Chimney Tops

We hiked 3 different trails while we were in North Carolina.  Annalise and I also rode a trail on horseback - that was fun :)  I have not ridden a horse in several years but I still remembered how to do it!  She had never ridden a horse that wasn't also a carnival ride and although the guide had her on a lead rope during most the the ride, at the end he took her off and she got to ride a horse on her own for the first time.  We have no pictures of that trail.

We have lots of pictures though from Chimney Tops - a trail I would only recommend to people who like to hike!  To say we got to the top by blood, sweat, and tears is no exaggeration!  Rob and I really enjoyed it, C & A liked a few things about it, but in general felt like giving up long before we got to the top!  They are both proud to say they climbed a mountain, but also both don't think it was worth it.  I hope time will convince them to change their minds - both because I want to go on more mountain trails with them and because I think the experience is so enriching. 

The kids (and I) thought the explosive jewel weeds were lots of fun :)  One of the people we met along the way called them "Touch-me-nots".  The seed pod burst open with gentle pressure.

Colored leaves are a big deal to tropical kids!  I can't remember if it was Annalise or Natalie, but one of them said, "They look just like the ones in the store!"

One of Caleb's main goals was to catch a salamander and he found lots and lots of them!

Annalise and I stopped here - the trail becomes all rock and very steep and we got there at noon and rocks were very hot to the touch.  The guy sitting with us told us that the original trail to the top is easier, but is currently under renovation (there was a sign, but it did not say anything about difficulty).

This is also where we were sitting when we decided to drop the backpack down a few feet and instead of resting on the ledge, it tumbled off the edge of the rock!  Fortunately, the trail being renovated ran right under that spot and it fell there.  A few feet further and it would have fallen much farther and we would not have been able to recover it.

View from the top

Rob alone made it to the summit!

We returned the next day with Natalie and the kids played in the streams near the trail head.  Irene was technically there too, but napping in the van.  We left Natalie and Irene with my parents on the hike day.

Map at the trail head: