A large object wanders

So the recent move included my (6' Estonia piano). Considering the new residence is an old (about 100-year-old) structure, and doorways and stairs weren't built for pushing things weighing close to a half-ton through and up them, a crane was used to lift the object in question into the abode.




That wasn't so bad now, was it? Service was ably provided by D-2 Piano Moving of Newton.

Take me home country road

Monday July 2

Today I drove from Spruce Knob to the parents' abode outside Philadelphia. Once I exited West Virginia, it largely became the typical mass of undifferentiated interstates where the only things that change from one exit to the next are the labels on the hotels, eateries, and gas stations (which are repeated every 2-4 exits anyway...)

Wednesday July 4

After spending the 3d visiting with the folks, I headed homeward, still following the Appalachians to some rough extent. The day was gray and often rainy. It started with a drive up the Delaware Valley, including the Delaware Water Gap, and a near miss to the New Jersey High Point, which I did not visit since it was thunderstorming at the time.

The drive continued up into the Catskills of New York, including passing through Ashokan, site of a well-known traditional dance camp.

The drive came to a merciful end in Hudson, NY, where, at least in part due to the weather, I decided motelling was better than camping.

Home (or at least, Herself's home, as I was still homeless) was reached on the 5th.

Cruising West Virginia

Saturday June 30

This was a day for driving through scenic eastern West Virginia. It began with a stretch of the New River Gorge, and continued roughly north and east from there. This area is generally quite rural, and the going alternates between expansive views and curvy roads up or down the sides of ridges -- this is the southeastern Alleghenies. I eventually ended up at Spruce Knob Lake Campground, a 3700-foot remote campground in the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. The principal recreations here appear to be fishing and rock climbing.

Spruce Knob, for those keeping score, is the highest point in West Virginia. (The score for this trip is five high points: Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, and West Virginia. I drove up the last three.) It has great views, which are wonderfully captured in my previous blog entry and mislabelled as views from the Pipestem Resort observation tower. The summit was a wonderful place to spend an evening...

Sunday July 1

This day was again spent cruising in West Virginia, and also western Maryland. It started early at the Seneca Rocks, a promining outcrop that is a popular climbing destination. (Eric, take note.) I merely hiked up to a viewing area to see what was to be seen, which included some local wildlife.

In the area near the Maryland border, I encountered a windmill farm -- I wish I had pictures, there were actually some interesting views of them from the road. (Opponents of wind energy like this project, take note.)

North to West Virginia

Friday June 29

This was a day spent winding northward through the mountains of North Carolina, a jaunt along I-81 in Virginia, and more winding through to hills of eastern West Virginia. Parts of the day featured rain, including not too long after arrival at Pipestem Resort State Park.

This park features a gorge on the Bluestone River. There is a trail down to a viewpoint (descent of about 800 feet), as well as a gondola that goes down to facilities along the river. I hiked down this trail for the views, but had to endure a little rain. Bear was fortunately spared dampness by clever use of the umbrella.

There was also an observation tower near the park entrance that had some lovely views.

A day in Asheville

Thursday June 28

[Sorry about the delay in the trip details. Moving interfered, but photos are now up in the earlier trip entries.]

This day was a rest day to recover from the previous 4 days of hiking. A lazy day was spent, including a slow stroll through Asheville to photograph some of its architectural variety.

First up, this is the courthouse.

I think this is/was a bank building.

Interesting detail on local retail/commercial building.

Outside the convention center are these statues capturing local music and dance tradition.


Dinner was at Limones in Asheville, and featured quite possibly the smoothest chocolate mousse I've ever had. Yum.

Clingman's Dome

Sunday June 24 to Wednesday June 27

On a fine warm North Carolina morning I set out to climb Clingman's Dome. Here are a few factoids about it, before we get started:

• It's the highest point on the Appalachian Trail.


• It's the highest point in the state of Tennessee.


