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I am so glad you have signed up to go on this hike. Sorry some who wanted to go can't make it. I thought I would send some details about the trip to help you prepare. A total of 8 will be going. Gene and I will be driving, and he will take any extras that show up at Kmart. It's about 2 hours and 105 miles to the trailhead at Porters Creek.-- that's if we can avoid stopping along the road to look at wildflowers. Two opportunities for rest stops on the way -- one at the Tennessee welcome center and the other near the trailhead which has vaulted toilets. Although it took Linda and me 4-1/2 hours to do the 4-mile RT hike to Fern Falls, we can do it in 3 hours, and this will still allow plenty of time for viewing the flowers. After this hike, we will do the short 3/4-mile loop Cove Hardwood Nature Trail, which is a 17-mile drive to the Chimneys Picnic Area. This should take about 2 hours including driving time. With the 2 hour drive back home, we should get back around 6:00. I will take a cooler with beer, cokes, water, and fruit for everyone. You're welcome to use the cooler for anything you would like to bring. You should bring water and lunch for the trail and maybe snacks for later. It's a long day. |
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Hike for 4/9/09
Hike for this week will be to Pearson's Falls and Bradley Falls, both featured in "North Carolina's Best Wildflower Hikes". Pearson's Falls is an easy 1/2-mile hike with lots of wildflowers and close-up of the falls. Bradley Falls is a 2-mile out-and-back with a creek crossing which involves wading or a difficult rock hop. Bradley Falls is a spectacular 100' drop. |
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Desert Rats 2009 Hike Gene, Roy and Bill hooked up for a week of hiking in the California deserts in mid-March . . . Death Valley National Park, the Greater Mojave Preserve, Joshua Tree National Park, and Anza Borrego State Park. Lots of great hiking (including the 500' high Kelso Dunes), views, and desert wildflowers. A movie and photo album will be posted on the site sometime soon. |
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Hike for 2-19-09 Hike for Feburary 19 will be a moderate 4 mile out and back on the Shining Creek trail. The Shining Creek trail is 4 miles long and climbs 2400' to Shining Rock. We're going to do the easy part along the creek, climbing only 600'. We'll be very close to the creek most of the way which has several small waterfalls and great photo ops. |
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Hike for this week will be an easy 5-mile out and back in Gorges State Park. It's easy until the last 100 yards which are a scramble down and back up. The hike begins at Frozen Creek and follows the Auger Hole Road. After approximately 2-1/2 miles, we drop off of the road and bushwhack down to the junction of Auger Fork Creek and Maple Springs Branch. There is a unique waterfall on each of these creeks that face each other. Auger Fork Falls is 30-40 feet, my best guess, and Maple Springs Branch Falls is over 100 feet. With the wind chill below zero, I think we had better call off the hike for today |
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Hike for this week will be a difficult 7-mile loop including Siniard Ridge trail, 2 miles on the Parkway, and the Case Camp trail. Basically, we will hike 2 miles flat, 2 miles of elevation climb of 1,200', 1 mile drop of 200' on the Parkway, and 2 miles drop of 1,000'. Highlights to include 2 waterfalls and views from the Parkway. I like to do this hike when the Parkway is closed so we don't have to worry about traffic and we have all the views to ourselves |
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Hike for this week will be an easy 5mi. lollipop in the Green River Game Lands. Most of the hike will be on logging roads with an elevation change of 500'. Highlights include views of Green River Gorge, waterfalls ( one frozen; today anyway ), Tryon Peak, and Pace Cliffs. I could not believe how big the snowflakes were this morning, how fast they melted, and how hot I got hiking...don't you just love this place!
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Hike for this week is an easy 5-mile loop. We will start at Justice Cove Branch on Hwy. 276, follow unmaintained trails to Headwaters Road, pick up the Seniard Ridge trail to Bear Pen Branch, and follow unmaintained trails/logging roads back to 276. Highlights to include winter views of Looking Glass Rock and two waterfalls |
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Hike for 1-8-09 A new year . . .a new hike. Hike for this week will be an easy 7.5 mile out-and-back shuttle near Hot Springs, NC. The Big Laurel Trail is a whitewater/trout stream that flows into the French Broad River at the ghost town of Runion. The trail drops only 200' and follows the old railroad that ran from Runion into the Laurel valley. While gas is low and the water level is high, I thought this would be a good time to do this hike. This trail is in the book "North Carolina's Best Wildflower Hikes", so I plan to do this one again in the spring. Runion was an old logging town with over 1,000 inhabitants which was abandoned in 1917 after a devastating flood in 1916. The trail follows the Big Laurel Creek which has many Class III--IV rapids and waterfalls. The foundation of the old lumber mill and several buildings still remain, including what one report claims was a bank vault. This is a really neat hike and I hope you can make it.
