MST Pinnacle Hike

On Saturday, we woke up to a crisp but bone-chilling morning and drove into Marion for a warm breakfast before heading to the Kistler Memorial Highway along the western rim of Linville Gorge. We parked at the Overmountain Victory Trailhead and started hiking up the forest road, which doubles as the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST).

Less than a mile in, we reached the Pinnacle Trailhead and got off the road to hike out to its namesake - a striking rocky summit with sweeping views of Shortoff Mountain and the deep gorge below.

The views from up here were spectacular.

From The Pinnacle, the trail plunged steeply downward - an alternate, but still punishing, route to Daffodil Flats.

It wasn’t much easier than the notorious Pinch-In Trail.  After about a mile of relentless descent, the grade finally eased where the Leadmine Trail split off.

We stayed on the MST, climbed over one last steep little knob (steep but rewarded with another great look at Shortoff), and soon arrived at the far bank of the Linville River.

A few anglers were casting on the opposite side; we decided not to ford the cold water and turned around here.

The climb back up to The Pinnacle was brutal, seemingly vertical in places, but the frigid air kept us from overheating. We reached the car, ate a quick lunch in the sunshine, then continued along the Overmountain Victory Trail (still following the MST markers).

About a mile later the trail crossed Dobson Knob Road. Since the Victory Trail was closed beyond that point, we followed the road—and the MST blazes—for another half mile or so before heading back to the car.

On the way home we stopped at Fonta Flora Brewery again for a post-hike beer, then back to Lake James State Park.

Parking at the mountain bike trailhead, we did an easy 3-mile double-loop stroll on the Upper and Lower Tindo loop trails to stretch our legs.

It was a beautiful evening, but light was fading.

Back at camp that evening, I built another roaring fire to ward off the cold as we settled in for one more chilly night in the gorge.

Lake James to Shortoff Hike

On Friday, I took Amaroq up to the mountains for the long weekend. We parked at the Wolf Pit Trailhead on the Fonta Flora Trail along Lake James and started out on the MST Connector. The path shadowed the road for a while before dropping down to the Linville River.

After about two miles, we turned onto Faulkner Flats Road and began climbing. The route eventually spits you out near the main Wolf Pit Trailhead for Linville Gorge, then follows the classic Shortoff Trail up the mountain - the way most people approach Shortoff. The switchbacks offer killer views of the Lake James, but the midday sun was brutal and washed everything out for photos. Soon we came to the top of Shortoff and amazing views.

We pushed on to the campsite perched high atop Shortoff and the gorge - a spot I’ve come to call Alexander Point because he loved this climb so much. The wind was howling and the cold bit hard, so we didn’t linger.

A guy who’d camped there the night before was already packing up, muttering that it was too frigid to stay another night. On the descent, we took the Mountains-to-Sea Trail instead. It’s noticeably steeper than Shortoff, with almost no switchbacks - just a relentless drop. We followed it all the way to the Linville River ford but didn’t cross.

The water looked shallow and manageable, though I have no doubt it was ice-cold. That section where the gorge suddenly widens is stunning.

We turned around there, retraced our steps on the MST Connector back to the car, then made the obligatory stop at Fonta Flora Brewery for wood-fired pizza and a couple of beers.

From there it was a short drive to Lake James State Park to claim our campsite. 

Once the tent was up, we knocked out a quick out-and-back on the Overmountain Victory Trail that links the park to the brewery - perfect timing to get back just before the sun dipped.

I built a massive fire to fight off the chill; it was one of those bone-cold mountain nights. Fortunately, Amaroq is an excellent tent-sized space heater.

Return to Catawba Falls

Saturday, we left to take Harper for a week in the Smoky Mountains for her first birthday.  We left early and stopped on the way near Old Fort at the trailhead for Catawba Falls.  The area was closed for several years as the Forest Service was making improvements for safety and accessibility and had reopened at the beginning of the summer.  This would be our first visit since reopening.  Arriving at 8, it was raining lightly and there were only a few cars in the parking lot - a good thing we arrived early.  After getting Harper in her backpack, we set off on the Catawba Falls River Trail that mostly followed the old trail.

