Long Hope Valley

My last entry was a hike that Brian and I took during our anniversary weekend in 2024, just before he found out he needed a new hip!

All was well and then Hurricane Helene slammed mountain communities. For several days after the storm, we had no idea what happened to our place or the folks on our road. Luckily everyone’s home was intact but the damage to trees, the creek, the roads and the land was impossible to describe. No electricity and phone service for weeks and the road was gone. Without a truck or on foot, you couldn’t get to our place.

We’ve seen lots of changes around our cabin since Helene. Deer now travel through our yard and love our hostas, golden rod has appeared in mass, and our black racers are gone. We have a new view from the porch due to several trees going down. Unrelated to the hurricane, most striking has been the change in the climate since we first came here in 2007. It’s much warmer in the summer and often bitter cold in winter.

Here’s a few photos of the damage. What used to be the road and how the creek became a river.

We haven’t hiked around Grandfather Mountain so on the only clear day over Memorial Day weekend we headed out. We found the Nuwati Trail to Storyteller Rock just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock. An easy drive from Creston – just over an hour. The trail wasn’t very busy with a great overlook. Nuwati connects to several other trails for longer hikes.

Had to share this one about the hellbender – a large salamander found in northwest North Carolina. As odd as it is, the eastern hellbender is a special creature – that is a “species of concern” due to our changing climate. Even still, there are more in North Carolina than any other state in their range.

They can be found in the New and Watauga Rivers in Ashe and Watauga counties. But seeing them is another story! Read more here.

A bit of snow made it tricky to climb Haw Orchard Mountain to see the amazing views from both Big and Little Pinnacles in Grayson Highlands State Park in southwestern Virginia. Forgot my walking poles too! Only passed a few people as we walked through a hemlock forest. Great views from about 5,000 ft.

Not accessible to the public, Snake Mountain in Watauga County is mostly a straight shot up to 5,500 feet. We hiked part of it in a foot of snow and the rest this spring. Rocky top with wide, gorgeous views.

We took Finley up to Elk Knob last fall. It was a perfect color day. There’s part of the hike where you have to make your way through tunnels of trees stunted by the weather at about 5,500 feet.

I forgot to post this full moon from last year. The blue moon in August was barely visible from our cabin but I found an opening in the trees and snapped this photo. It’s usually pitch black out there at night!

More great news for Ashe County and the Amphibolite Mountain range in the area. The Blue Ridge Conservancy has successfully purchased 152 acres on Paddy Mountain, adjacent to 445 acres of a protected area managed by the NC Plant Conservation Program. The area, known as the Paddy Mountain Preserve, may eventually be part of the Northern Peaks Trail – a 40-mile hiking trail that will be built from Boone to West Jefferson. (and pass near our place!)

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Paddy Mountain is protected for its unique ecosystem and home to the rare Heller’s Blazing Star (Liatris helleri) which grows only on rock outcroppings near the top of the mountain. The purchase is part of an ongoing effort since 2014 to own tracts of land on Paddy Mountain.

Congrats to the Blue Ridge Conservancy and its partners for continuing to protect these beautiful mountains in northwestern NC. Read more here.