gratitude

I thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.
--E. E. Cummings (1894-1962) American poet. 

My friend Adam crossing a Tanawha Trail bridge leading to the Rough Ridge Overlook (located at Mile 302.8 on the Blue Ridge Parkway).

looking back

When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened. 
--Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British Prime Minister

Another view of Boone Fork Bridge.

autumn journey

Life is a journey, and with every step we reach a point of no return.
--David Farland, author

Above: Boone Fork Bridge in autumn along the Tanawha Trail.

Walk or Ride?

Now shall I walk
or shall I ride?
"Ride," Pleasure said:
"Walk," Joy replied.
-W.H. Davies (1871-1940) Welsh poet-

The trail to Rough Ridge. I photographed this same scene back in October of 2008. A ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway provides magnificent views and an unforgettable experience. Its 469 miles through North Carolina and Virginia attract 18 million visitors each year. But I'm very thankful that it's much more than just a scenic parkway -- that its designers planned over 200 overlooks for visitors to stop and experience. And that there are also hundreds of trails to be explored and enJOYed.

Click here, here and here for lists and descriptions of the various hiking trails found along the Parkway.

release your inner eagle

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

The 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.'

springtime stanzas

How many stanzas in the springtime breeze?
How plenty the raindrops? As He doth please.
There is no meter and there is no rhyme,
Yet God's poems always read in perfect time.
--Astrid Alauda, "Poems on Nature"

Spring is just now arriving along the Blue Ridge of North Carolina. For those of us in Tennessee, driving 'over the mountain' is like stepping back in time -- an opportunity to see and enjoy a second spring. The High Country is carpeted with springtime's brilliant greens -- which have arrived in perfect time.

Above: A view from Rough Ridge of the Linn Cove Viaduct and Grandfather Mountain. This is one of my favorite hikes found along the Blue Ridge Parkway (Mile 302.8) -- its boardwalks and many rock outcroppings offer breathtaking views. It's part of the Tanawha Trail that stretches for 13 miles from Beacon Heights to Price Lake. With its soaring, majestic views, the trail is appropriately named; 'Tanawha' is the Cherokee word for "great hawk or eagle". For more scenes found along the Blue Ridge Parkway, click here.

BTW, if you're on Facebook, be sure to become a fan of Grandfather Mountain and Mark W. Peacock Photography!

Stack Rock Overlook

Stack Rock Overlook is found along a very popular stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Located at mile 304.6, it is between the Grandfather Mountain entrance to the BRP and the Linn Cove Viaduct. A short trail (approx. 1/2 mile) leads to enormous boulders (which are so large they're hard to photograph) which the trail climbs around. Above is a small cascade found near the rock formations.

The trail is actually part of the Tanawha Trail that leads from the Beacon Heights Overlook to Price Lake 13.5 miles away. When entering the woods from the parking area at Stack Rock Overlook, turn left on the Tanawha Trail.

Crossing Over

Here's a photo taken this past fall on the trail leading to the Rough Ridge Overlook (mile 302.8 of the Blue Ridge Parkway) and some quotes to help us ring in the New Year!

Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.
--Bill Vaughn

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
--Bill Vaughan

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
--Benjamin Franklin

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things.
--John Burroughs


HAPPY NEW YEAR!

walk with love and reverence

Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher

Above: Along the Tanawha Trail to Rough Ridge Overlook, Blue Ridge Parkway Mile 302.8. Tanawha is the Cherokee word for "great hawk or eagle" -- which is fitting. The 13.5 mile trail offers soaring views of the mountains as it meanders alongside the Blue Ridge Parkway from Price Lake (Mile 297) to the Beacon Heights Overlook (Mile 305). Click here for an interactive map of the trail.

Like a moth to a flame...

Like a moth to a flame we become helpless to the beautiful ghosts that true love sheds.
--Ryan O'neal (b.1941) American Musician and Song Writer

I think for this shot, I'd like to paraphrase O'neal's quote and substitute the word "autumn" for "true love." I just can't help but to return again and again to the Blue Ridge Parkway -- looking for new angles among the dazzling bright colors of Autumn along this most familiar section of "America's Favorite Drive." I discovered a new angle (it's new for me at least!) by taking the section of the Tanawha Trail that leads from the Linn Cove Viaduct Visitor's Center parking lot at Mile 304. It's a wonderful trail that winds beneath the Viaduct and the massive boulders that the Viaduct is built around. I tried lots of angles, but I thought this particular view depicts the Viaduct's height and grace and its beautiful setting among the Autumn flames.

The Bridge to Rough Ridge

There are many beautiful bridges found along the thirteen mile Tanawha Trail which parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway, stretching from the Beacon Heights Overlook to Price Lake. This one is found at Mile 302.8 of the Parkway on the short trail (0.3 miles) to the spectacular views of Rough Ridge Overlook. Perhaps the best known of these graceful arched bridges is Boone Fork Bridge a few miles to the north on the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 300.

Boone Fork Bridge

This impressive arch bridge is found a short distance from the Boone Fork Parking Area (Mile 300) of the Blue Ridge Parkway (Not to be confused with the Boone Fork Overlook a few miles down the road by Price Lake). There's very little water flowing there, but it's still a beautiful (and short) stroll on the Tanawha Trail from the parking area.

I cannot look away...

