Does 2020 seem like a lost year so far? If you’re like me it has. I’ve been self-isolating since mid-March because of coronavirus. I only venture out to get groceries for my dad and myself. I have been hiking a grand total of once since March, and that time was only after entering Phase II of the grand reopening. Obviously soon after, positive cases began soaring, so it was back to stay home, stay safe.

In the meantime, folks have been visiting state and national parks in record breaking numbers, and in a lot of cases, leaving their trash behind. I never have understood litter, especially on our beautiful public lands, but apparently many find it necessary to exhibit their privilege. As a trash collecting volunteer on the Blue Ridge Parkway this saddens me.

Parkway management finally told the volunteers we were allowed to come back and work in June. I’ve resisted the temptation up to this point, but felt it was probably about time to do my part. So on Sunday, July 26th I packed up my mask, my gloves, my reacher-grabber tool and sanitary wipes for an inspection and cleaning of Pounding Mill Overlook. I went early in the morning to avoid as much crowding as possible. Much to my surprise, the overlook was not entirely trashed. There was more than usual, but mostly small stuff like paper and cigarettes.

I brought my camera along too, so when I finished my chores, it was time for a peaceful drive west on the Parkway. Starting at milepost 410, I continued to milepost 430 with many stops along the way. The weather was near ideal early, but as the morning wore on, the clouds began building. I stopped at Ferrin Knob Overlook for a lunch break, and watched the traffic on the Parkway building as well.

About noon I called it a day because of crowding, and concern about thunderstorms. I had one additional stop planned, along Scenic Byway 276, at one of the old CCC stone bridges over Looking Glass Creek. The ever intensifying clouds helped set the mood. Fortunately I got a few shots in before the sky opened up about five minutes after I finished. It was a wet drive the rest of the way to Brevard.

Below are some of the photos I captured on this day, only my second time out since March 2020. Feel free to leave any comments.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

Walking the Blue Ridge Parkway in winter is a great way to get a slow-motion view of the wonderful vistas that whiz by at 45 mph in your car. The Parkway is closed so you don’t have to worry about traffic. The only concern really is perhaps slipping on snow or ice. This latest in the Photo Essay series looks at a 4-mile stretch of the BRP between mileposts 412 and 408.

It starts where Scenic Hwy 276 climbs to meet the Parkway at milepost 412. The Cold Mountain Overlook is right there, and that’s where Ken and I parked. Gates are closed in both directions so the only ways to proceed are by bicycle or on foot. No ice worries on this day, February 17, 2016. A bright sun and 40-ish temperature assured a nice and dry road surface for our trek to Pisgah Inn and beyond.

The cliffs alongside the roadway were another matter. As you will often find this time of year, there were giant icicles (some as long as 10 feet) clinging to the granite above the road bed. As the day progressed and the warming continued, we moved to the far side of the pavement to avoid the melting, plunging spears as they dropped from the crags above and crashed on the pavement.

We passed by Cradle of Forestry Overlook and Pink Beds Overlook and their magnificent long-distance vistas enabling us to see all the way to the Black Mountains and Great Craggy Range northeast of Asheville. In the opposite direction is Looking Glass Rock, glistening in the sunlight from the ice clinging to its sheer face. They say this is how Looking Glass got its name… in winter with the ice shining and glimmering from miles away.

Fryingpan Tunnel is about half way to Pisgah Inn. Enclosed within its dark and damp canopy we did have to watch our step as the thin coating of moisture there had not yet melted. The communications and fire towers were standing tall high above on Fryingpan Mountain. The last overlook before the inn is called Funnel Top and offers a nice view of the Pilot Rock and Slate Rock area of Pisgah National Forest.

When we reached Pisgah Inn we sat on the deck outside the restaurant and enjoyed the magnificent view as we munched our sandwiches and soup. The inn and restaurant are usually open from April through November. Following lunch, we continued past the Mt. Pisgah supply store and on to the picnic grounds, climbing the hill to reach the multi-acre meadow beneath the summit of imposing Mt. Pisgah.

The mountaintops on the north side of Pisgah Ridge still had a coating of rime ice, always the last to feel the warmth of the sun. The black balsams in the Mt. Pisgah watershed are very healthy, their boughs a dark, dark forest green. We turned around at the picnic area for the return, walking a total of 8.5 miles by the time we got back to Hwy 276.

I hope you enjoy these new photos from this visit to the high country along the Blue Ridge Parkway as much as we enjoyed the day. Please feel free to leave your comments below the gallery.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.