Crowders Mountain, 1,385 ft tall and a gorgeous hiking area in North Carolina that many people visit each year. From the gorgeous views and different trail options, this is a place you can’t resist visiting. Being in such close proximity to my college, several of my friends have visited this mountain before, however I had not. So of course I had to visit and see what all the hustle and bustle was about, and what better time than during a late summer evening?

Now let me just put this out there, I am by no means athletic, so hiking the more difficult path was something that I struggled with. When we first reached the sign giving us the option of two paths to get to the coveted Crowder’s Mountain spot, my friends and I decided upon the shorter route which was 1.4 miles versus the 2.6 miles. Little did I know that the reason our trail was so short was because it was straight up hill and all rocks. I probably should have read the trail name, Rocky Trail.

Needless to say I was out of breath and begging for a pit stop not even 10 minutes into our walk up the mountain. (Yeah I was that person in the group). It seemed like years had gone by and I couldn’t wait to finally get to the top and see the long awaited view. Rumor was you could see the Charlotte city skyline, which I was really excited to see!

After surviving the long and rocky trail we reluctantly reached the top of Crowders Mountain. The boys instantly started effortlessly climbing over rocks to get the best view (and the closest to the edge) while us girls took our time carefully making our way to a stable area where we could still see.

The view was like no other and definitely worth the buckets of sweat (sorry I know, gross) lost. We then spent our time taking pictures, talking, and simply hanging out until we decided we better head back before the sun set.

By the time we returned to the car we were covered head to toe in dirt and sweat and probably smelled like we hadn’t showered in weeks. Doesn’t exactly sound like the best thing ever, but the memories made and views we saw were all worth it at the end of the day. Later we even indulged in some pizza and I soon after crawled into bed exhausted.

What exciting things have you done this summer? Let me know in the comments!

Lauren | Simple Southern Belle