Mary's Rock - Summit

It was a tough hike, despite the relatively short distance we covered on Mary's Rock. Finally, when you approach the summit, the AT turns off to the south at this marker. The choice is between Skyland Resort, 7.5 miles, and Mary's Rock Summit, 0.1 miles...we chose to summit. Here are some photos from the top.

Here's Mary taking a break on the rock scramble at the top. We didn't go very far on this, and it is not the highest point on the mountain. But there is a 360 degree view from up there, and just on the other side: a 1,250 foot nearly shear drop!

Here is a view to the northwest, with another of some of the rocks at the top in the foreground. The last, taken from the top, is the view to the north - this is the Thornton Gap entrance station down below. Again, 1,250 feet, almost straight down! Just after I took the photo, the guy in the black shirt turned and sat with his feet hanging over the edge.