Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway

On Friday July 30 we left Augusta early for a weekend of hiking and camping on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We packed the car the previous night to save time and Reilly knew a road trip was about to happen. So as we woke up early "Trail Sniffer" was showing the excitement both Laurie and I felt. There was no doubt in his mind of being left behind, every move we made getting ready he was right with us. We got on the road heading toward Asheville, North Carolina via I-26 and once we got there would connect with I-40 going towards Marion. From Marion we drove to Spruce Pine and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Getting on the Parkway at Little Switzerland we only had to travel South 9 miles on the Parkway to get to the National Park Campground at Crabtree Falls. We had been there once when Reilly was still a young pup and I was in the beginning stages of bad knee problems and due to that only Laurie and Reilly had taken a small hike and enjoyed it so much we wanted to go there again. This time I had new knees and hiking shoes and was ready to go. Getting there early Friday afternoon was great. While driving around we had our choice of camping sites and decided to pick one where Reilly would not be close to anyone and be free to roam. As we were unloading the car a deer casually walked through our camping area as if he owned it and wasn't concerned about us at all. When "Trail Sniffer" got a sniff of what was in his territory he wasn't too pleased and said so. This caused our friend to take off in the woods with Reilly going for the chase. It didn't last long because once the deer was in the woods and Reilly realized he was losing sight of us and came back with his chest puffed out having done his job of protecting his pack. The rest of Friday afternoon we relaxed and sat by the the campfire. On Saturday morning we started early on our hike to Crabtree Falls because we had two hikes planned that day. We started on the campers trail going in a direction where we met other hikers coming from the other direction and telling us the walk past the falls was severe. The trail was well marked as we began our walk, which was moderate. Seeing a beautiful creek with trees down added to the wonder and beauty of the area. Because of the many people we encountered coming in the opposite direction we decided to keep Reilly on the leash, and he was pulling Laurie in many different directions. He was doing his thing of checking out the many smells and I tried to tell him that we had a ways to go that he shouldn't wear himself out. We began a steep incline and when getting to the top it was there we found out why so many people we met were going in the direction we had just came from. They were doing the hike for the parking lot and it started from the direction we were going. After a short break we continued on and could hear the falls long before seeing them. The falls was magnificent. It is a 70 foot drop and in the middle of the falls God decided to plant a tree and allow it to grow. What wonder, what glory. A pleasant bridge crossed over the creek where the falls dropped and their was a place to sit and watch at the wonder of it all. Once deciding to continue on we found out why everyone was telling us to go back the way we came. The climb up was a tough walk but well worth it. Once back at our campsite we decided a nap was in order because it was just noon and we had plenty of time to get to the the next point of our hike. The skies were blue when we laid down but quickly a storm came up and would not leave. With the storm came fog and visibility was limited. Because of the rain we decided not to try the hike nor try and eat lunch. Later we decided to drive into Spruce Pine, NC. It is a beautiful little town that had recently found itself in an economic down turn as many towns in Western North Carolina were, but in the past few years they have found a way to draw tourists. I had visited Spruce Pine a couple of times in the mid 70s and early 80s with a friend of mine who's family was from the area. In one sense it was still the same but in another it had lost a lot of its small charm. Wal-Mart was there and that should tell you enough. We had an enjoyable dinner and went back to the campsite. Still raining we decided to go to bed. Sunday morning it was still raining so we decided as soon as it slowed we would pack up and we did, wet and all. The fog was so bad I could not see 20 feet in front. It was slow going for a while and once we got back to hot Augusta everything was laid out in the sun to dry. This rain has disturbed our last two camping trips but the beauty of Crabtree Falls made the trip worthwhile. On this trip 'Trail Sniffer","moonbeam", and "graybeard" enjoyed a trip that made the 4 hour drive worthwhile but next time I think we will plan a full week instead so rain will not interfere with the trip as much. I'm thinking this fall will see us going to Cumberland Island off the Georgia coast near St. Mary's. The only way to get there is by ferry. That will worth looking forward to.