In a few days, we fly to France. We’ll be in Europe for six weeks, mostly without an agenda. However, one particular activity looms large in my mind: on October 12, we’re going on a group hike up the Pic St. Loup north of Montpellier. It’s a challenging climb and requires participants to be “hike fit.”
Am I hike fit? I walk every day, but nearly all of my treks in recent years have been on Traverse City’s flat, paved sidewalks. I haven’t hiked a mountain in ages. My last sustained period of mountain trekking was 20 years ago when we lived in Colorado for a year. Even the hilliest parts of northern Michigan, such as Sleeping Bear Dunes, are not real elevation climbs.
So yesterday I laced up my new hiking boots and drove two hours to Hanging Rock State Park at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, accompanied by my daughter and sister-in-law.
Wanting to replicate as closely as possible the 1100-foot elevation increase of the Pic St. Loup climb, I chose the toughest trail at Hanging Rock–Moore’s Wall Loop. It’s a 4.7 mile hike with a gain of nearly 1,000 feet of elevation. And had it been a sunny day, the reward at the top would have been a dazzling view of the Blue Ridge. But alas.
From the fire tower at the top of Moore’s Wall, in the clouds.
Below the clouds, peaking through the trees, we had some mountain views.
Cloudy day, glimpsing the Blue Ridge through the trees.
And it was a lovely walk through lush mountain forests of rhododendron and spruce, up rocky paths and over bubbling creeks.
Fording the creek on some slippery, mostly flat stones.
Fortunately, in my opinion, we didn’t see any timber rattlers or bears, and the bug population wasn’t noticeable. Sometimes we walked through a light mist, making it feel like a forest primeval.
Leah makes a friend at the end of the trail. If you look closely, you can see the doe at the upper left.
As for the purpose of the hike — training for the mountain climb in France — I’m not sure it gave me confidence that I’m “hike fit.” My new hiking boots performed admirably, but I was slow, especially on the downhill. I was so afraid of losing my footing. If I were to break a leg there, how would anyone get me out? So I descended timidly.
Maybe the trail in France will not be as rugged.
