Got Grit?

For those who have always wanted to own a piece of Grandfather Mountain, the attraction’s gift shops begin selling Grandfather Grit in March.

Grandfather Grit is the gravel-like bore dust produced when engineers began drilling a new mile-high well at Grandfather’s summit in December. The grit has been collected in small plastic bottles shaped like a bear, sealed with a foil seal and topped with a child-proof cap. The plastic bears, selected because the containers are already commercially available and are in keeping with the Grandfather Mountain theme, hold 11 ounces of grit by weight.

It has been at least three decades since the Grandfather Mountain gift shop sold key chains which incorporated billion-year-old pebbles from Grandfather’s slopes, and management felt that packaging silt from the mile-high well presented the opportunity to meet the demand for ‘a piece of the rock.’

“It is a souvenir that will last forever, “ says Grandfather Mountain Director Jim Morton, “whether you want it to or not.”

Although most folks will probably choose to give their Grandfather Grit a place of honor on the mantle piece, the granite dust can be sprinkled in the garden, used to add authenticity to concrete, or spread across the driveway on icy mornings when you need traction beneath your tires.

“We feel that this is the ultimate stocking stuffer,” concluded Morton.

Grandfather Grit will only be available in the gift shops on Grandfather Mountain and will initially sell for under $5.

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