Just when I think I'm ready to move on to new and exciting fall destinations...I find myself drawn back to the Blue Ridge Parkway retracing my steps from the last two weeks. Wow, am I glad I returned! The Blue Ridge is putting on quite a loud show right now! I didn't go up on Grandfather Mountain yesterday, but instead got this familiar viaduct shot and then went up to Rough Ridge. Luckily I was there before it became a zoo on the parkway. To get to the spot where the above photo was taken, you can either park at the end of the parking lot at the Linn Cove Viaduct visitor's center (Mile #304.3) and hike the amazing trail that weaves under the viaduct (everyone should do this at some point -- you're appreciation for this structure will grow with each step) or take the easy way and park at the Yonahlossee Overlook (mile #303.9 ) and walk beside the parkway for a short distance, cross over right before you get to the viaduct, and look for a short, little path leading up to some large rocks (most likely covered with photographers this time of year).

What you don't want to do is what everyone was doing today: Stopping on the side of parkway to get your shot. I actually saw one nutcase stop in the middle of the viaduct (yeah, no blind corners or distracted drivers there!), leave his car door open and then walk across a lane of traffic to take his masterpiece.

After the viaduct, I went on to the Rough Ridge Overlook (Mile #302.8). (Here's a previous photo and description). Above is a view of the lower portion of Rough Ridge with the parkway to the right. If you look closely at the upper left of this photo, you'll see that there's a wooden platform. The view from there is amazing -- and it's really a fairly short hike from the parking area to get to that point (a moderate climb, but not too bad - no more than 1/2 mile). Rough Ridge offers the best views of the viaduct -- as well as panoramic views of the mountains in every direction.

After you get to the wooden platform described above, continue climbing and you'll be rewarded with even more breathtaking views. Both trails, the Rough Ridge Trail and the Viaduct Access Trail are parts of the amazing 13.5 mile Tanawha Trail, which runs from Beacon Heights to Price Lake.

Links to nearby points of interest:
Grandfather Mountain
Flat Rock Overlook
Beacon Heights Overlook
Linn Cove Viaduct
Rough Ridge Overlook
Price Lake
Moses Cone Estate
Bass Lake

Beacon Heights Overlook

While the colors on the Tennessee side of the mountain have a couple of weeks to go, the area around Grandfather Mountain is quickly approaching peak color. This week and next will be the prime time to visit. Beacon Heights is a great place to take in the colors and some great views. On a clear day, you can see in just about every direction from this huge rock outcropping. It's a popular stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway, not only for its view, but also because this overlook offers access to both the Tanawha Trail (which runs 13.5 miles to Price Lake) and the Mountains to the Sea Trail. The hike up to Beacon Heights is less than 1/3 of a mile - and of moderate difficulty (and I say that only because of the elevation change and some unsure footing). The shot above is a wide angle shot (10mm lens for you shutterbugs out there) that shows Grandfather Mountain (A portion of the swinging bridge is barely visible on the left side of the photo -- click to enlarge), MacRae Peak (in the middle) and Rough Ridge Overlook (to the right). Here and there you can see glimpses of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Location and Trail Description: Beacon Heights Overlook is located at Mile #305 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail is well marked, just follow the arrows to the top. Once there the trail forks - I recommend you take the one to the left first (which takes you up to the view above) and then on your way back down, take the other trail to a different overlook that faces east and south.

Directions from Grandfather Mountain: After visiting Grandfather Mountain, at the park exit turn left to get back onto Route 221, go approximately 1 mile to the entrance ramp for the Blue Ridge Parkway (the ramp is on your left). At the stop sign, turn right to head south on the parkway. Beacon Heights is the first overlook to the left.

Rough Ridge Overlook

One of the most best overlooks I've found on the Blue Ridge Parkway is at mile #302.8 just north of the Linn Cove Viaduct and Grandfather Mountain. It's one of those overlooks that's easy to drive by, because you can't immediately see anything but a parking area. But take the short, moderately steep 1/2 mile trail, and you'll be rewarded with magnificent views of the viaduct, Grandfather Mountain and layers of mountain ridges to the south and east. After you get to the wooden platform seen above, continue climbing another half mile and you'll be rewarded with even more breathtaking views. The trail can be slick and muddy after a rain - wear old shoes. Because of the narrowness of the path, pets are not allowed.

The trail to the lookout is part of the 13.5 mile Tanawha Trail which parallels the parkway and leads to Price Lake (Mile 297) to the north and Beacon Heights (Mile 305) to the south. Tanawha is the Cherokee word for "great hawk or eagle" -- which if fitting given the soaring views of the mountains it offers. Click here for an interactive map of the trail.


Above is a beautiful bridge found on the trail to Rough Ridge, one of many along the Tanawha Trail. Perhaps the best known of these graceful arched bridges is Boone Fork Bridge a few miles to the north on the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile 300.

Linn Cove Viaduct

It was a gray, rainy day in the high country of North Carolina yesterday. A great day for waterfall photography, not always so great for landscapes. Rain does have a way, however, of saturating the colors and making them "pop." This is a shot taken of the sweeping "S" curve of the Linn Cove Viaduct, an engineering marvel, and no doubt the most photographed section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I lived here for lots of years and drove over the viaduct probably a hundred times, but never took the time to stop at the visitors center (at mile 304.3) or walk the Tanawha Trail that meanders beneath this landmark until last fall. Click here to see the same shot above with fall colors. For most, it's enough of a thrill to drive over the viaduct. Its design makes you aware that you're gently suspended over and floating around Grandfather Mountain. But to truly appreciate it, take the trail that begins at the end of the visitor's center parking lot. You will be completely blown away by the mammoth scale of both the viaduct and the boulders beneath. Below is a photo taken last October from this trail. Click here to learn more about the history of the viaduct.