Hiking along the Blue Ridge Parkway: Third Day

Day three: After a leisurely morning at the Blue Ridge Villas, we hit the Tanawha again.

This time we stopped first at the Linn Cove Viaduct Visitor Center. There is a short trail that winds underneath the viaduct through large rocks, some covered with the most amazing tree root formations. Rosebay Rhododendron was beginning to bloom (see eNature link for description).



This part of the trail is entirely in the woods. There were large patches of blooming Galax and more incredible roots both in the trail and creeping over large boulders at the side. The Babes really got into singing, perhaps to drown out the noise of the Parkway. Here the Tanawha runs too close to the road. Nettle taught us an old girl scout tune:

Sing your way home at the close of the day/Sing your way home, drive the shadows away/ Smile every mile/For wherever you roam/It will brighten your road/It will lighten your load/If you sing your way home.
(Traditional; copyright unknown. Listen to the tune at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/singhome.htm)

When we reached Rough Ridge trail it was nearly 6 p.m. The hike up to the top consisted of many rock steps through Huckleberries and Sand Myrtle. After the boardwalk there are several very large (and not very level) boulders. We selected one for “Hard Rock Café 2” and enjoyed a dinner of veggies, peanut butter and trail mix. Evening was truly a beautiful time to be at the top of Rough Ridge. One can understand why the Cherokee named the trail Tanawha, "great hawk". It is a place where spirits soar.