Sometimes what you need is an easy walkabout with a good friend and a surprise ending. Wildflowers and a pretty lake make it a 10/10 day.
Cathy and I started our hike from the Moses Cone Manor House, passing through the tunnel underneath the Blue Ridge Parkway. As soon as the trail emerges from the tunnel, it splits right toward Flat Top Mountain (a fine hike for another day) and left toward Rich Mountain. The trail surfaces are gravel, wide carriage roads in pleasant shade.
We crossed Flannery Fork Road near the southernmost end of Trout Lake. Local folks were out walking their dogs and, of course, we had to stop and pet them all (dogs, not people).
The carriage road began its winding ascent. We passed two fellow walkers who told us the resident cows were on the trail and they could not get past them to reach the summit. Cathy and I took our chances and passed through the gate.
As we left the wooded slopes behind, we spied cows relaxing in the shade. In cheerful sunshine, we continued up the trail as it spiraled around on its way to the top, passing through meadows filled with flowers.
At the summit, a rock wall surrounds a space the size of a small yard. There is a big rock that appears to be the high point but I couldn’t find a surveyor’s marker. We sat down for a snack break with a view.
Clouds were beginning to gather and we retraced our steps back to the parking lot, reaching the car just as the rain arrived. We decided to skip the rest of the day’s plans and retreat to Cathy’s cozy cabin.
At the cabin, Cathy turned her phone on to find a string of text messages from her son: he and his wife, expecting a baby any day now, were at the hospital. Cathy was about to become a grandmother! What a wonderful day!
Read more about Rich Mountain here.
“Being a grandmother means you
get to be the fun one.”
