Grizzled

Snowcapped Mount Mitchell and Late Autumn Color, Blue Ridge Parkway,
North Carolina  © Doug Hickok


The Blue Ridge Parkway twists and turns for 469 miles, stretching along the Appalachian Mountains from Virginia to North Carolina. Beautiful views from this scenic road are seen just about anywhere, but one of my favorite areas is near the high peaks of the Black Mountains. From here you have wonderful vistas of Mount Mitchell and its forested slopes. On our recent trip here, snow had fallen overnight on top of Mount Mitchell, revealing on the next day a grizzled looking mountain, worthy of its venerable age. The rocks of this tallest peak in the Eastern U.S. are estimated to be a billion years old! 
Well, shoot a bug! That's as old as my tattered pair of ancient hiking boots!