“And everything under the sun is in tune, But the sun is eclipsed by the moon” - Pink Floyd
The world fell quiet as darkness engulfed the forest in the middle of what we knew as “day”, and the birds and bees stopped humming while the temperature dropped; leaving us in awe. Creatures from all come to gaze at something much bigger than any of us, more than we could ever perceive.
We traveled to the tips of Standing Indian Mountain, with views of blue ridges all around, to experience the planet’s wonders in true nature. Travelers, from near and far, gathered to be in the direct pathway inside these rolling hills. The trails leading to overlooks and clearings had been riddled with more visitors than it has ever seen, but mother Earth has never seen more respect. “Leave no trace” is more than an unspoken rule; its a way of living and morality. That set of manners stems to all beings around as well. I’ve never experienced so many humans coming together to share water springs, camping space, and general needs. While living with minimalist attributes and walking for miles can be refreshing and cleansing, it also makes us thankful for our modern accommodations and the preservation of national parks.
Our journey started at the Standing Indian Campground off of State Route 64 in Franklin, North Carolina. About 24 miles out from the interstate, on a forest development road, you’ll find Standing Indian Campground. Located in the middle of the mountains, this campsite gives an abundance of trail-heads; most leading to the top of Standing Indian Mountain. They offer rent-able camping lots, park amenities, park information, as well as a paid day-use parking lot. Even if you don’t use the camp lots, this is a great pinpoint to help with navigation and to start a trip.
We arrived at the park at 11 am on Sunday Morning and started our venture at the Lower Ridge Trail trail-head at the back country information booth. The trail-head warned us that this trek was going to be the “most difficult” route to get up the mountain, but we trudged on anyway. We wanted the challenge and we definitely got one. With other blogs warning of the trail being steep and dangerous, we doubted the validity of these claims until we were knee deep into a 20% grade increase and switch-backs for miles. The hike was filled with eroded ridge-ways and down trees, but this added to the suspense and adventure. Climbing up thousands of feet into the air with a twenty pound pack is really quite the challenge and workout. I was so thankful we made sure to bring plenty of healthy snacks and gallons of water. The views from Lower Ridge Trail featured a look of the forest from uphill and peeks of the peaks from openings and small clearings. The foliage was in full bloom being late August, but with differences in altitudes you could see the changes of the season. Ferns and Rhododendrons were in mighty force, taking over the woodlands. Bees of all species and flies were in abundance, not afraid of human presence. You’ll be grateful that you stopped to take a breathe at the few campsites you’ll find closer towards the end of the trail; I know that we were. You can either choose to camp there or keep going, I suggest you carry onward. You’ll find flat ground and a water supply further ahead.
That 5 mile climb leads you to the top of Standing Indian Mountain, a peak that measures over 5,400 above sea-level. Up top it opens up to an intersection of trails and room for many travelers to lay their heads; a small community with a helping and gentle nature. Ask around and you’ll be lead to a small path called “The Water Trail’, not listed on any map but a vital 1/2 mile overgrown passage that will lead you to a fresh spring water spout coming from the top of the mountain. Dripping out of a pipe, there’s only room for one person to gather water at a time; this is where you see the community taking turns and sharing. Even though this water was coming straight from the top of the mountain, filtration was and still is of key importance. Once you have tasted fresh cold water coming from the hills, you will wonder why you ever drank bottled at all.
During this time of such a spacial phenomenon, many naturists were gathered at the peaks of mountains and bottoms of valleys; this hidden mountain overlook was not an exception. A flat slab of rock juts out from the top of Standing Indian Mountain, a vista of the surrounding blue ridges can be seen for miles. Travelers camp out and sit in awe at the beauty of the rolling hills; photographers set up their tripods and wait for hours. The sky is clear and beautiful, while the wind blows gently off the peaks.
After hours of walking uphill in steep and rocky ridge-ways, this was our reward. Breathtaking and ominous, I stood in awe for moments that felt like years. I’ve never felt so small.
