Peaks of Otter - Sharp Top Mountain

SHARP TOP MOUNTAIN

                         

                                            "You can can never feel the real power of mountains until you start climbing their summits" - Mehmet Muran ildan

We visited Peaks of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway once before and climbed Flat Top Mountain. At that time we promised to return and do two things...visit the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va. and climb nearby Sharp Top Mountain.   The Peaks of Otter loom large in the distance as silent sentinels guarding the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Va.  http://fbwg-hiking.blogspot.com/2013/06/flat-top-mountain-at-peaks-of-otter.html
http://fbwg-hiking.blogspot.com/2015/08/d-day-national-memorial-bedford-virginia.html

Sharp Top Mountain

The Peaks of Otter is a popular Blue Ridge Parkway destination.  It is a large park featuring a nice lake with a mountain lodge, large camping and picnic areas, visitor's center and trails to hike.  The two feature mountains are Sharp Top and Flat Top.  History tells us that Thomas Jefferson once sought to prove Sharp Top Mountain the tallest mountain in the original thirteen states...truth was Sharp Top at 3875' was not even the tallest mountain in the Commonwealth of Virginia. That notoriety belonging to Mt. Rogers (5725'). Heck Sharp Top wasn't even as tall as her sister mountain Flat Top (4001')

Flat Top Mountain

Nevertheless the popularity of this misconception even led to the good folks of Virginia harvesting a granite stone from the summit of Sharp Top to be included in the construction of the Washington Monument. Most southern mountain peaks are covered with foliage.  Sharp Top is unique among southern mountains in that it has an exposed rocky peak from which offers a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside.  This alluring feature is why Sharp Top has been a popular tourist destination for over a 100 years.

The hike is billed as a 1.5 mile 1250 foot trek to the summit.   I have seen many different mileage calculations in various trail reports. My GPS logged 2.25 miles to the summit including a visit to nearby Buzzard's Roost. Similarly various elevation reports indicate that it is a much greater climb than 1300 feet as well. Whatever the distance and the elevation, it is a very steep and strenuous hike. My FitBit credited me for climbing 75 flights of stairs during the hike!  For the faint of heart...the Park Service offers bus ride to the top...next time we make take the bus! 

The trail is easily found next to the nature center which is across the Parkway from the visitor's center.  The trail is well traveled but well maintained. Expect to share the trail with many vacationers. 

For about a tenth of a mile it is even smooth. After that it is a rocky trail which requires your full attention lest you turn an ankle or fall.  And did I mention the steps?  You encounter the first series of steps about a mile into the hike. It is but a preview of more to come once you reach the summit.

About 1.25 miles into the hike, the trail smooths out as you begin to summit the lower ridge of the mountain.  At this ridge top you will find a sign giving you a choice of taking a 600 foot walk to Buzzard's Roost or a 1900 foot hike to the Sharp Top Summit.  Fearing we would not visit Buzzard Roost on the way back, I chose the 600 foot path to the first real vista of the day.

Buzzard's Roost 

From Buzzard's Roost, my astute Faithful Hiking Companion pointed out that the 1900 feet left for us to hike would be a very steep climb...ya think? Hey if they got there, we can too!   

From Buzzard's Roost there are many views of the surrounding countryside.  But to get the good views, you  have to climb out onto the rock cliffs.  A hardy scramble but well worth the effort.

The green farmland of the rolling hills of southwest Virginia provides a nice contrast with the blue/green mountains, the powder blue sky and puffy white clouds. This is why we hike the Blue Ridge!

Leaving the Roost, we hiked back to the main trail and encountered the first of many natural cairns.  This huge rock precariously perched on smaller rocks in a way that defies gravity.

"Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation." Psalm 95:1

Trail flowers always give us pause and on this ridge line were several nice patches of wild flowers.   

"The flower offered of itself and eloquently spoke of God in languages of rainbows, perfumes and secret silence" - Phillip Pulfrey

After a laborious slog up the 1900 feet left on the trail...up steps...over rocks...huffing and puffing...wondering what the heck we were doing, we finally emerged at the Sharp Top summit. 

There we were greeted by a picturesque stone cabin where we caught our breath before taking in the views.  The shade and the cool breeze flowing through the open windows combined nicely with a power bar and a Gatorade.  Plus I got a view nice pictures through the windows.

We also met an adventurous family, Megan, Tom and Tucker.  Tucker had the best hike of the day. Props to Tom. Color me impressed!

The rock formations a top Sharp Top summit were interspersed with several overlooks providing a panoramic view of the mountains and the green countryside.  The distant blue lake provided a reference for us to understand the 1500 foot climb we had just made.

Nearby Flat Top Mountain gave witness to another hike we made a two years before.  It too was a strenuous hike, but like today, the views were worth it. 

In the green valley below is the town of Bedford and the National D-Day Memorial.  Of course not every visitor to the summit felt restrained to the walled overlooks.   Kyle and Latasha stood fearlessly on a rock outcropping so that the FBWG could make them famous.

The views are incredible. Everywhere you look there is another post card vista of mountains and valleys.  

The summit is also strewn with natural cairns.  On a cooler day I would have scrambled on these boulders but today I must only be satisfied with photographs.

The hike up Sharp Top Mountain is a strenuous hike.  But the views are amazing.  The effort to view rate is skewed toward the hard hike even though the views are great. 

 The primary problem with the hike is not the steepness of the trek to the summit.  The reason I did not enjoy the hike was the condition of the trail. It is rock strewn making each step an effort.  I could not enjoy the hike for having to watch each step lest I trip.  

So the trail rating is a 6;  access is a 9...right off the Parkway with a nice parking lot and restrooms handy...the views are 9.... overall the hike is rated 8.