• Its summit observation tower is pretty close to ADA-accessible. Wheelchairs and stroller will make it, but not without assistance (the steep grade, mostly)


• It's a great place to see the Smoky Mountains


• Other than the access road, it's probably a 20-mile round trip (and at least 3-4000 feet of elevation) to the summit.
  

The National Park authorities require (free) permits before going into the backcountry. This is probably a Good Thing, since they know where to look for you. Camping in the backcountry is free, and restricted to campsites, most of which are fairly basic -- fire grates, food-hanging cables (to bearproof your site), some nearby water, and flat ground for your tent. The food-hanging cables were a new contraption to me, but easy to use.

Day 1 started with a brief 2+ hour hike (with full pack, thank you), to camp 74, which is near to Fontana Lake. After establishing camp, I spent the afternoon alternating between swimming in the lake (which was about 2-3 feet below "normal", and thus not that attractive, and fully exposed to summer sun), and relaxing in camp (shaded, moderately cool, but buggy).

Some of the trails in the park are open to horse-riding. This would be a recurring "feature" of the trail -- avoiding the horse droppings.

Day 2 was the first half of the Big Push: climb up about 2500' with a full pack, over a distance of about 8 miles. This was accomplished in about 6 1/2 hours, made exciting by a significant number of stream crossings (all manageable, but some were a fair amount of work when carrying a full load), and one ornery rattlesnake. The day ended at camp 68, where camp was erected in near-record time to be ready before rain arrived.

Day 3 was the second half of the Big Push: climb another 2500' with a day bag, an 8 mile round trip, plus another 2-3 miles of downhill under load to camp 69. The summit was a typical tourist-infested summit, but the views that day were quite nice (probably due to the rains of the day before).

Day 4 was the return to civilization -- about 8 miles of mostly downhill, but a spurt of up-and-down at the very end that is usually annoying because the muscles are all saying "we like going down, thank you".

After 3 1/2 days of not showering, hotel rooms are mighty nice.

Dinner was at Mela, a fine Indian restaurant in Asheville. I had quite possibly the best (certainly the freshest) Shahi Paneer I've ever had.

Happy trails!

Sassafras Mountain and Hendersonville

Saturday June 23

Today was divided between preparing for tomorrows departure into the Smokies, and a drive to the south of Asheville. The first destination, which was really more of an excuse for a country drive (besides being South Carolina's highest point), was Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina. Read the link, it's a decent description of what to expect. (My consolation is that I already knew what the view from there would be like.)

I also stopped in Hendersonville, NC, especially since I spotted some ice cream on a hot day. It also happens to be a place my parents occasionally visit, since it has a change ringing setup in one of its church towers.

Dinner was provided by an uninspired waitress at a largish Mexican restaurant. The food was filling and cheap, but also uninspired.

Asheville and Mount Mitchell

Thursday June 21

This day was partly a logistics day. Some necessary shopping, some supplies for at least tomorrow's assault on Mount Mitchell. I also visited the Folk Arts Center, which has nice displays and sales of contemporary regional folk arts, and a cool display on the design and construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway, going into some detail on the design principles that make the road as attractive as it is. I then drove on to Black Mountain, a small town outside Asheville with a one-street walkable downtown. Good for lunch, a haircut, and the necessary purchase of cooking gas for the upcoming trek into the Smokies.

Dinner was at the Laughing Seed Cafe, a place definitely Russell-unfriendly. Which means I liked it.

Friday June 22

This morning featured a hike up the highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Mount Mitchell is, amazingly enough, not on the Appalachian Trail, but it has lovely views out to the Smokies. Unfortunately, the very top of the summit was closed off due to the reconstruction of the observation platform.

Did I mention there was a road up to the summit area, and a concession stand? I actually hiked from further down, near where the access road meets the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail featured some nice (if slightly after-peak) rhododendrons.

Dinner was at the Ophelia's World Cafe. It was good, but I really liked the other places I've eaten better.

Next update will not be until probably next Thursday, due to four-day hike into the Smokies.

Happy Trails!

