We hiked to the top of Hawksbill in the mountains of Western North Carolina with our two dogs, Maggie, the three-legged Beagle, and Maggie, the long-legged mutt (yes, they have the same name). This peak lies within the Linville Gorge Wilderness and is part of Pisgah National Forest. Since it drops 2,000 feet from the summits to the river down below, the Linville Gorge has been called the Grand Canyon of the East.
To get to the trailhead we traveled through the city of Morganton, the county seat of Burke and our gateway to highway 181 and the Linville Gorge. After our hike to Hawksbill, we took the 15 mile, 45 minute drive to the other side of the Linville Gorge to walk to Wiseman’s View and peer across the gorge at our accomplishment. Both our 3-legged tripod and our limp-ear mutt were very proud senior dogs (they are both 13 years old).
CONTENTS
00:00 Intro
00:30 Map
01:45 Hawksbill Trail
04:55 Reaching the (False) Summit
08:15 Final Stretch to the Real Peak
08:45 True 360 Degree Views
09:14 The Hike Down
11:23 Drive to Wiseman's View
11:57 Wiseman View Trail
12:29 View of Hawksbill & Table Rock
