We finally got away from the house for a bit on this three-day, Labor Day weekend. We headed down to Asheville to dispose of some recyclables, eat lunch, and go hiking. After taking care of our errand and lunch we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway, headed south through numerous tunnels, and arrived at the Mount Pisgah area ready for a hike. The trailhead offered a great view of our objective for the hike: 5,721 foot high Mount Pisgah.
We readied ourselves in the parking lot with sunglasses and other necessary gear
and then set off on the trail.
The trail started out as relatively level. However, the easy hiking did not last long. Soon the trail started climbing in earnest through tunnels of rhododendron.
Every now and then the vegetation cleared out enough to offer views of the surrounding mountains including nearby Fryingpan Mountain which is topped with an old fire tower.
The climb was relentless and on a warm day like today I found myself sweating profusely.
It was nice to see lots of other people (and even a few dogs) out hiking on this fine holiday. After ascending for a good part of the 1.5 miles to the summit we found ourselves standing on top of the wooden viewing platform with great views of Cold Mountain and over to Asheville. The huge television transmission tower on top prevented 360 degree views, but still we were able to admire the view of ridge after ridge of mountains. After some water, snacks, and relaxing, we headed over to the true summit where Sierra and I posed for a photo.
Then we made our way back down the mountain to the parking lot for the return drive back to Greeneville.
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