Gregory's Bald

On Saturday, Jay and I (he thinks its silly that I call him Mr. Right, oh well) went on our first hike as a married couple. He had to meet clients earlier in the day, so we got a late start.

As previously established, even though he never works out (and I do all the time) Jay is in better shape than I am. For most of the hike up, my pace wasn't fast enough to suit him, so he ran off and left me. I threatened to bring my MP3 player on the next hike which made him slow down for a little bit then he was right back like Speedy Gonzales.



The hike up was pretty boring. Except for a few flowers near the beginning of the trail, the scenery was pretty bland. We could hear a creek, but couldn't see it. Closer to the top we heard a rustling sound, and Jay swore he saw a bear running away. I didn't catch a glimpse, but I wasn't sticking around to find out either!



About 0.5 miles from the top, we came across our first trail marker letting us know how far to the top. It was also a camp site and Jay asked if I would be willing to go camping there with him. I said only for his birthday, and thankfully October is too cold for camping!



I'd never been to a bald before. Jay had read in his trail research that before the park took over the land, settlers would drive their cattle up to the top of the bald to graze on the grass. Since grass doesn't typically grow on the tops of mountains around here I was amazed at the view.



When we got to the top, we saw the elevation marker. According to Jay, it was a 3,000 foot elevation change from the trail head to the top. No wonder I was struggling on the way up!



He stacked up our backpacks and set the timer on his camera (and the camera on the backpacks) to get these shots.



I respect the art of photography and what he was going for in this one. That's the only reason I'm posting it. Please ignore my large behind. Thanks in advance.



The hike down was easy breezy so Jay didn't run off and leave me...too much.



By the time we got back to the trail head I was exhausted, but had the energy for one final picture.



On the drive out, there were 20-30 places that the creek crossed the road and several gorgeous waterfalls. I think Jay had found his new favorite place to go out riding in his Jeep.