Up, Up, Up to the Blue Ridge Parkway

After leaving Todd, we got on the Blue Ridge Parkway and drove north a few miles, searching for an ideal picnic spot.  We had had a substantial breakfast at the Buffalo Tavern B&B, so we only wanted an energy boosting snack to tide us over till supper.  We found our ideal spot at the small E. B. Jeffress roadside park.  He is honored as one who was influential in routing the parkway through the scenic North Carolina mountains.

Just steps from our shady picnic table was this view of the rolling hills of the piedmont just to our east.

We had stopped at this location several years before and were eager to hike the Cascades Trail after our snack.  The sign, touting a "leisurely 30 minute round trip walk" is slightly misleading.  No trail with such a steep descent is truly "easy."  Parts were moderate, but if you went to the furthest overlook of the cascade falls, you faced a strenuous climb back up.  It's well worth every step, but be forewarned if you go there.  Leisurely?  I'm not so sure.

It also took us closer to an hour than 30 minutes, but I can't fault the trail.  I took a ton of pictures.  One thing I love about North Carolina's parks and trails is that even the man-made components are compatible with the overall emphasis on making nature more accessible without detracting in the least.

Here's Judy.  She didn't need rest.  She just had to wait for me.

Turn about, fair play.

The whole trail was nice, but the Cascades was our destination.  We went down many, many steep steps for this view.  You can't even see the bottom.

Here's a fine example of the work others have done to make viewing safe and user-friendly.  In other words, to try to keep daredevils from getting themselves killed by getting too close!

There's an upper and lower viewing area.  After hiking this far, it's silly not to do both.

In the following video I tried to film the falls from top to bottom.  I can't really recapture the sense of being there, but I hope this helps.  Single photos just can't do it.

What had seemed steep coming down was even more daunting going up.  This is just one of multiple flights of stone steps.  Judy had a brilliant idea: we stopped every 15 steps to catch our breath.  What part of "leisurely" did the sign-makers not understand?  But truly, we had not one regret.  And a challenging trail always gives you a sense of accomplishment.

You know, like "We came, we saw, we conquered."

Part of the loop trail doubles as a portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, which will one day run continuously from our western mountains, through the piedmont, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.  Every year, more segments of the trail are completed, including some urban areas.  What a great addition to our state's outdoor opportunities.

In my next post, the final one of six about our trip, we'll take a brief sidetrip off the parkway, then follow it northward until returning to the Buffalo Tavern at day's end.

If you've had the patience to stick with me this far, don't miss the final installment.  Coming soon.