Craggy Dome, NC (8.0 miles; d=11.06)
Read MoreCraggy Pinnacle Parking Area (5,640')
Craggy Dome (6,085') from the north at the parking area for Craggy Pinnacle after I finished the hike. You can see why I underestimated this peak...with its gentle slopes and minimal elevation gain it caught me a bit off guard with its ruggedness...
Craggy Gardens Picnic Area (5,200')
I'd be beginning and ending my hike at the huge parking lot for the picnic area which, thanks to some early morning fog and a cool breeze, was completely empty as I set out...
Craggy Gardens Picnic Area (5,200')
The MST as it leaves the far end of the parking lot...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,250')
The trail from the picnic area leads a bit over a half mile up to a large shelter alongside a semi-open grassy bald so it is wide and, as you'd expect, very well traveled...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,300')
The clouds weren't bothering me all that much for the moment as there weren't any views to have. Besides, the surrounding forest was quite beautiful with an understory of ferns and grasses and large maples and birch trees rising above...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,450')
Famous for its early June rhododendron blooms I was hoping that I had timed my visit to Craggy Gardens correctly. Unfortunately, it seemed, I had arrived a week or so late as there were precious few blooms to greet me along the way...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,450')
Enveloped by green as I approach the shelter...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,580')
I knew there was a shelter up here but I had pictured something quite a bit smaller. No doubt its a necessary retreat for folks caught out on the neighboring bald in the event of thunderstorms that frequently pop up here in the summer...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,580')
Inside the towering shelter above the Craggy Gardens Picnic Area...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,550')
Back on the main trail I found myself once again under the close embrace of the surrounding rhododendron wilds...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,550')
I am rarely more appreciative of a well maintained trail than when I'm passing through thickets like this...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,500')
Eight-tenths of a mile from the picnic area the MST makes a hard left turn at the spur trail to the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center which, here, continues straight ahead...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,450')
The morning continued to be drab and dreary as I descended off the back side of the ridge below the visitor center area...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,350')
A number of tight switchbacks lost me quite a bit of elevation a bit over a mile in...not something I enjoy doing a whole lot when I'm supposed to be climbing a mountain...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,350')
The massive twisted branches of an old yellow birch arc over the path...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,350')
Rounding the old birch I was shocked to see it essentially peeled open by forces I cant really comprehend. Even more amazing, if you'll notice the leaves, is that it's still alive!!...
Mountains-to-Sea Trail (5,450')
On the ascent once again the trail became a bit trickier, not from the severity of the climb which was moderate, but the wet, mossy rocks underfoot...