First Hike

Heather and I both finally felt physically ready for a hike after the summer of surgeries. I wanted something that would test my knee a bit, but not too long. We had been wanting to check out Sam Knob for a while, so why not now?

We headed up to the BRP on a gorgeous afternoon, with the temp around 60*. The trail started off pretty flat, and like any other trail in the grassy meadow areas up in the high country.



When we hit the base of Sam Knob, however, the terrain changed drastically. It became fairly steep, but not too steep, with a lot of roots and good-sized rocks to maneuver. I brought my hiking staff with me for extra support, and it ended up helping a lot.



It didn't take too long to make it to the top, and the views were everywhere.



We paused at the overlook and took some photos and had a snack. This is now one of our favorite overlooks. Amazing views of the Shining Rock Wilderness.







I was mostly concerned with how my knee would do coming back down that steep terrain, but it really felt great. We were both extremely happy to get out in "the Forest" again, and can't wait until next weekend for another hike.