the sound and smell of rushing water saturated our olfactory and auditory senses. There! The waterfall surged, partially hidden by weaving branches and abounding rhododendron leaves. My eyes widened is near despair to see flights and flights of stairs to reach each waterfall landing. Halfway up, I joked nearly cryingly that this nightmare segment surely would become Escher's Staircase and that it would simply never end. When I thought my legs were tired on the incline to the summit, I was severely wrong. These stairs, Lord save me, these stairs! My movement slowed to that of a snail. Even as I slogged on, and mentally prep talked myself (which eventually did not help), I only thought to photograph the mid level of stairs and further stairs to the top. As my reader, you might have cried if I'd shared the previous sets of stairs, so I'm glad I can spare you of that torment. I learned later that there were over 300 steps from the base of the waterfall to the top. THREE-HUNDRED PLUS STEPS! My chiropractor will be receiving a call for an appointment upon my return for my knee. Now, at the top, the most rewarding and heavenly finish line, I asked Will how on earth he was able to climb at such a steady non-snail pace, and without breaking a straight face, he said, "I imagine I have robot legs, and I think about what pace I would keep." What. Haha, I wheezed so much at this unexpected and richly nerdy comment. My husband truly is one of a kind. From here, with my rubber legs and his robot legs, it was an additional ~1.2 miles back to the parking lot which did include some pasture land as well. A welcome sunlight-gracing space.

Our whole trail time having altitude calculated recorded us having climbed 84 flights of stairs. Wow.

Mountains-To-Sea Trail

Directly behind the house leads into the Mountains-To-Sea trail. For those who don't know much about the Mountains-to-Sea trail, it's a very long trail as implied by the name. It has a lot of trailheads scattered all over North Carolina. It spans 1,200 miles across North Carolina from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey’s Ridge on the Outer Banks. If you were to hike it to completion, the average completion time is 70 days (includes your rest days). The average takes into account people who may be biking parts of it, and those who may also be combining time canoeing within rivers like the Neuse. Personally, this sort of long hike is really appealing to me and I am very interested to hopefully hike the Mountains-To-Sea trail. Of course, this would take some substantial training, planning and being not at a job for like two months, but I think it's totally doable. Anyway, for our hike today, we did roughly 3.5 miles and it was pretty much all uphill for the first 2 miles. It had been relatively cool when we were still at the house, but the longer we hiked, the more the humidity showed up. It was pretty surprising to find moderate humidity in the mountains in April. I am proud that we went to the highest point in the current trail segment, but I can also say that we both had a bad case of North Carolina swamp butt upon return. We did see some interesting plant life, and somehow had enough reception to identify it in my plant app. The super leafy green depicted below in the swampy area is called "Skunk Cabbage"! It's edible when you boil the leaves and stems and has other medicinal uses. The reason it's called "skunk" is because when it flowers and produces a berry like fruit - the fruit is incredibly odorous in a bad way. So, the name is pretty accurate. We only saw it in one place along the trail and it was the swampy / wet land.

The Stars Aren't The Only Fires Burning Brightly

After some downtime of petting the neighboring horses after we returned from Jefferson National State Area, I decided to clean the owner's patio where the fire pit is. It wasn't something anyone told me to do, but it was not an environment that I thought I could enjoy. There was a lot of built up dirt, leaves, branches and twigs in corners and along the edges of the walls. The chairs intended for the area were placed haphazardly and there were stray objects not tucked away anywhere. All her potted plants were also dead, as expected in the winter, but they weren't pruned so their dead limbs just hung outside the pots crusty, brown, and sad. It looked unkept, and I knew that I wouldn't enjoy having fires in the pit unless my surroundings matched my spirit of tidiness and sightliness. This led me to pick up the push broom, find the shovel (already on the patio) and investigate how to pull the blue wheelbarrow down from the hill that I could see it on. After a few hours, I was done! I wish I had taken a before / after picture, but you'll just have to suffice with the after photo. I built the structure of the fire while there was still sunlight. Will and I cooked hot and sour soup together, his classic recipe. The kitchen is definitely a two butt kitchen, and nothing more. The soup turned out totally delicious and I was tempted to have seconds! Once we were finished cleaning up, we lit the fire. It wasn't very chilly, but not warm either. The stars sparkled in the sky. There were no dusty clouds shadowing the moon. Our moments were filled with the crisp scent of mountain air, crackling and sputtering noises of the logs, lichen, and newspaper burning, and the stars set in the sky like a globe around us.

Overlooks Galore in Jefferson

We had to drive down the mountain to pick up shiitake mushrooms for dinner and for hiking snacks, so we decided to go to a hiking trail further away (than we would if staying at the house). So, we headed over to Jefferson National State Area which houses multiple trails, but three scenic overlooks: Sunset Overlook (where we parked), Jefferson Overlook, and Luther Rock. We had an absolutely delightful hike up and down. Tried some dried mango slices and a new brand of beef jerky. Here are some memories from our ascent!

Exploring the Grounds, Happy Hour, and Supper

We explored the grounds at the house closer to when we arrived as mentioned in my previous post. We think one of the warmer days, we may wade into the creek (though I'm sure it will be delightfully freezing water), and look for pretty rocks and maybe some creek dwellers. After the walking around, we made ourselves some tasty drinks and popcorn and enjoyed the front porch looking out at the unsewn produce garden beyond the creek and the horse farm to our left. The bird song and bubbling creek sounds softly filled our ears easing ourselves into deep relaxation. For dinner, Will and I made a delicious Farmer's Delight Quiche! It will be perfect for breakfasts as well.

The Red Tin Roof: A Warm, Comfortable Space

Today starts our vacation in the mountains! A long awaited week getaway. Our last trip like this was in June of 2020 and like last time, it was just as desperately overdue. So, we rented a cute little home from AirBnB that is directly off the Blue Ridge Parkway. The house backs up to the infamous Mountain-To-Sea trail so it’s easy to just jump onto it and start hiking. That’ll be our starting point tomorrow (probably). We’ll be taking a light backpack with water and maybe sandwiches on our hike tomorrow. I just realized that we didn’t get beef jerky or fruit jerky when we were in the nearest town. 😭 C’est la vie. 

We’ll eventually go back down the mountain though. So, anyway, the house we rented is on a very large acreage of land, and much of it is wooded. Will and I briefly explored the grassy areas surrounding the house and down to the creek in front, and it’s really a beautiful spot. There are a few structures that made us wonder, such as the outhouse which looked unused, but inside it had a functioning toilet area and a sign that said “Quit Yer Bitchin”, so we’re under the impression that it’s still used often. There was also this little wooden teepee-type structure in the furthest point of their front/side yard which looked like an enjoyable place to sit during the later Spring to early summer months when everything is green and the air is a bit warmer. We’re at about half-green right now, and the temperature doesn’t break 66-70  degrees F. I took some pictures of the house and yard. The house is pretty old, so it has some quite dated appliances and decor.