Enough is Enough!!

She had had enough and wasn’t going to take one more step. But she was a trouper and had already ascended most of the steps to the top. At 13, I was surprised she made it as far as she did. There’s over 1000 stairs to the different areas, and we took them all.

Top of Chimney Rock

Our day was spent at Chimney Rock State Park about 25 miles outside of Asheville. Chimney Rock is one of North Carolina’s newest state parks having been acquired in 2007. Chimney Rock is also known as the location where the last 17 minutes of the movie, The Last of the Mohicans, was filmed back in 1992.

Since Emma wasn’t allowed on the elevator, and I wouldn’t allow Brian to even think about setting one foot on the elevator, we started at the bottom and worked our way up. Of course, we had to stop for breaks and take in the views along the way, but the climb to the top was worth every painful step. And since Emma is an older dog, 91 in doggie years, we carried her as much as she would allow. You see, she’s a stubborn little thing. I used to take her hiking on North Mountain with me a couple times a week. Her tongue would be dragging and I’d pick her up only to have her pushing away from me 10 steps later. She would walk up and down the entire trail which is a fairly moderate hike. I enjoy hiking with Emma. She complains far less than Brian.

If you ever decide to hike in Chimney Rock State Park I suggest you take a lot of water as it tends to get hot and humid. And definitely reward yourself with ice cream which you can get at the gift shop. Our choice of weapon was Moose Tracks full of chocolate and caramel and who knows what else. Who cares? It was oh-so yummy!

We hiked the Skyline Trail to reach the top of Exclamation Point, the highest point in Chimney Rock. At an elevation of 2,480 feet, you have 75 mile views of Lake Lure, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the beautiful North Carolina countryside. We hiked the Outcroppings Trail and then hiked the Hickory Nut Falls Trail with the grand finale being Hickory Nut Falls a 404 feet waterfall where you can cool off in the pond below the falls. In all, we hiked about 3 miles and a little over 1000 stairs (double that for going down!) and then hiked out to the parking lot where our truck was located. And all 3 of us slept like babies that night.

Linn Cove Viaduct

Needless to say, we were dragging the next morning, but pulled our bodies out of bed and headed out the door to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway runs for 469 miles and was built to connect the Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina to the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. We entered the parkway in Asheville and drove north to the Linn Cove Viaduct which is one of the most photographed areas of the parkway. The Linn Cove Viaduct is part of a seven mile unfinished section of the parkway which was delayed for 20 years while authorities developed a way to protect the fragile slopes of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and was not completed until 1987. The Linn Cove Viaduct is most likely the portion of the parkway you will see in calendars but the best time to drive the parkway is not in summer, as we did, but in the fall when the leaves are at their brightest. Another trip maybe???

One tired puppy!!

There’s really not much to do along the parkway except appreciate the beauty of North Carolina and Virginia. We did stop in the small town of Little Switzerland for lunch. Not really sure why they call it Little Switzerland but it’s on the map and don’t blink, or you’ll miss it. There’s a large hotel and a café which doesn’t service hamburgers (I was so in the mood) but has great sandwiches and their chocolate cake is to die for. Not too rich but plenty of chocolate to let you know you’re in for a treat. Finding a parking spot was next to impossible which tells you it’s going to be good and they definitely delivered. If you’re ever in Little Switzerland make sure you stop for lunch. It’s not hard to find, it’s the only café in town.

So tomorrow we’re off to Charlotte tomorrow. We’ll meet you there!