"On earth there is no heaven, but there are pieces of it"  Jules Renard

Linville Gorge - North Carolina Wall/Chimneys

NORTH CAROLINA WALL

On a previous trip to the Chimneys we ventured down a trail which I mistakenly thought led to the river...so we turned around... but when I researched the trail I determined it was the Mossy Monster Trail to the North Carolina Wall.  We returned on the first day of August to correct that mistake. http://fbwg-hiking.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-chimneys-at-linville-gorge-one-of.html

To get to the North Carolina Wall, you find the trail head for the Chimneys in the Table Rock picnic area and hike through the Chimneys, then down the Mossy Monster to the cliff tops looming large above the Gorge.  The real treat to this hike is the scenic overload the trail gives of the Gorge and the surrounding countryside.

From the cliffs at the start of the trail, views of both Table Rock and Little Table Rock were enjoyed. The distant Grandfather Mountain was a blue shadow in the distance.  The Mountain to Sea trail is a ridge line trail through the Chimneys.  From this trail are numerous side trails from which many varied views of Table Rock and surrounding mountains can be enjoyed.

The MST offers similar views of the western rim of the Gorge and the distant Black Mountains.

This area of the Gorge suffered greatly from the 2013 Forest Fire, and while the mountain foliage is returning, evidence of the fire is everywhere.  There are charred trees to remind us of the ferocity of the fire and new growth to remind us of the regenerative qualities of nature.

This area of the gorge is aptly named.  Rock Chimneys are everywhere.  Photographs struggle to show the 3D depth of the various rock formations that seem to spring up from the mountainside.

I know many of the formations have names as I am sure this one does....but for me...this is God's Cairn.

This looks like an enormous trail cairn with rocks stacked in a way that seems to defy Newton's laws of gravity.

This area is a popular place for all kinds of rock climbing and rappelling.  On this trip we found a couple climbing a 150 foot rock wall and they were nice enough to let the FBWG take a picture.  Memo to file....this is something neither the FBWG nor his Faithful Hiking Companion should try!

Eventually we made it to the southern side of the Chimneys.  The MST begins a gradual descent to the Chimney Gap area between the Chimneys and Shortoff Mountain.  To the right the Mossy Monster trail begins at the base of a tree marked with the white circle MST blaze.  There was also a cairn marking the trail.

The Mossy Monster trail was very narrow and overgrown but the fire damaged landscape opened up some new vistas of the southern end of the Gorge as we rumbled down the trail.  Not having visited this area before the fire, I have no frame of reference to the extent of the damage, but I have to assume that the fire transformed the area significantly.

Tangled undergrowth replaced the shade of towering trees and there were burned logs at every step.  The trail leads to the rock cliffs overlooking the North Carolina Wall and as we arrived at this destination, we saw that the trail disappeared.

Climbing out on the first cliff we saw, we viewed the first of many stunning views of the north end of the Gorge and the Linville River snaking below.  A cool breeze masked the 83 degree weather and a gentle roar of the river made this an idyllic place to pause and rest our dogs.

Little Table Rock and Hawksbill Mountain peaked about a distinctive chimney which I have photographed  from the other side many times before.   Looking around for a trail to cliffs, we found none.  The fire had obliterated any formal trail. On occasion we found remnants of former trails but for the most part, the rest of the hike on the Cliffs were a hardy rock scramble which resulted in several Gorge Tattoos.  But the views obtained from these scrambles were some of the best I have seen in my years hiking the Gorge.

Getting a view of the length of the Gorge to the south proved more difficult. It seemed that at every cliff I scrambled to, there was a tree obstructing my view of the distinctive Shortoff plateau.  So I finally gave up and leaning out got this picture of the southern end of the Gorge. 

The clear day allowed us to see the blue outline of the distant Black Mountains and Mt. Mitchell.  It was a splendid day to photograph the Gorge!  My Faithful Hiking Companion pointed out a distinctive rock indention which looked liked the entrance to a tomb....hmmm? 

"There is a sanctuary with the beauty of being alone in nature" so says Jonathan Lockwood Huie.  My Faithful Hiking Companion and I could not agree more...as we reconstructed this cairn, I silently thanked Our Creator for the glory of all that surrounded me.

If you make this hike, make sure you visually mark the Mossy Monster Trail.  It is very hard to pick up on the way out.  Also be prepared to rock scramble and trail blaze across a very course rocky mountainside.  Still the views are worth every scratch.  




The combination of the hot day and the steepness of the scramble made the hike back to the MST less than enjoyable but thankfully it was not a very long climb.  Getting back to the MST, we found a shady campsite and took our protein bar lunch.  And of course...took some more pictures.

The hike out allowed me to catch some views that I missed on the way in.  I have photographed Table Rock Mountain from every angle and this part of the MST offers the very best views of the Grande Dame of the Gorge.

We also got another glimpse of God's Cairn. And three Falcons buzzed us a couple of times providing a real treat.  There are still many side trails I would like to hike and views that I have not seen along the MST through the Chimneys but it was hot and we were tired so we called it a day










The hike is a great 4.5 miler with a view worth the hike at every turn.  If you don't venture to the North Carolina Wall it is an easy hike...adding the trip down the Mossy Monster makes it a bit more challenging but the views are worth every scratch.

 Rating the hike is easy....access via Table Rock Parking Lot is a 9....we even saw a bear cub on the way up!....the MST is a 9 but the Mossy Monster and the lack of trail on the NC Wall is a 7....

The views are 10....not any better in the Gorge...the effort to view is about right if you venture to the Wall...the Chimneys are an easy hike for great views....overall a solid 9 hike....