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Hike for 12-18-08
Let's try this one again to see if we can keep the rain away. Hike will be a 6-mile loop including Pilot Rock and Thompson Creek trails. It's a steep climb up Pilot Rock, but no rock climbing involved. If there's any interest in the group, we could make it a 7-mile loop by including a return on the Yellow Gap Road. |
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Hike for this week will be a 6-mile loop including Pilot Rock and Thompson Creek trails. It's a steep climb up Pilot Rock, but no rock climbing involved. If there's any interest in the group, we could make it a 7-mile loop by including a return on the Yellow Gap Road.
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Hike for 12-4-08
Hike for this week will be an easy 7mi. loop around Kagle Mt. which is near Cedar Rock. There is an easy climb of 800' on an old logging road to the base of Cedar Rock and return on an unmarked but good trail.
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Hike for this week Hike for this week Hike for this week will be a 6-mile shuttle hike from Bennett Gap on a downhill logging road to Buckhorn Gap, on to Twin Falls, and back to Avery Creek Road on the Avery Creek Trail. Linda and I were hiking in this area today, and there were still some fall colors in the coves. |
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Hike for this week will be a moderate 4-mile out and back to Raven Cliff Falls. Highlights to include great views into the Piedmont, a 420' waterfall, and a side trip to Caesars Head. Please bring $2.00 trail fee. Hike was extended to the top of the falls - made it 7.5 miles. |
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Hike for this week will be a 6-mile shuttle from Pilot Mountain to Courthouse Falls. This is pretty much all downhill from 4600' to 3400' and good trail surface. Colors should be at their peak in the "hollers", and we'll do a short side trip to see Chestnut Creek Falls, as well as Courthouse Falls at the end of the hike.
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Hike for this week will be a 5-mile loop to Pilot Mountain. We will begin at Gloucester Gap at an elevation of 3200', hike up the old logging road 3 miles, and up Pilot Mountain at an elevation of 5200', and then hike back on the Art Loeb trail to Gloucester Gap. This range in elevation should provide a variety of leaf color |
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Hike for this week will be a 5mi. shuttle combining the Slate Rock Creek and Pilot Cove trails. Leaf color should be good along the creek with outstanding views from Slate Rock. A climb up and down of 1000 feet is involved.
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Hike for this week will be the Cat Gap Loop to include John Rock. This is a medium 5-mile loop. Hope you haven't done it within the last few months.
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With gasoline the way it is locally, let’s do something close. Thrift cove is one we have done a couple of times but it is pleasant. A climb of about 850 ft and it can be either a 4 mile or a 7.5 miler (individual choice) loop trail. |
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Hike for 9-4-08 |
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Hike for this week will be a moderate 7.5-mile loop on the Bradley Creek Trail. We will start at Yellow Gap and go down 3.5 miles (800 feet elevation drop) to Bradley Creek. The first half is a well-maintained smooth logging road; the second part is a hike up Bradley Creek with 5 creek crossings. Bring your wading sandals. While the water is low and the temperature hot, I thought this would be a good time to do this hike. Bradley Creek is a beautiful little stream with several small waterfalls.
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Hike for this week will be an easy 4.7-mile shuttle to Rough Butt Bald. We'll begin at Bear Pen Gap and end at Buckeye Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I hiked out to the bald day before yesterday, and there were lots of flowers, butterflies, and blueberries. Bring something to carry blueberries in; we'll spend a little time picking before we continue on the hike. The blueberry crop seems poor this year. Many places I looked, they were small and dried up. Nothing like we had last year. If you'd like to pick on your own, I would suggest Graveyard Fields or Rough Butt Bald.
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Hike for 8-7-08 |
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Hike for this week will be an easy 4.3-mile loop in DuPont State Forest. Highlights to include views from Cedar Rock, going behind Bridal Veil Falls, and lunch at Corn Mill Shoals. Going under Bridal Veil Falls and the creek crossing at Corn Mill Shoals will be slick, so take sticky rubber boots and/or river sandals.
