a visit to Grandfather Mountain

Our first venture out into the mountains after the hurricane was a visit to Grandfather Mountain. We were aching to get up into the high country and go for a hike, but so little was open or accessible because of the storm damage and road closures. One of the only sections of the parkway that was open was up near Grandfather Mountain. The drive there was sobering as we were able to see the extent of the hurricane damage as well as hurricane debris all along the roads. The entire two hour drive revealed damage everywhere we looked. It was truly overwhelming to fathom how long it will take to clean everything up. As we got higher into the mountains, we realized Grandfather Mountain would be enshrouded in clouds for the day. Although we had been eager to show the kids the incredible views, it was still worthwhile to go. We hiked around, had a yummy picnic, and visited the animal enclosures. The kids were able to see elk, bear, otter, eagles, and a cougar. I thought I had taken pictures of this but I must not have. We were also able to get quite close to many wild deer roaming around the mountain during the day was we hiked and explored. While visiting the nature discovery center was also neat and a good spot to warm up, the kids all wanted to return back to the mile-high swinging bridge again at the end of our day. It was a really beautiful and refreshing day in the mountains, and we’ll simply have to go back when the weather is clear and the views are open.