🥾 Hiking Journal – Saturday, July 12th, 2025
Blue Ridge Parkway Mountains, NC (I wish I was able to just exist in the beauty I’ve seen here.)
Weather: Mid-80s, humid, but who’s keeping track when there’s a waterfall involved?
Companions: No Luna (she’s home with her mom), just me and my sister. Even though she did ditch me halfway up a watchtower like a lil traitor. Like the time we were younger with the beer. Sorry Jenna for blaming you until last year. 😂
🌊 Looking Glass Falls: 10/10. It is perfect for the days you can’t imagine hiking to the spot. You want to cool off in such places.
So any way it is right off the road and somehow still feels like magic. Crowded as hell, yes. Worth it? Absolutely.
I didn’t swim because there were too many humans. Honestly, with my shoulder and collarbone in the shape they are, I didn’t want to risk it. It looked like a lot of work was needed to swim there. I did get my feet wet and snapped some solid shots. The rock hounding opportunity here seems large. The colors are wild. It’s as if nature said “watch this” and actually did something cool. There’s a shit ton of mica in this area, so everything’s kissed with glitter. Though I do know this area in North Carolina is said to be a dream for rockhounds.
10/10 would recommend. Doesn’t even matter how packed it is, just go. If you’re close enough to do it. It is worth it because unlike Ohio here they allow you to swim at most the waterfalls it seems. Wherever you want pretty much, if there’s water, to enjoy as long as it’s not privately owned.
🔥 Frying pan Mountain Lookout Tower
Okay. First time ever getting to the top of a real fire tower. It is different from that half-a-tower in Ohio that was closed. Ariel Park’s little teaser one scared Luna when we went. I never quite made it back there too.
This? This was the real deal. It moves like, sways-in-the-wind, “is this thing going to fall?” kind of moves. But I made it up. Alone.
Duck to get down, and under the door. While I try not to overthink the physics, and enjoy the view.
My lovely sister turned back halfway. Claimed she “already did it once.” 🙄 Whatever.
View: 10/10. Worth it, even if I had fallen to my dramatic death.
Also, note: my sister did admit she was scared. Said she’d already done it before and figured I should get my solo moment. Still, many eye rolls. 😒
On the climb up, we found those weird blue rocks along the roadside, where the azurite vs. spray paint debate began. Whole day was giving side quests.
And at the top?
🛝 Sliding Rock
Sister said it’s usually locked up, but it was opened inside today, and they were in there cleaning too. Kinda makes me wonder what they’re planning — I saw online that some towers get turned into Airbnbs or rentals. I would totally live in one if I didn’t have to take those same stairs every time.
We did it. We slid. Three times.
She only came because I hadn’t been yet… then she was the one yelling “Again! Again!” like it was a carnival ride.
If we’d had more than an hour ’til close? We’d probably still be there sliding right now.
Water was straight-up glacial. Like Lake Superior-level cold. Maybe worse. Still fun.
🪨 Bonus Rock Nerd Notes
You can’t smoke on my sister’s apartment property (🙄), so I’ve been banished to the gravel area behind the lot. But turns out?
Pretty gravel.
Some quartz, definitely. Some mica sparkle everywhere. Found some wild black and orange specks. Discovered some blue rocks, too Google says azurite. I say: might be spray paint. Still picked it up. Some have coppery streaks, so… maybe? Either way, funny or cool. North Carolina gravel is mysterious and dramatic, just like I like it.
🗺️ Coming Up
Tomorrow: Chill day. Might sneak out for a few solo peeks 👀 Monday: Cummins Falls, TN finally! After that: more Blue Ridge wanderings, mica hunts, and sparkly rock sleuthing.
Final Thoughts
Mountain water: colder than my patience.
Sliding Rock: better than a theme park.
Fire towers: wobbly nightmares with perfect views.
Sister: mildly traitorous, but redeemed herself on the slides.
Mica: everywhere.
Blue spray-paint rock: iconic regardless.
This whole region? Vibes unmatched.
Going up that tower felt exactly like climbing a sync point in Assassin’s Creed or one of those fire towers in Far Cry. My brain was glitching, but the view? Totally worth the XP boost.
Also I did indeed do all this in Nike slides. My shoes were in the car, and I kept saying I need to switch them. Then forgetting again.
