Grandfather Mountain, NC

You have to blow the above picture up to appreciate it. Most trails marked "strenuous" do not include rock climbing, rope climbing, ladder climbing, squeezing between boulders, sliding down on your butt, and edging around cliffs hundreds of feet tall with complete and total exposure.

This explains why when I checked in at the entrance, the gate keeper questioned me. It went sort of like this: "You goin' hikin'?" Me: "Yeah, that's the idea..." "Ya doin' the Grandfather Trail?" Me: "Uh... I dunno, sure!" "Ya aren't wearin' no flip-flops are ya?" Me: "Nooo...???" "Are you hiking ALONE?!?!" Me: "Uh... yeah....??" HAHAHAHA.

Apparently they walk the trails after close to make sure no one's dead. Although let me say, if you fall off the trail, surely no one will ever find you. Onward to adventure!!!

This here is the Mile High Bridge. Not because it's a mile to the ground. It's just a mile high in elevation. But still a dang fine ways down to the ground. :)

Nice view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from atop the bridge.

Above, the view from the bridge. Below, the start of the hike. Mostly the "trail" is marked with blue paint on the occasional boulder. Once in a while you get a nice tree. :)

As the sign said, MacRae Peak View...

If it's steep enough and slippery enough (picture 90 degrees and 100% humidity, and all wet rocks) that they give you a rope, with knots in it, you use it.

And that exposed ridge around the center of that picture, yeah, that's the trail.

Sometimes it's too steep to scramble up, so you get a wooden ladder. Let me tell you how fun those are to go DOWN.

Fairly typical example of the "trail". It's actually a rock climb. Here we have a tired woman resting after said climb. Pretty sure I sat in that same spot 10 minutes later. LOL

Above is a view of Calloway Peak, from the top of MacRae Peak, which in the below pictures, I'm standing on.

Yeah, that's the final ladder up to the summit rock of MacRae peak, and if you can't read it, it says 5,844 feet. Below, you can see the clouds coming in... And then there was about 2 hours of strenuous hiking, walking, rock climbing, bouldering, laddering, and pulling myself up ropes with my arms. And understandably there are not any pictures until the top of Calloway Peak. And that there's a ONE WAY trail. You have to do it all in reverse later.

Distant view of MacRae Peak, from top of Calloway Peak.

X marks the spot of the top of Calloway Peak, which I hear is the highest point of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is about 100 feet higher than MacRae Peak.

Some scenic parts of the trail... Mostly rocks, no trail to speak of.

This was so steep I found it amazing I had somehow gotten UP this without killing myself...

And more caves and ladders...

Beautiful day, gorgeous hike, and it's the next day and every muscle I have hurts. Totally awesome!!!! :) Until next time...