Arches National Park: Delicate Arch

"A venturesome minority will always be eager to set off on their own, and no obstacles should be placed in their path; let them take risks, for godsake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches - that is the right and privilege of any free American." --Edward Abbey
Delicate Arch
Miles: 3.2 (Moderate)
Elevation Gain: 670 ft.

Bryce Canyon

My eyes popped open at 7:30am. I wanted so badly to sleep, but my internal clock was saying "haha! sucks for you!" I moved in slow motion, in a haze, stuck somewhere between sleep and a daydream. Cori was still asleep. I was full of jealousy. I can't remember the last time I slept through a night. I stumbled out of our musty motel room, and greeted by the cold morning air. It was 31 degrees in the high desert, blindingly bright and breathtakingly beautiful.

Zion National Park

Angel's Landing
Miles: 5.4 (round trip - out and back)

Are we there yet? Breathe. Oh my God don't look down. Breathe. Sweet Jesus it's hot. Just breathe. Kids hike this?!? No Fing way. Just freaking breathe. Move forward; one step at a time. Oh thank God a traffic jam, we can stop for a minute. Breathe. Look at all those happy people coming back down; so relieved that the rock scramble is almost over. We're moving again. Breathe. Are we there yet?...

Whiskeytown-Trinity-Shasta

I woke up this morning wanting to rip someone's face off. I needed to exercise. This sitting in a car thing is killing me, and unless I'm hiking 15 miles a day I'm not gonna keep the crazy away. Luckily, the hotel Siena Spa and Casino (Reno, NV) where we stayed last night had a gym, which had a treadmill. I jogged out the demons for about 30 minutes before heading to breakfast. I should be good for a few hours.

We've spent a lot of time focusing on logistics the past two days, but we finally have a new plan in place. We're heading back down South to National Park hop our way through Utah and across southern Colorado. But before we left the evergreen trees of beautiful Northern California we spent the night in Trinity-Shasta National Forest with the hope of getting some better views of Mt. Shasta. I say hope because a storm was rolling in, smothering Mt. Shasta in a swirl of grey and white.

Redding, CA

There is no National Park in Redding, CA, I know. We took a slight detour. We were actually on our way to Lassen Volcanic NP only to realize 1.5 hrs before our arrival that the main road through the park was closed and so were all the campgrounds. We've grown so accustomed to summer weather (by Boone standards) that we didn't really consider that winter, unfortunately, is still upon Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately this means no Crater Lake, Yellowstone, or Grand Tetons which is a little disappointing, however, it just means we need to stick to the southerly route on the way back to North Carolina.

Yosemite!

After taking refuge in Madera, CA to wait out a passing snowstorm we headed North to Yosemite National Park. The recent snow event caused some roads closure including Glacier Point where had planned to spend the afternoon so we headed into Yosemite Valley instead.

I'm overwhelmed by the amount of people here in Yosemite Valley. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like in the summer time. Even in early April, traffic is bumper to bumper. Short trails leading to popular attractions are nearly shoulder to shoulder. There are lines for a deli. There is a grocery store. Lodges. I understand these things exist in a National Park, but to experience the reality of it is a bit of a shocker. I feel like I'm in an amusement park.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

After rounding up some packages in the desert Cori and I headed North, but not without stopping in the Mojave one last time to get my picture with a Joshua Tree. I'm not exactly sure what my fascination is with these odd looking trees, but I've always been intrigued by them. To me they look like alien palm trees, but in fact are the largest species in the Yucca family. They exist mostly in the Mojave Desert, the hottest desert in North America, and their pollination is solely reliant on the female pronuba moth that lays her eggs on the yucca seeds which then hatch and provide food for the larvae.



Our drive into Sequoia meandered through the western foothills of the Sierra Mountain range. Here, elevations below 5,000 feet are too dry to support much vegetation beyond grasses and shrubs. I was surprised by this, thinking that we were far enough north to be out of the desert. I guess I'm spoiled by the lush green vegetation of the Southern Appalachians. Still the tall grass rolling hills were a welcomed change of scenery.



It's so hard to believe that these grassy hills lead the way to some of the largest organisms in the world. Mind boggling really. This past year I read The Wild Trees_by Richard Preston, a novelistic style non-fiction book about the Redwood and Sequoia's of Northern California. An excellent read for anyone interested in the adventure and science of these trees. My mind kept regressing back to the books passages about the discovery of the groves, their magestic nature, and the thrill of discovering such a magnificent organism! And here I was, wiggling around in my seat like a two year who has to pee. I was just giddy with excitement. "Redwoods! We're going to see Redwoods!" I exclaimed. "No we're not", Cori replied, with a thin lined smirk rising across her face. "We're going to see Sequoias. Not the same thing. " Leave it to the plant physiologist to bring me back down to earth. She's correct though, although easily confused and often described interchangeably, they are in fact different species. One of the most notable differences is where they are found. Sequoia's are found on the western slopes of the Sierras between 4,000 - 8,000 feet. The Redwoods, on the other hand, are located along the Pacific Coast. There are also many other physical/biological differences that distinguish each species. You can read more about their differences on the National Park Service website if you're interested.

It was the end of Easter weekend as we pulled up to the park entrance. I was hoping to get a campsite in the Lodgepole campground to sleep near the trees, but the welcome sign noted that the site was full. Bummer. We quickly snagged a campsite at Buckeye instead which is in the foothills. More desert. Yay!!! (Please note the sarcasm). Honestly though, this worked to our advantage since the night temps would drop below freezing up at Lodgepole and we would be much warmer camping at 2,900 feet than at 6,500 feet. Thank you fate.



