Chestnut Cove Run

When we were crewing for our friends during the "Old Crow Assault on Pisgah", we spent some time at Chestnut Cove located at Mile Marker 398.3 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Chestnut Cove sits at an altitude of 3,035 feet above sea level, and it was such a beautiful spot and much cooler than down by the French Broad River, we promised ourselves we would come back to do a run of our own. So this weekend we went back to Chestnut Cove to enjoy the cooler breezes and have a closer look at this unique portion of the Shut In Trail.  

Chestnut trees once thrived in this area, but the trees were almost completely wiped out in the 1930's by a fungus blight, and according to Virtual Blue Ridge, chestnut sprouts can be found near this site trying to make a comeback. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recognize a chestnut sprout if I tripped over one.

Photograph of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 398.3 near the Chestnut
Cove Parking Overlook. Taken by Jack E. Boucher in June 1959

We love this old photo we came across while doing some research on Chestnut Cove.

Most of our run was shaded by a canopy of rhododendron and the trail is very runable for the most part.

This is not a night time or late evening picture! This section had the most dense coverage of the run. Not only was it perfect to be out of the heat of the sun, we had a nice cool breeze as well.

When we take Shadow with us on longer runs, we don't rely on stream crossings for water for him to drink. We carry extra water and have a collapsible water bowl for him to drink out of. That and a couple of doggie treats, and he's a very happy dog.

Very pretty stream. We did an out and back run, so we got to cross this one twice.

We never get tired of seeing flowers in bloom.

Simply beautiful flowers.  Mountain Laurels in bloom.

No bear sightings on today's run.  

This guy was directly in the middle of the trail and slithered right between Shadow's legs; an Eastern Garter Snake made our run a little more interesting.

A beautiful carpet of moss covering the trail side.

And here's the last of the wild life we spotted during our run. An American Toad making his way through the forest.

Happy Running!

Bart & Eve