Be a Tourist in Your Hometown; Head for the Hills!
Looking for something to do? Don't forget that we are surrounded by sights and sites that attract tourists from around the world. Get out and explore! Recently I did just that.
Some of the best-known peaks in the Plott Balsams mountain range lie just north of Highway 23/74. The Blue Ridge Parkway (which has an entrance on 23/74 just past the Jackson County line, heading towards Waynesville) can take you to Waterrock Knob, Blackrock and Pinnacle Peak. All 3 are splendid hiking destinations, with fantastic 360-degree views that include Sylva, Cullowhee and Cherokee.
I've never been an avid hiker, so when I agreed to hike from Waterrock Knob to Blackrock it was because my hiking partner told me it would be an easy walk... just a few uphill parts, some great views, and barely any driving needed to get there. It sounded perfect for my day off, because I love being outside for camping and gardening.
So off we went, hiking along a single-file game trail, up several steep inclines and then along the top of the ridge from Waterrock over Double Top and Yellow Face. We continued around Table Rock and then hiked through to Blackrock.
The views were wonderful, when I could breathe enough to see them clearly. Catamount Gap is clearly defined, with Cullowhee sleeping right behind and Sylva getting bigger by the second in the foreground.
When the burning in my legs got too bad (I discovered some muscles I didn't know I had), I stopped to take a closer look around. I could see wild berries, sleeping spots where bears had patted the grass flat, pine and birch forests that hadn't been disturbed in hundreds of years, and oaks just turning the barest hint of red.
Our route included wildflowers of every kind, huge rocks the size of cars teetering on the edge of one ridge where they’ve been teetering for centuries, laurel slicks and fallen birch with the bark peeling off like reams of paper. It was a wonderland, heightened by the abandoned feeling of a forest at such an elevation.
Any local can tell you there's a deep sense of contentment that comes from spending even a small afternoon in the company of nothing but mountains, sky and trees. It's really more than a guidebook can describe. At higher elevations there's a magic to be found in the solitude, where not even small animals move. I felt the sense of place our mountains provide -- safety, security, beauty and timelessness.
Unfortunately, the differences between isolation and civilization became all too clear when we crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway. While waiting for traffic to let us cross, we experienced the smell of car exhaust, the sound of engines, motorcycles and airplanes, and the heavy traffic at the Waterrock Knob overlook. There, at a parking lot filled with cars and motorcycles, we saw people drinking beer and taking videos of the vista, but the trail itself was devoid of walkers.
Later our senses were jarred by the flat, lifeless green of Balsam Mountain Preserve’s golf course at however-many-thousand-feet, where we had expected to see more ridges, valleys, trees and small pastures.
And as we walked down a road and rounded a curve we discovered a sudden, secret view of blue peaks and ridges against a bluer sky -- but it was interrupted by a glaringly white, huge new house on the side of the foremost mountain. Why do people paint mountainside houses bright white?
Ironically, such encroachments might keep us from taking for granted the natural beauty of the place where we live.
I know I have a renewed appreciation for these mountains, and I'll bet you will, too -- so take a hike!
Some of the best-known peaks in the Plott Balsams mountain range lie just north of Highway 23/74. The Blue Ridge Parkway (which has an entrance on 23/74 just past the Jackson County line, heading towards Waynesville) can take you to Waterrock Knob, Blackrock and Pinnacle Peak. All 3 are splendid hiking destinations, with fantastic 360-degree views that include Sylva, Cullowhee and Cherokee.
I've never been an avid hiker, so when I agreed to hike from Waterrock Knob to Blackrock it was because my hiking partner told me it would be an easy walk... just a few uphill parts, some great views, and barely any driving needed to get there. It sounded perfect for my day off, because I love being outside for camping and gardening.
So off we went, hiking along a single-file game trail, up several steep inclines and then along the top of the ridge from Waterrock over Double Top and Yellow Face. We continued around Table Rock and then hiked through to Blackrock.
The views were wonderful, when I could breathe enough to see them clearly. Catamount Gap is clearly defined, with Cullowhee sleeping right behind and Sylva getting bigger by the second in the foreground.When the burning in my legs got too bad (I discovered some muscles I didn't know I had), I stopped to take a closer look around. I could see wild berries, sleeping spots where bears had patted the grass flat, pine and birch forests that hadn't been disturbed in hundreds of years, and oaks just turning the barest hint of red.
Our route included wildflowers of every kind, huge rocks the size of cars teetering on the edge of one ridge where they’ve been teetering for centuries, laurel slicks and fallen birch with the bark peeling off like reams of paper. It was a wonderland, heightened by the abandoned feeling of a forest at such an elevation.Any local can tell you there's a deep sense of contentment that comes from spending even a small afternoon in the company of nothing but mountains, sky and trees. It's really more than a guidebook can describe. At higher elevations there's a magic to be found in the solitude, where not even small animals move. I felt the sense of place our mountains provide -- safety, security, beauty and timelessness.
Unfortunately, the differences between isolation and civilization became all too clear when we crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway. While waiting for traffic to let us cross, we experienced the smell of car exhaust, the sound of engines, motorcycles and airplanes, and the heavy traffic at the Waterrock Knob overlook. There, at a parking lot filled with cars and motorcycles, we saw people drinking beer and taking videos of the vista, but the trail itself was devoid of walkers.
Later our senses were jarred by the flat, lifeless green of Balsam Mountain Preserve’s golf course at however-many-thousand-feet, where we had expected to see more ridges, valleys, trees and small pastures.And as we walked down a road and rounded a curve we discovered a sudden, secret view of blue peaks and ridges against a bluer sky -- but it was interrupted by a glaringly white, huge new house on the side of the foremost mountain. Why do people paint mountainside houses bright white?
Ironically, such encroachments might keep us from taking for granted the natural beauty of the place where we live.
I know I have a renewed appreciation for these mountains, and I'll bet you will, too -- so take a hike!
I so enjoyed the hike, I was the one walking so slow and looking for the little fairies, hiding in the moss and tiny flowers. What a nice day.
Thank you,
Phyllis
This is definitely a good description of the riches I have discovered on my walks through our mountains as well as diplomatically reflecting my feelings about the rampant growth threatening the land we love. I hope all of us will take time to walk these hills and actively work together to preserve nature's gifts! Thanks, Emily , for the hike and the loving reminder to take care of our homeland!
Kitty
Loved 'taking a hike' while parked on my computer chair. I, too, wonder why people feel the need to build a huge house and paint it white! As in, Hello, look at me and my riches. They are most likely the same folks in the grocery store with a big town attitude. Nice read. Thanks. Karen G.
Thank you all so much for the feedback! This type of "feature" is certainly my favorite...to write, and to research. :) Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did!
Emily