NC-128 crossover to Craggy Gardens Visitor Center, westbound
June 2, 2026. Another two days of hiking, tackling the easternmost miles of Segment 3.
En route to the mountains we spent an excellent day birding in Rutherford County. When we finally got to Jessica’s Cottage Airbnb near Asheville, we had a special friend waiting to welcome us there!
I planned to start both hikes from the same location, but go west on the first day, and east over Mt. Mitchell on the second day. This required lots of driving by the husband-shuttle!
After a 50-minute drive up into the mountains on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I was ready to hike by 6:45am.
This 11.5 mile hike would prove to be in my top 5 “Most Strenuous Days” on the MST.
- Elevation gain (my Steps app said I did 72 flights)
- Terrain (rocks and roots, and overgrown grass hiding the trail)
- Injury (two falls–just bruises, fortunately)
…..and an hour of inclement weather
Yep, that’s the trail!
But it’s all worth it, to be hiking in such a beautiful location!
After three difficult miles, I was at the summit of Blackstock Knob. It’s the 11th highest mountain in North Carolina, at 6,320 feet.
My first slip was on a bare, wet root, which provided zero traction, as it turns out.
My second fall was more dramatic, as this root tripped me while I was striding at a good pace. I had to lay on the trail for a couple of minutes before I could get up to make an assessment of my throbbing knee.
But all was well. Or at least all was “OK.” I treated myself with water and jelly beans to deal with the nausea of shock from the initial pain, and after a few minutes I was hiking again.
Cautiously.
You figure with 35,000 steps a day for a typical hike, once in a while one of those steps will go awry.
After a mile and a half descent, I crossed the BRP at Walker Knob Overlook.
Besides soaking your boots, the tall, wet grass hides treacherous rocks, so again, caution is necessary.
At 6.5 miles, the Glassmine Falls Overlook provided a great place to rest . . . and break out a pair of dry socks.
The route climbed back up onto this very pretty “heath bald”.
I dropped my pack on the trail to do the short Class 2 scramble up Lunch Rock. But the view was only so-so, as the nearby shrubs were tall and the valley below was socked in with cloud cover.
The “view” from Graybeard Mountain Overlook, at about 9 miles.
You can’t imagine how wonderful it was to have even a quarter mile on this abandoned road, where you don’t have to think about where to place that next step.
And then, back to the rocks.
Yay! One mile to go!
Craggy Gardens Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway
I’m still upright, so that hike was a success!
153 miles to go.
My.Bird.Walks. 