The area around Boone North Carolina is called "The High Country." This because it is in the Appalachian Mountains and is well above sea level.

Mountain trail hiking is a popular activity here, especially for visiting runners from Florida.

Our friends, Joe and Judy Fournier were in town, so we made a date with Joe to hike the "Profile Trail" on Grandfather Mountain.

A permit is reqired to hike the trail but Norm willingly put down his $5 for the privilege of showing Frieda and Joe how tough he is.

Read on to find out how tough Norm really was.

Joe Fournier is well known in Northeast Florida running circles.

He lived in Fernandina Beach for many years and in addition to running road races put on by area running clubs, Joe organized his own event called the "End-to-End" run which started on the beach in Ft. Clinch and proceeded south to the Nassau Bridge.

His wife Judy led a group of volunteers who would have water and sport-aid for the runners along the route and also provide shuttle transportation back to town from the finish point.

After the event, everyone would gather at Joe's house for beer and hot-dogs.

One year, Joe even had T-Shirts printed for the participants.

The Profile Trail derives its name from the vista of a rocky outcropping, the side of which resembles the profile of an old man.

An interpretive sign at the vista reveals author Shepperd M. Duggar's explanation of the mountain's name.

"It derived its name from the perfect figure of an old man's face, in an upright position, on the northern slope of the mountain. This profile is about 400 feet tall and was carved by the Divine Sculptor in everlasting stone."

Like a number of similar formations, time and erosion have taken their toll on the old man.

The passing years, through the aging process, have taken their toll on us senior runners as well :-(

The distance from the trail-head to Shanty Springs, is 2.7 miles so Norm decided he would head back down the trail from there. (Also the remaining .3 miles to the crest of the mountain is steep, rocky, and strenuous.)

Frieda and Joe continued the remaining .8 mile to Calloway Peak which is 5,964 feet above sea level for a round-trip total of 7 miles. While taking a rest break at the Calloway Peak summit, Joe placed a cellphone call to Judy who was back at their motorhome at the base of the mountain.

On his trip back down the trail, Norm contemplated on the wisdom of knowing your own limitations. How often have you heard about groups of mountain climbers who ignored weather warnings, began their hike with insufficient equipment or supplies, or who simply weren't physically up to the climb and became a burden on their fellow climbers?

In the final conclusion Frieda, Norm, and Joe all had a nice time and look forward to taking another hike soon.

Norm had to wait until Joe sent him these photos to see what he missed by fizzling out.

They show the great views that are the reward for making it all the way to the summit of Calloway Peak which required climbing a series of wooden ladders over rocky outcroppings.

Unfortunately, the remaining problem is descending all the way down which is often more difficult than the climb.