When jcb and I were concocting a place to hike today, we thought about Black Rock Mountain State Park, but then realized there was a good chance that people attended sunrise services there, and it’d be super-crowded, so we pondered another option—Pickens Nose, up in NC.
Neither of us had been there, so after picking Pickens Nose (har har), we headed that way. We discovered the walk up from the road to the summit is not long, and passes through a “cavern” of rhododendrons, with the buds still small and closed, just gorgeous!
What we didn’t realize is that the area is criss-crossed by enticing trails, and not many roads—how did we miss this? So, after strolling up the Nose (never sure which outcrop that was, nor if we could see it from the crest), we headed down the road to the next gap, parked again, then set off on a stretch of the AT. We skirted Big Butt (no lie!), and the next peak, all on the AT, then, feeling virtuous (and perhaps a bit tired), we returned to the car via the road.
Nevertheless, at this point I’m fried, so stand by for another installment later….