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Hike for this week will be an easy 5-mile shuttle on the Sam Knob and Flat Laurel Creek trails. Highlights to include views from the top of Sam Knob, hopefully grand displays of Turk's Cap Lily, and waterfalls along Flat Laurel Creek.
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Hike for this week will be an easy 5-mile loop combining the Caney Bottom and Daniel Ridge loop trails. Highlights to include the Cane Creek and Ray Jackson falls and blackberries(?).
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Hike for this week will be an easy 5.3 mile shuttle on the MST from Black Balsam Knob to the Looking Glass Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The start for this hike is exactly where we started last week's hike, but we will be going in the opposite direction. Highlights to include views from Black Balsam Knob and Graveyard Ridge and Skinny Dip Falls on the Yellowstone Prong.
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Hike for this week will be an easy 4.8 shuttle on the MST from the Sam Knob access road to 215. Highlight will be a side trip to Devils Courthouse.
Tom and Margo Toering will be visiting us this week and will join us on this hike.
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Mike isn’t here but I thought we might do one we have done before if anyone is interested. The Thrift Cove loop is local and a loop so we can minimize driving. 7.4 miles only about an 800 ft climb.
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Hike for this week will be an easy 5.5-mile loop in the Dupont State Forest. The yellow lady slippers are in bloom, along with several other wildflowers. This hike will be a combination of six trails starting at the Reasonover Road trailhead |
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Hike for this week will be an easy 4-mile, virtually level, out-and-back up Big Creek in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Recent work done on this trail has made it a smooth, wide path for easy walking and gawking Most of the hike is along Big Creek, a beautiful cascading trout stream, with two waterfalls. Linda and I saw lots of wildflowers there last Thursday. There are lots of options on this hike. You can go as far as you want to, or as little, just so we all end up at the vehicles at the same time. The full length of this trail is 5.8 miles (I only plan to go two miles to Mouse Creek Falls), and all of it is interesting. Driving time over there is 1-1/2 hours, so we should be back around 5:00.
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Mike isn’t here to lead the hike but I thought it might be a good time to do the Buck Springs Trail. All down hill shuttle hike about 6 miles from the Parkway to 276. |
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Hike for 4/17/08 |
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Hike for this week will be the Jones Gap Trail, an easy, all downhill 5.3-mile shuttle hike. Highlights to include historical remains of the Solomon Jones Road, built in the 1840's by ancestors of Edwin Jones (Edwin, hope you can make it.); beautiful waterfalls; and wildflowers (?).
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Spring wildflowers are beginning to bloom at the lower elevations. I have selected several hikes to follow the blooms up the mountain. First hike will be Whitewater Falls which is described below. Other hikes to follow (dates depending on weather conflicts, etc.) are Soloman Jones Road in Jones Gap State Park, Green River Trail, Greenbriar Cove in Great Smoky Mountains NP, Big Creek in GSMNP, Rattlesnake Lodge Trail on the Blue Ridge Pkwy north of Asheville, and Max Patch, a 6-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail. That should hold us for a few weeks! We will then start back on trails to Shining Rock and others at the higher elevations.
Hike for this week will be a 5.7-mile shuttle from Upper Whitewater Falls to Lower Whitewater Falls. This is a moderate hike beginning with a 600' vertical descent on steps to the bottom of Upper Whitewater Falls. We will continue down the Whitewater River for 2.2 miles on the Foothills Trail to the junction of Coon Branch. From here, we will complete a 3.5-mile loop to the viewing platform of Lower Whitewater Falls and return to the Bad Creek visitor parking area.
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Hike for this week will be an easy 5 mi loop with 800 foot elevation change to include Clawhammer Cove, Twin Falls and Avery Creek.
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Hike for this week will be an easy 4-mile loop going up Justus Cove, one mile on the Siniard Ridge Trail, then down Bear Pen Branch back to 276. There's only a 400-foot elevation gain, but most of this hike will be on unmaintained trails. I'll try to scout the hike before Thursday and change it if there are too many downed trees, etc.
Meet at Kmart at 9:00 am.
Banff Film Festival -- If you've never been, this is worth the $12 admission. This is a two-day showing of the best outdoor adventure films presented at the Banff Film Festival in Canada. Descriptions of this year's films can be found on the Brevard College web site www.brevard.edu. Shows are at 7:00 pm this Friday and Saturday, March 14 and 15.