The beautiful Blue Ridge

Monday, June 18

Today I drove down a stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This scenic road stretches from Northern Virginia to southwestern North Carolina. Today I drove about 100 miles, taking about 4 hours, including stops to enjoy views and such along the way. I made my way west along an extremely windy stretch of US 58 to Virginia's Grayson Highlands State Park.This gem of a park contains some nice open highlands, has facilities for camping and horseriding, and is also along the Appalachian Trail. I stayed in the campground for the night, but not before enjoying a spectacular sunset view from a point called (imaginatively enough) Little Pinnacle. Along the way I spotted rabbits and deer.

The park is adjacent to the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, where I spent some time the next day.

Tuesday, June 19

This morning featured a bright and early start. Since a chance of thunderstorms was forecast for this afternoon, I thought it wise to tackle Mount Rogers early today. I actually managed to break camp and be at the trailhead by 7:15. I know, not impressive, unless you know how much I like getting up some mornings.

The hike to Mount Rogers (5729 feet, highest point in Virginia) was about 8 miles round trip, with about 1000 feet of elevation gained. Parts of the route are on the AT. The landscape was fairly open, often with views mostly in southerly directions. The primary large inhabitants of the area seem to be wild ponies, some of which were not shy at all. (At least they're not as dangerous as bear, which are also a presence along much of the Appalachians.) The summit of Rogers is wooded, but the whole rest of the hike was very pleasant.
The weather was overcast with pockets of sun and drizzle. I returned to my car around 11:30.

From Grayson Highlands, I drove further down the very twisty US 58 to Abingdon, VA, where I picked up I-81 and made my way on to Asheville, NC. After ensconcing in my hotel on the outer edge of town (and also napping), I headed downtown for dinner and ice cream. I find that Marble Slab serves pretty nice ice cream.

Wednesday, June 20

My first full day in the Asheville area, and time to do some research. I'm interested in hiking Mount Mitchell (highest point in the eastern US) and Clingman's Dome (scenic high point in the Smoky Mountains). I decide to drive more of the Blue Ridge Parkway toward the main NC entrance to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, to acquire maps and information about permitting. Along the way, I stop to summit Mount Pisgah (not to be confused with a church or a similarly named peak in Pennsylvania.) This was a short hike, 3 miles RT and 700 feet up to the summit. I met a middle-aged couple and his father, who had originally been on the summit 40 years before. They had interesting insights into the changes in the summit area (which features a TV transmission tower among other things).

Lunch was a southern affair at The Tupelo Honey Cafe. Toasted tomato and cheese sandwich with a side of fried okra. Yum.

Dinner was also a local affair, at the Early Girl Eatery. Once again Yum, but not much Russell-friendly here.

Driving down the Appalachians

Saturday, June 16

Leave Cambridge 9:45. Arrive Pine Grove Furnace State Park (PA) about 6:15. In between I noticed that Russell isn't the only one going to or through Newfoundland. (Newfoundland, PA is just east of Scranton.)

Unbeknownst to me, Pine Grove Furnace State Park is the semi-official 1/2-way point on the Appalachian Trail! I chatted with some through-hikers while there, and read the register. The camp store will give free 1/2 gallons of ice cream to anyone who can finish them (I think in some modest time period like 30 minutes or 1 hour.)

The reason for this state park's existence is that it was the site of an early iron works (18th century I believe). All that's left really is a large chimney-like structure.

Sunday, June 17

In the morning, I hiked up to a local vista (about 1 hour each way). The entire area is forested. After said hike, drove on to Gettysburg, about 25 miles away. Drove around the battlefield, which is studded with monuments and plaques show who did what to whom when, and where, as well as monuments placed by states or state-level organizations to commemorate their fallen. On both sides, of course.

From Gettysburg, drove on the Harper's Ferry, WV, where I wandered down to the river (Shenandoah, I believe) for a view and some lunch. Drove on (and on), eventually picking up I-81 down the Shenandoah Valley. Got off near Natural Bridge, spent the night at a campground just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.