Sealed on lop of Ihe beak of Hawksbill. The profile of Grandfather Moun¬
tain is visible directly below the rock upon which the man is perched.
Hawksbill
Шп.
Fon people have ever soon the
iiiag'iiifict'iit view wliieli is ob¬
tainable from this point. Mr.
Abernetli.v tells yon some of
Пн*
things you'll find there.
Hi; i:iKi\K ABKRIMETIIY
OKS that l il I»* mean anything
I to you? Or do you say lo your¬
self. ‘‘Hawksbill? Never heard
of it. Must not be much, or I’d have
hoard of it before."
I’m afraid most of you ntv think¬
ing something like that, because this
mountain has never Itesrome very
widely known. Why. I ean’l imag¬
ine, for it is quite easy to reach, and
offers some of the most thrilling
scenery in the state. I really don’t
know why I failed to climb it my¬
self until recently; I have been kick¬
ing myself since for my procrastina¬
tion. Let mv example be a lesson to
you mountain fans who have hereto¬
fore neglected this grand old peak.
Hawksbill i* most conveniently
i cached by way of State Highway
No. 181, out of Morganton. The
first eighteen miles are newly paved,
ami the road is a magnificent exam¬
ple of modern highway engineering.
Sharp curves are practically elimi¬
nated. even in that portion of the
road which climb» a narrow ridge
on a rather steep grade. Seonioally.
this road i* one of the finest I
know. It affords a particularly good
view of Table Rook and Hawksbill.
From this angle, you can readily see
how Hawksbill gets it» name: the
|>олк
culminates in overhanging
rocks which project in the striking
likene-. of a hawk’s beak.
When the pavement ends, you con¬
tinue on a very good dirt road, newly
top-soiled. It is somewhat crooked,
hut not especially hard to drive. The
scenery grows progressively more
rugged ns you continue, and at one
point you are likely to pause for a
longer look at Grandfather’» craggy
profile in the distance.
Along the wnv you enter the Dan¬
iel Boone Game Refuge, a tract
where no hunting or fishing is per¬
mitted. Deer were stocked hero some
years ago. and if you are lucky, you
may see some by the roadside. I came
upon a couple of does right in the
road one day; when the ear stopped,
it was only a few feet from them.
They didn't appear particularly
frightened, but after a momentary
pause*, bounded off unhurriedly fifty
yards into the woods, where they
stopped, and moved on only when I
got out with my camera and ap¬
proached them for a picture.
Somewhere along the way you’ll
notice a sign, “Taylor’s Lick Logs.”
This might he n salt lick for deer,
or it might be something cl*e. Your
guess i« a* good as mine.
Loven’s Inn
After six miles on the dirt, you
епше
to the first houses you've seen
for miles: a few private homes, and
Loven's Inn. which is noted for two
things: ice cold spring water, and
delicious food, especially fried chick¬
en and country ham. The price for a
meal. I am fold, is only MV, and the
food is excellent.
Just beyond the inn you leave 181,
taking the unmarked road to the left.
This road fork* within a few hun¬
dred yards; again take the left-hand
road, which after four miles ends
ж
nr the top of Hawksbill. It’> a sur¬
prisingly good road, neither so steep,
so rough, nor so crooked as you
might expect. Strangely enough,
•here’s no marker anywhere on the
road, nor at the end of it, where
you'll find several paths. One path
leads down scarcely a hundred feet
lo a spring, another one goo* off on
an approximate level, probably to
Table Rock, while a third wind* tin
the mountain-side to Hawk shill's
-tony beak. None of these is marked;
looks like the Forest Service has
dipped up a hit here.
Don't let that worry you. though;
ju*t park your car. and start up the
trail, which is only three-quarters of
a mile long, and not so terribly steep
most of the way. Before you know it,
you will bo at the top. When you get
there, take one startled look about
you, sit down hastily, close your eyes,
feel your pulse, then count slowly to
one hundred. The fact is. the view is
such a tremendous thing, it's rather
overwhelming.
Hawksbill. although only 4,030
feet high, is one of the few points in
our mountain* from which you can
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