February 26th

On another day I went to Grandfather Mountain, visited their impressive Nature Center, walked over a mile-high foot bridge, saw animals in habitat enclosures, and took lots of photos. The views from the top were incredible 360 degrees. On a clear day, you can see 100 miles!

Grandfather Mountain is about an hour and a half drive NE of Asheville. It is now a State Park. At 5,946′, it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I was able to drive part of the Blue Ridge Parkway on my way back to Asheville. It is known for it’s Mile High Swinging Bridge, the highest in America built in 1952. It was rebuilt with steel and cables so now it’s not swinging very much! I crossed over the bridge, but didn’t hike up to the rocky point – it was a steep drop on both sides and slippery rock. I didn’t have my hiking poles with me, and didn’t want to risk it.

There are habitat enclosures for black bear, river otters, cougars, bald eagles and elk. The first black bear was Mildred, a friendly bear that often was photographed with visitors. She was very friendly and tame. There is also an impressive Nature Center. I had lunch at the Mildred Grill inside the center.

The movie Forest Gump filmed him running on the mountain, and there is a picnic area in his name.

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