When planning a trip to explore the mountains, I wanted to include a hike; one we hadn't been on before. On a quick search I found a trail to the top of Hawksbill Mountain. It was labeled as moderate, 2.2 miles round trip, with 360 views of the mountain range. That was the one!
During the drive up the the mountains, I spotted the mountain peak that this trail led to. It stood out high among the mountain range. It was going to be a big hike!
We traveled along the curvy mountain roads and before we knew it, the pavement ended and we were left with a road of dirt, barely enough for two cars to pass. One side was against the mountain, the other side a steep drop through the trees. This hike was already seeming to be intense, and we were still in the car.
Were we up for it? I hope so, because no turning back now!
Eventually we saw the small entrance to the trail and parked precariously on the edge of the dirt road. The mountain top towered above us.
Soon we would be on top. If we could make it!
The hike started off simple enough, a narrow cleared path through the trees with a small incline. The sunlight trickled through the autumn colored trees.
But as we ventured on, the incline became steeper and steeper.
Every so often there would be a break in the trees. A glimpse of how high we were.
The hiking guide said the trail would become steep towards the end, so every time the incline increased I thought "We must be nearly there!!"
But on we hiked.
Until we were scaling over rocks, almost straight up!
It was supposed to be about 1 mile to the top. But had I read that right? I second guessed myself as we climbed the rocks, almost completely out of breath.
But soon enough, the ground began to level out and we found ourselves at the top, overlooking the vast Blue Ridge mountain range and the valleys below.
The big hike was a success! We spent quite a long time at the top, taking in the views.
The hike back down was so easy, in fact, we were so pumped from the hike up there that we ran all the way down the mountain. It took us over an hour to get up, but less than half an hour to race back down! Now I am looking forward to even more big hikes!
