There is an eagle in me that wants to soar, and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.--Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) American Historian, Poet and Novelist
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he Tanawha Trail to Rough Ridge invites visitors to release their inner eagle and soar. If you're visiting the Grandfather Mountain area of the Blue Ridge Parkway, be sure to stop off at the Rough Ridge Overlook (Mile 302.8), take the short, but somewhat steep 1+ mile hike to the top, and enjoy the boardwalks and many thrilling overlooks along the way.These views are from a rock outcropping at the 'top' of Rough Ridge -- in the photo above you see the Linn Cove Viaduct -- and if you click on the thumbnail photo you can see the boardwalk overlook that visitors first encounter on their way up Rough Ridge as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway down below. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the Tanawha Trail is appropriately named - as the Cherokee word 'Tanawha' means 'great hawk' or 'eagle.'
OK, Mark - so you're obviously getting up the mountain. Next time you're in Boone, you need to call me so we can grab some lunch.
ReplyDeleteThose are spectacular views from the Tanawha Trail - and I noticed you used a Carl Sandburg quote ... his home is not too far from the BRP, just south of Hendersonville.
ReplyDeleteOk, Steve - so I guess there's no denying that I was up in your neck of the woods. :) Lunch sounds great -- let's make it happen. Do you ever venture to your old stompin' grounds?
ReplyDeleteAdayak, thanks for making that connection for us!
Mark,
ReplyDeleteI just posted this on Facebook. This is my home away from homes. Jeff Steele, Keith Savoy and I bushwacked, climbed and camped this area before the trails, and before the Parkway. On 221 there is still a place where you can enter a cave, climb up through it, then go down a walkway, then, straight up through a rabbit hole into an open Rhododendron Forest with a cave and a great view.
Mark, Thanks for sharing this. We plan to be there in July.
Thanks for the note, Bob - very interesting! I can only imagine how thrilling it was to take in these views before the trails and parkway arrived. You've got me curious about that cave! :)
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