Looking Glass Rock, Transylvania County (10-16-12)
Read MoreThe sun was just breaking over the ridge and I found myself to be the only one at the trail head...a positive beginning...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
A snapshot of the route up Looking Glass from my handy-dandy Trails Illustrated map. Round-trip the hike would be around 6-miles with 1,700' of elevation gain...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Nothing like morning sunshine in the treetops to put a spring in your step...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
A couple minutes in the trail crossed a pair of small streams...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
The forest here is thick but noticeably young, evidence of the intensive logging that took place here over the previous centuries...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
A strikingly bright Magnolia lights up the canopy...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
For the first mile or so the trail meanders along the ridge high above the headwaters of the Davidson River...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Red is a rather rare fall color in the south, making you appreciate seeing it a bit more when you see it...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
As the trail makes its gradual climb over the first mile my thoughts turned to the inevitable climb that I was approaching...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Entering a Laurel tunnel...not an uncommon experience on this hike...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Shortly after the trail gets serious about climbing a nice, albeit overgrown, rock outcrop offers some limited views of the upper Davidson River Valley...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
I can't even attempt to guess how many switchbacks you round on the way to the top. The upside of so many switchbacks is a relatively even and moderate climb...
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A peak of color through the rhododendron...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
A rather thick grove of rhododendron...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
The steepness of the climb meant that I could look downhill into the tops of the trees, glowing in the morning sun...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
The steepest part of the climb ends about 2-miles in at around 3200'...don't be fooled though, there's still another 700' of climbing to go...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
I'm a fan of red's and orange's but I have to say, yellow's are growing on me...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
A few sections of deeply eroded trail atop the ridge were the only evidence of this trails popularity...I'm impressed how well maintained the path is despite it's reputation as one of the forest's busiest...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Ten minutes or so after gaining the ridge a large, open rock outcrop appears beside the trail. If you look close you can see a big letter "H" as this is a designated helipad in case of emergencies...
IMG5149pPisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
You ever get that feeling you're about to experience something awe-inspiring...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
The panorama from the lower ledges. The major peaks from left to right are Pilot Mountain (5,055'), left, Mt. Hardy (6,112'), center, and Devils Courthouse (5,744'), the conifer cloaked peak to the right of center...
IMG5153aPisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Water seeping from the forests above the cliffs has managed to cut deep grooves in the granite...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
"One day's exposure to mountains is better than cartloads of books. See how willingly Nature poses herself upon photographers' plates. No earthly chemicals are so sensitive as those of the human soul." - John Muir
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Scrambling (carefully) a bit farther out onto the ledges I could get a good look at the much higher cliffs yet to come...
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A gnarly Table Mountain Pine looks out towards the dark summit of Devils Courthouse...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
"But I don't wanna go!" However, more is yet to come...
IMG5166pPisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
I walked through a LOT of laurel tunnels on this hike, but this one was my favorite...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
The higher I went the more color surrounded me...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
The trail finally flattened out, announcing my near-arrival at the summit...
IMG5175pPisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
The summit of Looking Glass, thickly wooded at only 3,969', doesn't get much prettier than this...
IMG5244pPisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
One of those magical moments in the mountains...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
My arrival at the summit ledges, after I picked my jaw up off the ground...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Looking north, you feel very tiny...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Every guidebook will tell you of the deceptively dangerous cliffs at Looking Glass. The danger comes from the increasingly slanted angle of the cliffs the closer to the edge you get combined with hundreds of these little 'seeps' which, with one misstep, could send you sliding...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
The peaks of Black Balsam Knob (6,214') and Tennent Mountain (6,040') can just barely be spotted peeking over the ridge,,,
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
15 miles and 4000 vertical feet of color...
IMG5206pPisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” -John Muir
IMG5212aPisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing
Looking Glass casts a late morning shadow...
Pisgah National ForestLooking GlassplutonfallautumnfoliageBlue RidgeAppalachianBrevardCradle of ForestryGreat BlasamsPisgahrock climbing