After securing a spot to camp we headed North along the Generals Highway, stopping to get a glimpse of Moro Rock and it's neighboring peaks.





The drive up to the Giant Forest was slam-on -the-breaks spectacular. Thank goodness for pull-offs.







Sequoia National Park is the nation's second oldest National Park, and the first National park created to protect a single living organism. So it seemed fitting to make our first hike to see General Sherman, the largest (by volume) and one of the oldest trees on earth. General Sherman stands nearly 275 feet tall and is 106.5 feet across at its widest point. The tree is estimated to be between 2,300 - 2,700 years old.



The tree itself is fenced off for protection which was understandable but still slightly disappointing. Luckily there were plenty of other trees to admire up close and personal.







The second largest tree, General Grant is in Sequoia's neighboring park, Kings Canyon. The Grant Tree is the largest tree within the Grant Tree grove and is currently the second largest tree in the world. It stands 267.4 feet tall and measures 107.6 around its base.



A snow storm is moving into the region so we drove out of the park a day early and took refuge at a Quality Inn (Thank you Christine for the hook up!). Next stop, Yosemite!

Third Time's a Charm! A Thunderstorm Free Day Over Big Hump Mountain

The original plan for today was to hike the 13.5 mile stretch from Carvers Gap to 19E. Unfortunately, we didn't make it out of the house in time to make the 9am shuttle from Mountain Harbour Bed & Breakfast, so plans quickly evolved to hiking south from 19E to the summit of Big Hump Mountain. After picking up some pizza from Smoky Mountain Bakers we were at the trailhead by 1pm  (thank goodness the sun sets late). We headed south along the Appalachian Trail, climbing 2,500 ft. over the course of 5.5 miles. I was feeling strong, I was fast, I was unforgiving, and I was feeling great despite the fact that I was on the edge of sucking wind. After the first hour I finally stopped for water, "Thank God!", Cori exclaimed, "I thought you were trying to kill me! What kind of mission are you on right now?" I guess I needed to slow down a little bit. It helped that stretches of the trail between Doll Flats and the bald of Big Hump Mountain were covered in rocks. I hate rocks. They slow me down. They cause me to be meticulous with every little step. They slant in all kinds of weird directions, making every step across the mini boulder line a precarious balancing act, and all I can do is focus on not breaking an ankle or hyper-extending my knees. Terrifying.

I breathed a sign of relief to myself when the stretches of rocks ended, and the thick rhododendron thicket gave way to an open, overgrown meadow. Wildflowers swayed back and forth gently in the wind, and bumble bees buzzed around our legs. They sky was marked with puffy white clouds, just enough to tame down the sun. There was no sign of rain. I guess the third time really is a charm. We would finally make it over this bald in good weather. Thank God, because the first and second times were nearly epic.

We made the final steep ascent up to the top of Big Hump Mountain where we sat on the little bench made from cement slabs, soaked in the view, ate some snacks, and added another top layer to help keep us warm on our long windy descent. Dear lord, we have to go down everything we just hiked up. I hate downhill hiking. It kills my knees, and today I'm carrying a pack which meant extra weight bearing down on me. At least this would give me an opportunity to assess how well my knees would currently handle a tough descent. With our Long Trail hike only two weeks away (yikes!) I needed to know what my body could handle.

We went down, down down, back into the rhodo thicket and hardwood forest. Then down, down, down the 2,500 feet to the road. Some parts of the trail were so steep that I was practically jogging. We reached the road by dinner time and I was feeling surprisingly good. I felt like I could go on for a few more miles. My endurance was great, and my legs didn't hurt; until I sat down and tried to stand back up again. We headed to Bob's Dairy Land for dinner, just a short 5 minute trip down the road, and when I stepped out of the car my knees were throbbing. Uh oh. Tomorrow would require a zero day, and plenty of anti-inflammatories. I'm not sure what this means for the Long Trail, but I do know that everything else about this day was epically perfect.

Sign at Doll Flats

View Heading Toward Big Hump Summit

View of Grandfather Mountain from Doll Flats

Bee Balm

Memorial Sign for Stan Murry near Big Hump Mtn Summit

Linville Falls: Basin Plunge & Gorge Trails

Trail Mileage: 1.8 miles total (Gorge Trail + Basin Plunge Trail Combined)

Trail Location: All of the Linville Falls trails can be reached from the Blue Ridge Parkway, mile post 316. From November - April when the parkway tends to be closed, the falls can be reached from an alternate parking area off of NC 183 that remains open year round, however, the forest service roads and parking lot are not plowed in the winter.  From the visitor center, the Gorge and Basin Plunge trails are to the left and are more difficult then the other set of trails that leaves from the visitor center and to the right (Upper Falls, Chimney View, and Erwin View trails).

When we arrived at the visitor center it was nearing the end of the day, and I was hungry for dinner so we kept our time at the falls fairly short, choosing to hike only the Gorge and Basin Plunge overlook trails. As we headed up the trail, the Gorge trail is just past the Duggers Creek loop entrance. We forked left and descended a steep 0.4 miles down to the river where we were rewarded with a river front view of the Falls. 

Crabtree Falls

Trail Mileage: 2.5 miles, loop trail
Elevation Gain: 627 ft.
Elevation Loss: 574 ft.

Location: Crabtree Falls is located off the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 339.5

Crabtree Falls Trail

Crabtree Fall Trail Profile