Waterrock Knob

Suzanne, Jake (the Fawn Pug) and I went to Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway today. It is to my shame and chagrin that I have never been there, just passed by it when going somewhere else. We took I-40 to US 19 through Maggie Valley, up to Soco Gap, where we got on the Parkway. We then went about 8 miles north to the Waterrock Knob parking area and Visitor Center, a nice little place to learn local lore and shop for cute gifts and guide books.
On this short trip to the Knob, we were treated to a spectacle of Flame Azalea, Mountain Laurel (called "Ivy" or "Mountain Ivy" by the old folks), and Catawba Rhododendron all along the road, and in absolute full bloom. In the parking area we also saw up close the Rhododendron, something I have managed to miss the last few years.
After going into the Visitor Center, and using the facilities outside (don't go IN there!), we took off up the trail. Though the trail is only about a half mile, it is a steep half mile, and requires some stamina. I lost a good bit of stamina when I suffered an aortic dissection, a dangerous splitting of the inner aortic wall. As mine was abdominal (type B), it was not really in my best interest to have surgery, so I am a bit handicapped. We got a hundred or so yards up the trail and sat down on a well placed bench, and I started to make a "pssht" sound to attract birds. Suzanne is much better at this than I, so when she started, birds were everywhere. We saw Juncoes (of course), a Black Capped Chickadee with his ragged bib, a Chestnut Sided Warbler who sounded more like a Hooded, and what could only have been a Pine Siskin, a bird that should be on its breeding grounds in Canada, but what do I know?
Moving on up to the "pedestrian overlook", we were treated to a view that is only like the view from an airplane. The vegetation here is classic "canadian zone" or "Spruce/Fir zone", with the addition of the ever present Red Maple. It is a lovely walk, a lovely place, and a wonderful escape from the heat and humidity of the valley. Since it is over 6000 feet, it has a good many Fraser Fir, and I suspect it normally has a great deal more water; however, in our drought stricken condition, there is little water to be found. I swear I heard the maple tree sigh when Jake um, "visited" it.
On the way down, the most striking view was just downhill from the "pedestrian overlook". Suzanne, who does not do heights to well, said "we look on the same level with that peak over there". As we were looking out into the Shining Rock Wilderness (I think), and may have been looking at Cold Mountain, I said that the peak was likely about a thousand feet below us. Such is the view from there.
We didn't make it to the top. When we got to the pedestrian overlook, I was a bit worn down, Suzanne was also, and Jake, who is a good bit brachycephalic, what with being a Pug and all, was doing a rather rough kind of breathing that can scare a Pug person, so we all agreed to head back down. I have heard the view is 360 degrees from the top, and when we are all in better shape, and maybe the weather is cooler, we will all three make it there. Until then, we all enjoyed it tremendously, and I would suggest that anyone wishing to see the flowers in bloom needs to do it this week, as they will probably start fading by next weekend.

Enjoy Nature folks:
Alex