{"id":6842,"date":"2011-10-23T12:57:25","date_gmt":"2011-10-23T17:57:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/twoheeldrive\/?p=6842"},"modified":"2011-10-23T15:39:11","modified_gmt":"2011-10-23T20:39:11","slug":"sunrise-and-beyond-at-julian-price-park-on-the-blue-ridge-parkway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tommangan.net\/twoheeldrive\/index.php\/2011\/10\/23\/sunrise-and-beyond-at-julian-price-park-on-the-blue-ridge-parkway\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunrise and beyond at Julian Price Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love it when a plan doesn’t work out. <\/p>\n

Last week at Stone Mountain<\/a> was only mildly colorful at 2,300 feet, so this week I surmised the woods would be blazing around 3,500. <\/p>\n

I woke at an absurdly early hour and set out for Price Lake on the Blue Ridge Parkway, aiming to arrive at dawn and capture a signature snapshot of blazing reds, yellows and oranges reflected in the still water. <\/p>\n

Everything about this plan went awry. I left so early that it was still pitch black when I turned onto the Blue Ridge Parkway from Highway 421 just east of Boone. I had time to kill, so I stopped by Moses Cone Manor and clicked a few time-exposures. <\/p>\n

\"Predawn,<\/a><\/p>\n

OK, not bad, but not why I was here.<\/p>\n

Julian Price Memorial Park was just a few miles down the road. I pulled into the parking area just beyond the dam to see this: <\/p>\n

\"Julian<\/p>\n

OK, so here I am shivering in the cold a hundred miles from my warm bed — and the fall color has fled. <\/p>\n

Serves me right, actually, because I’m a total snob about “leaf season,” which, to my mind, attracts throngs who appreciate nature only when it’s bright and shiny. <\/p>\n

And yet: I like bringing hope bright-and-shiny fall-color pictures like everybody else does. <\/p>\n

So back to my Saturday morning. It’s 33 degrees and the whole point of my being here fluttered to the forest floor a week ago. Should’ve been a flop, I suppose, but this turned out to be my favorite hike since McAfee Knob on the Appalachian Trail<\/a> back in July. <\/p>\n

I might’ve been too late for fall color, but I was just in time for morning color. <\/p>\n

\"Grandfather<\/a><\/p>\n

Little fingers of fog rose from Price Lake as I walked the 2.3-mile trail around the shoreline. That’s Grandfather Mountain in the distance beginning to glow from the morning sun. <\/p>\n

My favorite section of this hike isn’t remotely photogenic: it’s a backwater bog caused by busy beavers. One of their success stories: <\/p>\n

\"Industrious<\/a><\/p>\n

It wasn’t enough to chop down this tree; they seem also to have sheared off almost every scrap of bark.<\/p>\n

I’d been walking nearly two miles before the sun rose high enough to illuminate the trees along the shoreline. <\/p>\n

\"Price<\/a><\/p>\n

When the fall colors are really popping, the pictures practically take themselves. You have to try a little harder in the weeks after the peak — my favorite time of year to hike the North Carolina high country. <\/p>\n

\"Fog<\/a><\/p>\n

One more look at the morning fog on Price Lake. <\/p>\n

Instead of completing the entire lake loop, I crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway and caught the Boone Fork Trail, one of the best hikes along the Parkway. <\/p>\n

\"Boone<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s the trail disappearing into the tree cover. <\/p>\n

Boone Fork Trail descends to the confluence of two creeks — no matter how you hike it, it starts out with a comfortable downhill and ends with a pretty good climb. <\/p>\n

It has excellent water features along the way. Few full-scale waterfalls, but dozens of pleasant, picturesque cascades. <\/p>\n

\"Waterfall<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s one on the way down. <\/p>\n

\"Waterfall<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s a scene from the return leg. <\/p>\n

Either of these two loops is a pretty good hike for beginners, depending on your experience and fitness level. For veteran hikers, combining both loops creates an excellent hike of just under 8 miles and less than 1,000 feet of elevation gain. You’ll have to time it right to miss the crowds — the park and its trails are popular for good reason — going on a weekday or starting out at dawn are the best options. <\/p>\n

If you’ve done this hike just once, do it again, no matter what time of year. I suspect it’ll be better during the 50 weeks of the year when the fall colors aren’t stealing the show. <\/p>\n

Julian Price Memorial Park links:<\/p>\n