I used the internet to research trails. I have a NC trail guide from back in the old days, but I didn’t bring it. Or my camelbak, or a day pack, or even a poncho. We own all this stuff. We just didn’t pack for this part of the trip, other than throwing hiking boots in the trunk.
I had brought my laptop in a corduroy messenger bag, and we rigged that to use as a day pack. Emptied a commuter cup of coffee and filled it with water. Bought a bottle of water from a vending machine at a Nat’l Park visitor center.
The visitor center was crowded. Like in my days as a backpacker, there were almost none. We stood out then, with everything we needed on our backs and children point to us like we were zebras among horses. They stood out now. We were among the zillions of clean visitors going on a one-day destination hikes. Some had picked shorter hikes, no doubt, while some like us chose steeper, cooler looking ones. We were in the middle class of hiking now.
When I was young, I didn’t pay attention to people like us. But now, at middle age, I noticed the older ones. People with canes, people for whom walking was no longer easy, people who still loved the outdoors. Maybe had even been the backpackers once. Now they would be stopping at the Quiet Walks, trails of less than a mile that dotted the road through the park. I was able to appreciate that I wasn’t there yet.
One thing about day hikes, you see lots of other people on the trails. As backpackers, we saw almost no one, unless we were on the AT. When we met other hikers, we would stop and take a break together, a a chance to talk to someone other than each other.
We stepped off the road into the woods under the great trees, the roar of water echoing through the woods, the damp air embracing us. A part of me was home. It was like I never left.
Trails like these are well marked and maintained. No looking for a place to ford. We crossed the rushing creeks on bridges of split logs. We continued on up in the damp air and late spring beauty, huffing a bit, stopping every now and then to breathe and admire. There were families with children, even small ones. At first, it surprised me, until I remembered I had taken my kids on days hikes at a young age too. About halfway up, there was a natural stone arch with winding steps. I think that’s where we lost the families. The trail beyond was steep.
As the trail neared the ridge, we hiked through a sunny stretch of blooming laurels. I had never timed my trips right to catch either the laurels or the rhododendrons in bloom before. The final ascent was so steep, they had put steps in the bank, probably to keep it from washing away.
Alum Cave isn’t really a cave. It’s a big rock overhang with a great view. We stayed up there a while, admiring, shooting pictures, even texting a few since I had gotten a signal. Eventually, we started the long hike down.
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