Finding room to camp would be our next challenge. With so many people gathered to view Earth’s wonders, with their eager dogs as well, we were in close quarters with the many around us. Camped out feet away, inhabitants were quiet and respectful of others and shared space. We found a spot slightly down the trail we had just came from. As it got dark, the hill top got quieter; there were no loud parties or bothers. Packing up and heading out early while leaving no trace seemed to be the general normality. I napped in the safety of being surrounded by others, then ate a hardy meal over campfire. When I awoke the next morning, half of my neighbors were gone and others were talking about leaving shortly. The rumor was that the overlook was quite full and would run out of room soon. We decided to pack up, replenish our water supply, and move forward.
We traveled up to the intersection which led us to a portion of the Appalachian Trail. We took that slightly down the ridge-way to find an open spot to view the skies. The trail was filled with hikers perched along the ledge. We found a spot slightly down further, with a small opening through the trees and a down-tree that posed as a nice bench. As we waited, my excitement arose. I could see mountains on both sides of me, and we were far enough down the trail that we weren’t around another human being. This is definitely where I wanted to be to witness this amazing, rare event.
Using safety precautions, we viewed the sun slowly being covered by the moon. At first just a persistent shadow-colored sphere over top another, then what seemed faster, a smaller crescent of diminishing light. The air got cooler and temperature dropped. The bugs and birds which had been increasingly chirping had become silent. Shadows bounced in crescent forms, marking the land with it’s shape.The world was dark and the sun was up. During totality, the sky became a color of blue that I had never seen, the stars sparkled in the low light. As you got closer to the earth it changed to a deep purple then hues of light pink and orange; almost like an eerie twilight. With my own eyes I could see the moon and it’s dimensions; it glowed a pasty white. Outlined with the tiniest bit of light coming from directly behind, where the sun hides for only two enchanted minutes. And suddenly it’s daylight again; even though its almost 3 pm, feeling like a bright and early morning. The world begins on buzzing, hikers are already traveling down the path even though the moon is still ascending. The crescent shadows are the opposite direction now, the sunlight is coming from the other side of the moon. I’m in awe and feel new and refreshed. With tears in my eyes, I prepare for our descent.
We planned for a nice and easy downward climb on our second day, so that we could enjoy ourselves and not wear ourselves down before our drive home. We headed down the switch-backs on the the Appalachian Trail. Unfortunately, all the others had the same idea. We were forced into a fast paced line of hikers, downhill on the mountain. Often being passed, it was hard to enjoy the scenery on the narrow path. After walking for about a mile, the line finally thinned out and you could pace yourself accordingly. The views coming down the mountains had me saying “woooooow” out loud, and people were staring. I didn’t care, we were descending slightly into a valley and the mountain views around were stunning.
We arrived at a cross roads about a mile later, that emptied into a parking lot, with many options of where to go next. We took a trail to the right, Kinsey Creek Trail. This trail followed Kinsey Creek and led straight back to Standing Indian Campground. About 4 Miles long, it’s a steady downhill climb with abundant water supply. If you were running low, you’ll have many places to refill here. We crossed over many little footbridges on the side of the mountain. Some were more rickety than the others, but the thrill was worth the views of the few waterfalls along the way. You get to cross over Kinsey Creek more than a couple times and enjoy the ups and down of the valley it resides in. We didn’t even realize how far we had walked until we were already in the campground and back to our dust-covered car.
The drive home started with 10 mph traffic coming out of the mountains, we sat bumper to bumper for almost 3 hours. We couldn’t even be mad, because while sitting in traffic, we were experiencing amazing views of the blue ridges. I would show you a picture, but my phone was knocked into our cooler on the drive back. Apparently waterproof doesn’t mean “Can sit in ice cold water for 3 hours”.
It’s a good thing my Birthday is coming up; what an excuse to buy myself something nice.
Next Stop : Daniel Boone National Forest ... Sometime next month..
In the meantime stay tuned for more adventures from this semi-shy realist.
***Please support the preservation of national parks and your local parks and rec. services!!!*****
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