McRae Peak

A year or so ago a client gave me two vehicle passes to the Grandfather Mountain front country. I used one pass for my trip earlier this month. The other one got used up today. It was a pleasant hike from the Swinging Bridge parking lot to McRae Peak. The…


 
 

Grandfather Mountain Trail from the Front Country

Most of the time, when I go to Grandfather Mountain, I park at a Parkway overlook, or at NC 105, or US-221, and hike to the top. Last year, a law office client of mine who was a Grandfather Mountain employee gave me a pass to the main entrance, entitling…


 
 

Linville Gorge with High Humidity

My nephew Robert Parker joined me (Ranger Bob) the weekend of July 13, 2013, for a backpacking trip to Linville Gorge, NC. The gorge is a designated wilderness area in the Pisgah National Forest, bisected by the Linville River, north of Lake James. Linville Gorge is known for being a…


 
 

Boone Fork Bowl in the Sunshine

The weekend of June 15 - 16, 2013, I went backpacking in Boone Fork bowl. This high mountain valley is the headwaters of the Boone Fork, which is best known as the creek feeding and exiting from Price Lake in Price Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The bowl is…