Today we hike the Waterrock Knob Trail on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We get an early start and the fog hasn't lifted yet.

There are Turk's Cap Lilies along the way

The trail is only 1 mile round trip - the first  1/2 is paved

It has an ascent of 450', so there are stairs along the way

The trail turns to dirt and rocks

Tucson is doing really well

This little guy was singing his heart our

More stairs

Getting brighter, must be getting closer

and then we are there - but not much to see with the fog.  Gary talks to a family just behind us and i hear him say "I haven't told her about it yet - it's a secret"  Melissa doesn't like secrets - so I make him spill the beans.  Apparently there was a plane crash near here in 1983 and there is a trail to it.

We get to the trail and go down a ways and it looks a bit treacherous and is not clearly marked.  With Gary's knee and not prepared for more than a mile hike I say another time.  The family Gary was talking to arrives and they go down.  We tell them to shout out if they see it.  After a bit no word and Gary says we're going

You want me to go where?

It's a downhill start

Tucson is off leash and loving it

What goes down, keeps going up again

Gary takes a break

A few obstacles along the way

and a little bush wacking - hope we are still on the trail

and then we get an opening

and a sign

Apparently the area was vandalized a couple of months ago.

The plane wreck comes into sight

A Cessna 414A which crashed in 1983. Pilot error, poor weather conditions, and other fatal mistakes all played a role in the crash that claimed both lives on board.

Due to the rugged terrain of the region, only the engines were salvageable. The rest of the aircraft was left on the mountainside.

Talking to other hikers from the area, up to a few years ago the plane was pretty intact and the door opened and closed. 

It was quite the hike.  We get back to the Waterrock Knob overlook and the fog has lifted

It was tough hike, as there are many unmarked side trails, difficult terrain, and some steep drops along the way.  Trail blazes were sometimes hard to spot  It could be easy to get lost or miss the trail that leads to the crash site.