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Twenty-two TrailBlazers including some newcomers made the scenic drive to Mt. Nebo on a beautiful fall morning to hike the Rim Trail.  As we drove along we noticed that there were some ever-darkening gray clouds.  Alas, by the time we drove the windy road up to the top of Mt. Nebo, we were greeted by fog and no view of the valley below!  We were wondering if Nebo Dude, our hike leader, had failed to roll up the shades!

 Gene aka Nebo Dude made the wise decision for us not to hike the section of the trail from the pool parking lot to Sunrise Point.  It was not raining but it was very damp and humid so the up and down rock stairs would have been slippery and potentially dangerous.  Besides, until the fog lifted we would not have been able to see the beautiful view!  We walked the paved roads to reach Sunset Point where we began to hike.  The group picture at Sunrise Point has only a gray background and it was still pretty gray as we started hiking clockwise.  As we trekked along it started to get a little lighter and we saw some wild flowers, beauty berry, and some hazy views of the beautiful valley below.

 Finally the sun came out to reveal blue skies and fluffy white clouds.  Gene pointed out the stone foundation of a lodge that was never built and later showed us a beautiful renovated home that used to serve as an overflow for the 200 room Summit Park Hotel that was built in 1889. Unfortunately it burned down in 1918 and was not rebuilt.  Even though Mt. Nebo is a State Park there are some privately owned homes and cabins on the summit as well as neat stone rental cabins built by the CCC.

 Finally we reached Sunset Point with its gorgeous view and chose this as our scenic lunch spot.  Continuing on, we reached the Visitors Center and took a look.  After that we hiked on, climbed up and down some stone steps, saw the cave on the trail and finally returned to the parking lot. 

 Next Gene invited us to drive over to his charming cottage where he treated us to root beer floats that we enjoyed either sitting on the porch or in the yard where we now had a great view of the valley.  Thank you, Gene!

 Next week we hike at Lake Fort Smith.  Please sign up on this site if you plan on going.

 Mt. Nebo pictures are below.  Click on any pic and then click on the arrow to the right to see the rest.

{gallery}2016-10-15-mtnebo{/gallery}