Thank you for the well wishes!
That trail you took has its fair share of vertical, we ran the rappel on the cliff located on Short Off Mountain which was about a mile up on the right from the trail head one year. You would like Whitesides but it is more of a loop and lots of people find their way there but it has 1500' cliffs off of the backside. If ever back this way look me up as there are hundreds of miles of old trails,logging roads, etc... As you say lots of golfers and now Crockett players but they stay to their clubs and off the trails for the most part
Nick's has moved to an old house nearer to town center and the old location has been replaced by million dollar town homes, lots of changes...mostly good ones. We now have a pub " The Ugly Dog" and restaurants have bars in most now. Book store is gone unfortunately, I loved it too. Stone Lantern is still the same.
They say these are some of the oldest mountains in the world, if the depth of dark rich top soil is an indicator that is true. One expression I like and is basically true " If you leave town, ten minutes in any direction you go down 2000' in elevation". Yesterday afternoon/ evening I found that to be the case with 1200' cliffs off of the ridge line on Black Rock ( The Blue Escarpment runs through here along with the Eastern Continental Divide). You are correct about the rare plants and micro climates I saw several yesterday and more today. The Mountain Laurel, Flame Azalea, Gaylax and others are in full bloom now.