We started our Babymoon redo at Beech Mountain, NC and spent a day hiking on the Appalachian Trail (AT) to Grassy Ridge. Day 3 was our last day and we knew we would be driving through the night to enjoy the 4th of July in the comfort of our home and simply recuperating from our fun weekend of hiking.
So without further ado…
Babymoon Redo: Day 3
Over a breakfast of reheated Mountain Sweetie, I tried to convince Paddy that we should return to Carver’s Gap to do the other AT hike. Sadly he made strong arguments against going. 1. It would be too far out of the way if we stuck to our plan of beginning our drive home after spending the day hiking. 2. Sore muscles in a packed car for extended periods of time are no fun. 3. It would be after 10 am again, meaning we would have to be creative with parking again.
So he won, unfortunately, and we decided to stick to our original plan of doing some shorter hikes at various points along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Linville Falls
We drove 30ish minutes south of Beech Mountain to begin the day by hiking Linville Falls . Once again it was after 10 am and the parking lot was packed so we knew we were in for another people filled day in nature.
We had parked away from the visitors center, so we chose to do the Erwins View Trail since that was where the path from the parking area had dropped us off at. It was an easy 1.6 mile hike out-and-back with stops at three different overlooks of the falls.
The Upper Falls at Linville Falls
The first overlook was at the Upper Falls and was the most crowded and least impressive of all the overlooks we visited. The overlook had views of the upper falls, which gently cascaded down into a pool before funneling through rapids that wrapped around the overlook to fall away down the lower falls; the view of which was obstructed by large rock formations. For the Geology nerds, a slip fault was also visible from this overlook exposing three different rock types. As for me, I took my required Geology credits in college and am okay with moving on with life from there.
Leaving the Upper Falls, we began the climb to Chimney View. The added elevation and the view of the more impressive lower falls made for wonderful views of the mountains and the Linville River below. This was also our first glimpse of the bottom of the gorge and we both agreed the trail would have been too intense for a pregnant lady with a toddler on her back; and too much work for a lazy Paddy. This was our favorite overlook of the three.
Resuming the climb, we made our way up to the Gorge View Overlook which offered views of the river below and the surrounding sea of trees. It is the only overlook on the trail not focused on the falls.
A family photo at the Erwin View Overlook
Following the trail to the end, took us to Erwin View Overlook. With another, higher view of the falls and the gorge below. The rocky outcrop offered the perfect opportunity for a water break and a safe location to let Ella wander and climb.
Ella enjoyed the rocks at the overlook
Then it was time to hike out, get back in the car, and we continued on our Blue Ridge Parkway adventure. Since my phone didn’t have reception and therefor no navigation, I took a guess on which direction to go on the parkway and chose the wrong direction.
Blue Ridge Parkway
The view from our turnaround spot. Notice the looming clouds.
We turned around in an overlook parking lot and decided we may as well check out the view. I am glad we did since a steady and unceasing rain began to fall as we made our way to the Linn Cove Viaduct, the first of two planned hikes on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We took advantage of flushing toilets at the visitor center and made lunch of our homemade backpacking meals while attempting to wait out the rain.
Paddy is a cat so hiking in the rain was not an option and our entire family had finally shook the cold we had been passing around for a month, so taking a toddler in the rain seemed like a bad idea too. All that was left was to accept defeat and head home.
The drive home seemed easier, because we had more time than originally planned because of our canceled hikes so we had the flexibility of stopping to stretch and enjoyed a sit down dinner in Columbia, South Carolina. With the extra stops there was less fussing from the backseat, making for a more pleasant drive.
The only expenses for our hiking babymoon was the cost of gas and food, and we logged 7.3 miles of hiking over our three day getaway.
So what made this trip so much better than my tropical vacation?
I think it was simply that we did it as a family and I didn’t feel excluded from any of the activities or isolated for what I could not do. It’s funny they seem like such simple, obvious requirements for a good vacation; so how did I overlook them when planning for Bonaire?
Do you prefer topical or forested vacation destinations? Do you like to relax or stay active?
