Independence Day in Hot Springs

Saturday, we woke up early to do some hikes along the Appalachian Trail around Hot Springs.  Our first stop was Lover's Leap, one of the most popular hikes in the area.  But we arrived by 7 so were the first ones on the trail.  From the Silvermine Trailhead, we hiked down Silvermine Road and turned left onto the Appalachian Trail.

There was a scenic rock outcrop as we hiked past the base of Lover's Leap Ridge.  A little further were some nice cascades along French Broad River.

Not really a waterfall, but the river-wide drops were impressive here along French Broad River.

After following the river for a while, the trail turned and began to steeply climb up the ridge.  There were a few switchbacks and spots with nice views.

At the junction with Lover's Leap Trail (#308) was the overlook.  We took a break here to enjoy the view of the river and town of Hot Springs far below.

After the break, we took Lover's Leap Trail back down to the Silvermine Trailhead.  Arriving so early, we managed to see no one on the entire hike.

Our next stop was Tanyard Gap at the AT parking area just off US-25.  Hiking northbound, the trail climbed up Rich Mountain.  It was already hot by 9 and very humid but the heat and humidity decreased as we hiked higher.  It was about 2.5 miles to a short spur that led to the summit of Rich Mountain.

A lookout tower was here and we took turns climbing as Alex didn't want to climb the stairs.

Unlike most, the top of this lookout tower is open.

The views from up here were great.

One the way back, we enjoyed some summer wildflowers on the hike back down.

Near the top, a lot of white bergamot were blooming.

There were also a lot of spiderwort.

Further down, we spotted a red mushroom, probably a russula.

Rosebay rhododendron was blooming as we got further down.

Sandy spotted an eastern fence lizard that was very well camouflaged against the tree bark.

Some sumac was flowering near here.

Soon, we made it back to the car at Tanyard Gap.

From here, we took NC-208 into Tennessee and Viking Mountain Road up to the top at Jones Meadow.  Up above 4000 feet, it was noticeably cooler up here.  A spur here led to the Appalachian Trail in Shelton Laurel.  Heading southbound, it was about a mile to a split with Pounding Mill Trail.  Another spur trail led up to Camp Creek Bald.  Despite the name, the summit is not bald.  There are several communication towers here and a lookout tower, but this one is closed.

It was possible to climb the ladder up to the first landing for a nice view though.

We had another break here then headed back.

Driving back to Hot Springs, we had dinner at Trailside Bakery again.  While we were eating, a heavy rain storm went through, but we were sheltered in the outdoor dining area.  The rain was actually nice and cooled it down quite a bit.  After dinner we took another drive on NC-209 and stopped at the overlooks again.  First we stopped at Stone Spur Cliff.

The views were really nice with the cloudy mountains.  We also made a stop at Vann Cliff.

Looking down the Spring Creek Gorge, there was an interesting cloud illuminated by the sun.

Then we headed back to camp.  Although the town of Hot Springs had cancelled the fireworks, some people around the river were lighting them off and we had a nice show from our campsite.  When the fireworks ended, we went to bed.