Day 3 - Monday 10/3/2011

 We head towards Little Switzerland NC from our Resort in Lake Lure, The drive is about 90 on winding roads, Today's adventure brings us back to the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina for our first stop, Crabtree Falls is a 70ft fall located in the Crabtree Meadows Campground at Mile Marker # 339.  This is another one of those trails were you hike all downhill at the beginning making the trip back horrible! This trail was about 2 miles round trip.

Here is a shot of myself at Crabtree Falls, notice Daniel in the left hand corner crawling around on the rocks by the base of the falls, this really gives perspective on the size of the falls...

After we finish viewing the falls we decide to take different trails back to the parking lot. Daniel & Chrissy take the longer loop back which was 1.6 mile, and I take the same trail back that we took in, just under 1 mile. We wanted to see who would be quicker since they hike much faster than I do. I made it back only about 10 minutes before them.

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 After leaving Crabtree we travel further down the Blue Ridge until we reach the turn off for Mount Mitchell State Park at Mile Marker # 355. We decide to stop for lunch before heading to the Peak. There is an adorable restaurant a few miles into the state park with mountain views from your seat. The food was great and so was the service. A must stop if heading into Mount Mitchell!

The best thing about this park is that you can drive to the top and then hike the last few hundred feet to the peak! Elevation at the Parking Area is 6,578ft and the elevation at the peak after the 1/4mile hike 6,684ft. They provide a nice uphill paved hiking trail to an observation tower with 360 views! Here are 2 panoramic shots we took, the large peak in the first picture is Mt Craig, the second highest peak east of the Mississippi and the second shot shows the mountain ridges continuing for as far as the eye can see...

Views of myself at the highest peak east of the Mississippi!!!!  The temp was pretty chilly up there mid 20's with gusty winds, it was almost like being back in Wisconsin, except with much better scenery!

Buried on top of the mountain is Rev Elisha Mitchell DD, this is how the mountain got its name, he died from a 40ft fall off a cliff exploring the mountain in 1857! The below picture shows the elevation sign at the peak, and in the background you can see his Grave/Monument

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Up next along the Blue Ridge Parkway is a stop at the Craggy Pinnacle Hiking Trail at Mile Marker #364. For a change of pace this hiking trail takes you uphill first to 360 degree views from the top of the Craggy Pinnacle. The trail is about 1.5 miles round trip, and compared to the other trails we have hiked this one is a cake walk! For most of the trail you hike through these gorgeous trees that form a canopy over you.

The top of pinnacle has three different viewing areas and allows for unobstructed 360 views! Elevation at the top is 5,892ft. Here is a picture of myself at the overlook.

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The original plan was to drive up to Pisgah Park after leaving Craggy Gardens, however we decided to call it a day on hiking and go explore asheville. We found a cute little ice cream shop called Ultimate Ice Cream in downtown asheville. They served fabulous local made ice cream in delicious giant hand made waffle cones. By far the best ice cream I've ever had!

After finishing our Ice Cream we decide to hop back on the interstate and check out the Biltmore Estates. I'm sure the tour would be cool, however the price in my opinion is insane! We leave the biltmore and head back to the resort in lake lure. The tom tom tells us to take the "BatCave" exit off the interstate and we don't object. This was a "shortcut" to the resort, which of course was a lie since the Tom Tom did not consider the 800 corners! However it was worth it in the end since we did get to drive through the Bat Cave!