Blue Ridge Parkway Phantom Hiker on Grandfather Mountain and That is a Great Homework excuse!

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The Phantom Hiker of Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain stands above Blowing Rock Highway near Linville. The mountain gets its name from the mountain's profile, which resembles the head of a bearded old man laying down in sleep.

Grandfather Mountain was operated as a private tourist attraction for many years until 2011, when it was purchased by the State of North Carolina and is now a publicly-owned nature preserve.

The phantom hiker of Grandfather Mountain is said to be an older man, bearded, with a rough  appearance.  People say he wears old-fashioned workman's clothes that look like they're from somewhere in the middle of the Twentieth Century.

He wears a rough canvas army backpack and carries a long walking stick.
The phantom hiker is said to appear mostly as the evening is settling in, when most of the day hikers have left or are working their way back.

He never says anything to himself or anyone else. He simply appears walking along one of the trails in the back country, moves swiftly ahead of anyone else he encounters, and then simply vanishes.

No one knows who this mysterious figure is. Some have suggested that he was a hiker who became lost in the the thick woods around the mountain, and fell or was injured and was unable to make his way back out. Others have said he's just the spirit of a man who loved the mountain so much that he chose to stay there after he died.

This ghostly hiker seems to do no harm. He seems to want little to do with people in general. He only seems to be there, like all the other visitors, to enjoy the natural wonder of Grandfather Mountain.

I got this story from Stories from the Mountains online publication.

How to Get There

Grandfather Mountain nature preserve is located two miles north of Linville on US 221 near Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 305. The admission price covers access to all the hiking trails, exhibits, and the famous mile-high swinging bridge.

The phantom hiker is said to appear on the backcountry trails around Grandfather Mountain

Life with The Word and Bird Man - Clyde Kessler

My husband and I are having fun watching Welcome Back Kotter on MeTV.  We saw a few episodes when the show first came out and thought it was great! 

 We are having a lot of fun seeing episodes for the first time!  We have both taught  elementary school and college so we can relate to the shenanigans students put teachers through.

The other night Barbarino came up with the best homework excuse I have ever heard.  He had another one of the students give Mr. Kotter part of the assignment and was told to look for the Homework Mugger for the rest!   Love it!