Smoky Scout's Hiking Adventures: Mountains-To-Sea Trail Training Hike

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Mountains-To-Sea Trail Training Hike

Mountains-To-Sea Trail: Training Hike – 13 miles – 5/5/19

A training hike, you say? With Danny Bernstein, eh? What is in the works? Read on.

I spent Saturday night at Danny’s home, woke up to a gray and rainy Sunday morning. Forecast was solid rain until 11:00 a.m. A little breakfast, a quick gear check (boots/pack/raingear/poles) and we’re off. A day hike in the rain might be postponed if you’re looking for views and sunshine, but we had on our “big girl panties” and no weather could deter us. We needed to practice hiking in the rain.

On the agenda, an out-and-back hike on the Mountains-To-Sea Trail starting at the Blue Ridge ParkwayVisitor Center near Asheville, destination Lunch Rocks. I had never stepped onto the MST from this point, and we had a bit of confusion on the blue blaze trail from the parking lot to connect with the MST, probably added a half-mile to the day: more training! We needed to practice being confused.

We hiked northbound 2.5 miles to the Folk Art Center, encountering stone steps, log bridges, a concrete tunnel, a railroad crossing, walking under the BRP and through a field of wet cows, crossing a bridge over US 70. (No photos, cameras safely stowed.) We needed to practice route-finding through infrastructure.

The relentless rain turned it up a notch to drenching downpour. Everything attached to my body was saturated. At the Folk Art Center we sloshed into the bathroom. I did my business and wrangled my wet clothes back into some semblance of order. Back outside, I sat on a bench, removed my boots and wrung out my sopping wet socks. Put them back on my wrinkly feet, still wet but no longer sloshing, and so far no hot spots - it really did help. We needed to practice saturation with a smile.

As promised, the rain stopped at 11:00 a.m.(I looked at my watch.) The clouds dispersed and the sun came out. I had resigned myself to a full day of rain, my hood pulled over my face, my vision limited to my boots splashing on the trail, very little conversation as we gutted out the miles. Amazing how cessation of precipitation can change an attitude – and how sunshine can bring on amnesia that it ever rained at all! We needed this day to remember in our adventures to come.

The foliage was still dripping wet, of course, magnifying the intensity of green everywhere. We continued another 2.5 miles on the MST to Lunch Rocks, a popular rock outcropping to take a break, eat and enjoy the view.

Rejuvenated by the improved weather, Danny suggested pushing on another half-mile to the next high point, so we did. About ten minutes up the trail, we were rewarded with clumps of pink ladyslippers.

The rest of the day was green and wildflowers and walking blissfully on a gentle downhill back to where we started. Cameras out – let pictures tell the story.