Soon, we came to a bridge at the ruins of an old hydroelectric building.

It used to be a rock hop across the river, but the bridge has been here for a few years.  The trail followed the river upstream with a moderate incline.  In about a mile, the trail passed Lower Catawba Falls.

Before the new trail, there was a scramble path down to the base, but that was no longer possible with the trail reroute.

We could see the upper portion of the waterfall from here, but the lower section with the small cave was not visible.  The only way down would be to backtrack to a point to get in the river and creek walk up, but weren't going to do that with a baby.  I did a quick loop on the short wildflower trail and then we continued on.

The stairs began shortly before we reached Catawba Falls and we could get out at the base.

The water level was a little low, but the waterfall was pretty in the light drizzle.

Although visible from the base, the stairs weren't as much of an eyesore as I expected.

Then we began the steep climb up the steps.  Several landings provided a view of the upper sections of the falls.

Carrying Harper, I took a few breaks to enjoy the view and catch my breath.  The old path to reach the upper falls was still visible beneath the steps.

The final part of the climb was up an observation tower that had nice views, especially from the top.

It was just a short ways further to Upper Catawba Falls.

The new viewing deck provided a nice view and we scrambled on the rocks for more pictures.

On the hike back, we took Catawba Ridge Trail to make a loop and avoid going down all those steps.  It was a bit more uphill and then started heading down.

Overall, I think they did a nice job in building the new trails and stairs.  I would prefer the wilderness experience but the area was so popular and so many incidents that something had to be done.  The parking lot was full when we got back, even with the rain, so glad we arrived early.

It was getting to be around lunch time, so we drove to Asheville and fajitas at Orales.  It was still a little early to check in, so we made a stop at the Folk Art Center along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  While Harper and Sandy browsed, I went for a hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail heading south/westbound.

There were some wildflowers blooming along the roadside and in open areas, but most were non-native.

I hiked just past the tunnel under I-40 and turned around.

On the hike back, a very large black bear popped out on the trail in front of me.  He turned and ran immediately but we sure was a big boy.  Sandy and Harper were about finished up and we took off.

We drove west to Bryson City and stopped at the visitor center to get a parking pass and then checked into our little cabin.

Harper Creek Falls

Saturday, we took Harper to see Harper Creek Falls as we recently got the kid carrier backpack to take her on more hikes.  We left early and got to the Harper Creek Trailhead in Wilson Creek around 8 and the parking was already nearly full, mostly campers I imagine so early.  We got Harper in the backpack and headed off on Harper Creek Trail (#260).  Shortly after the split with MST, we took the unmarked trail to Harper Creek Falls.  At the top, I took off the backback and did a trial run down the ropes.  First I went down to the middle section.  It was a little slippery and I didn't feel confident going down with Harper.  But the path leading down to the base wasn't so bad.  The lowest section with the rope was a little slippery but I could secure my feet in a crack going down.  So I went back up to get Harper and we all made it down to the base to see the waterfall.

After getting her back up, I was getting tired so Sandy carried her back.  I took the opportunity to get some pictures of the mushrooms growing along the trail.

With the recent hurricane, the mushrooms were really popping.

I also saw a dark morph eastern tiger swallowtail.

When we got back to the car, there were a lot more cars here.

We continued through Wilson Creek, getting on FR-464 and driving up to the trailhead for North Harper Creek Falls.  Hiking down the trail, I spotted some green elfcup mushrooms that had stained the decaying wood.

We also saw a little red eft cross the trail.

Harper Creek Falls Trail led about a mile to North Harper Creek Trail (#266) where we turned left and headed steeply down, eventually reaching North Harper Creek.  We went downstream a bit and headed out into the creek at the base of Chestnut Cove Branch Falls.

It's actually on North Harper Creek at the confluence with Chestnut Cove Branch.

It's not too exciting, so we continued upstream to the much more scenic North Harper Creek Falls.

There's a nice area at the base where we ate a snack and let Harper splash around a bit.

Wading in the cool water helped me cool off before the steep climb back up carrying Harper.

From here, we left the forest and headed into Morganton for dinner at Las Salsas.  Then we checked into the Comfort Inn and relaxed for the evening.