Tanawha Trail With Some New Friends

Tanawah Trail – 8/4/12 – 8.5 miles
I’ve been part of the Carolina Bergs outings committee for awhile.  The job includes mentoring hikeleaders, encouraging people to become hike leaders and even, yes, leading somehikes.  So far I have been lousy at this,mostly talking but not doing, because of my own hiking agenda.  There’s a big demand for moderate hikes(whatever that means) so I posted one on the calendar.  After a couple of weeks of people signing upand dropping out, I ended up meeting four new friends to hike on the TanawahTrail.
Tanawah Trail back- ground: This spectacular trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway was opened near thesame time that the Lynn Cove Viaduct section of the Parkway was completed.  Just as the Viaduct is an engineering marvel,the Tanawha Trail is a marvel of stone work and trail building at itsbest.  The trail begins at the BeaconHeights parking area and goes north for 13.5 miles to Julian Price ParkCampground.  For our hike we chose an8.5-mile stretch from Beacon Heights to the Boone Fork parking area.  It’s easy, moderate and strenuous in places,something for everyone.  This trail wasnew to everyone.
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs concurrently with the Tanawha Trail and the trail blazes often appear together, a white circle forthe MST and a white feather for Tanawha.
The weather forecast was that 40% chance of rain which couldmean anything, and as we approached the mountains it looked more for rain thanagainst.  First we parked a car atBoone Fork and ran up the side trail to make sure we would recognize theintersection where the Tanawah meets it:  check, a nice big sign.  Then onward through the fog to BeaconHeights.  We couldn’t even see the LynnCove Viaduct as we drove over it.  Notgood.
Beacon Heights is a worthy side trip in itself, a big rockface with big views, but we did not detour for it today, thinking it would befogged in.   
The Tanawha drops quicklydown below Parkway level and follows along one of its retaining walls.  Water flowing down from the Parkway had amuddy brown tint, less than usually appealing.
We discovered that today may be short of big views butspectacular for wildflowers in open areas. This is one of many sections of wild goldenglow we passed.
We stopped briefly at the Visitor Center for the Viaduct,walked past the parking lot and underneath the Viaduct as it swings out intospace.  Hi, Chris!
A giant octopus?  No,giant tree roots, bigger around than my thigh. There is moderate rock scrambling over large boulders through this milenear the Viaduct. 
A recent blowdown but not a slow-down for Chris.
A large footbridge crosses Wilson Creek and Doreen scrambleddown to the water for a photo op.  Thatis misty fog giving the light effect, not camera operator error.  We walked through this ethereal mist for mostof the day.
Waning bee balm
Past Wilson Creek the trail climbs dramatically and signsindicate a fragile environment and direct hikers to stay on the trail.  At one point we reached a very large boulderand there was a question of which way the trail went around the boulder.  This is when I lost control of the group. 
Jim, Doreen and Chris went left while Dave and I wentright.  The trail was immediately obviouson the right, so I assumed it would be immediately obvious that the left wasnot correct.  The fog did not help, as Idid not recognize how near we were to the summit of Rough Ridge, a huge rockoutcropping where the big payoff views of Grandfather Mountain and the LynnCove Viaduct are on display.
After just a couple of minutes Dave and I were standing onthe rock outcropping, but the others did not join us.  I left Dave at the top and backtracked to thebig boulder where we had split up.  Iwent left around it and there was a sort of trail, the kind that people startout making until they realize it’s not correct. But…where were the three hikers? I began to yell and faintly heard a response.  After a bit of back and forth, I stood stilland kept yelling while they walked back to me. There was a very faint trail that came out below Rough Ridge (bypassedall the big views) and…well, anyway, we all made it together to Rough Ridge. 
Best view from Rough Ridge
This was our reward. So there was no view, but a cheerful group still.  It wasn’t raining and we were hiking.  Life is good. 









The view from Rough Ridge on a clear day – Grand- father Mountainin the background










The view from Rough Ridge on a clear day – Lynn Cove Viaduct



From the summit, the trail drops down along steep rock stepsthrough a tunnel of thick rhododendron and levels out once it crosses LittleWilson Creek on another footbridge.  Fromhere we enjoyed an easy three miles of rolling trail through hemlocks andhardwoods, more wild goldenglow and other wildflowers.
Tall bellflower
Blackberries ripening for the buffet
On the last bridge crossing before we reached our end point,Chris and Doreen and I all scrambled down to the water.  How is Doreen going to get over here with us?
Is this a good idea?
See, it worked great!
Yes, Jim and Dave were on the hike too
All together, a great time, fun meeting new people and asuccessful injury-free hike.  They allpromised to return on a clear day to see what they missed.  Cheers!

“Itry to end each day saying, ‘I am glad I did,’ rather than, ‘I wish I had.’” ~Barbara J.McMorrow