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Hike for this week will be a 5-mile shuttle going up Seniard Ridge Trail, east on the Parkway, and down Case Camp Ridge Trail. This is a steep up-and-down -- 1400' up in the first two miles, drop 200' on the Parkway, and down 1000' in the last 1.5 miles. This is an enjoyable hike with the Parkway closed. We will be going through new clear cuts, but it shouldn't be a problem.
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Hike for 3/1/2008 Three of the original Traildogs (Michael Batalia, Tom Krier, and Bill Doll) hiked Torrey Pines State Preserve during a visit to San Diego by Michael and his wife Gina (daughter of distinguished Traildog Gene Stewart). We had a great day for hiking . . . and, of course, got sunburned hiking in sunny San Diego. |
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The Parkway and all the other road closures are making hiking difficult in the Pisgah National Forest. The hike for this week will be an easy 6-mile loop from the Fish Hatchery. We'll go up the Davidson River trail, continue up 475, pick up an old logging road to connect us to the Long Branch trail, and return to the Fish Hatchery on the Cat Gap Loop trail. There's only a 500' elevation change and no major creek crossings.
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Hike for this week will be an easy 5-mile shuttle beginning on the Blue Ridge Parkway, following the MST, and concluding with the southwest leg of the Pink Beds Loop. This is pretty much all downhill, with a south-facing slope, so the trail should be clear of any snow and ice. Highlights to include views off the Parkway, record-sized rhododendron (this one's for you, Gene), and waterfalls |
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Hike for 1-24-08 Hike for this week will be a 7mi. loop combining the Black Mt., Thrift Cove, Grassy Road, and Sycamore Cove trails. This is an easy hike with no wading and the best chance for the current snow to be melted off the trail.
Meet at Kmart at 9:00am
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Hike for 1-6-08
Haven't done this one yet - too much rain and bad weather. will do it ASAP. Hike for this week will be a 5-mile loop over Soapstone Ridge. The hike begins at the gaging station off Yellow Gap Road. We will follow the South Mills River Trail to the Otter Hole where we will pick up an old trail (not on the map) which crosses over Soapstone Ridge and intersects the MST. We will go north on the MST to the Pink Beds Loop, which will take us back to the gaging station. Depending on the water level, we may have a wade/rock-hop at the end of the hike.
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Hike for this week will be an 8mi. shuttle from the Fish Hatchery to the Davidson River Campground via logging roads, the Art Loeb Trail and the North Slope Trail. This is a long hike but no big elevation changes and easy on the feet and legs.
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Hike for this week will be a 5 mi. loop on the Bill Kimball trail near Caesars Head. We will park at Raven Cliff Falls parking area on Hwy. 276. From the parking area, we will hike east down the Middle Saluda River, which means we will make a steep climb up the face of El Lieutenant, a rock face that reminded someone of El Capitan (some wild imagaination they had!). This is a steep climb, but a good trail with handholds, etc. There should be good winter views of Jones Gap State Park.
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Hike for this week will be a 5-mile lollipop loop to Bennett Gap. We will start from the horse stables on Avery Creek Road, climb up the Perry Cove trail, take a logging road back to the Avery Creek Road, and walk the road to Bennett Gap. From Bennett Gap, we will take the Bennett Gap trail back to Saddle Gap, where we will pick up the Perry Cove trail back to the horse stables. Most of this hike will be logging road/Avery Creek Road.
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Hike for 11-29-07 |
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Hike for 11/15/07
Hike for this week will be the Farlow Gap trail, an easy 6.5-mile shuttle. We will start at Pilot Mountain, go north 1.5 miles on the Art Loeb trail to Farlow Gap, take the Farlow Gap trail (which is all downhill) 3 miles to the Daniel Ridge Loop trail, and take the south leg of the Daniel Ridge Loop trail 2 miles to Road 475. Although the bridge over the Davidson River is still out, there isn't much water, so we can rockhop across. |
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Hike for this week is a 6.5-mile moderate shuttle from Club Gap, over Black Mountain, and down to Avery Creek via Perry Cove trail. Profile goes as follows: +500 ft. in 1 mile to Club Gap, -500 ft. in 1 mile to Buckhorn Gap, +500 ft. in 2 miles to top of Black Mountain, and -2000 ft. to Avery Creek. Fall colors should be at their peak in the coves surrounding the Avery Creek watershed.
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Hike for October 25, 2007
Hike for this week will be an easy 5-mile tour of the North Carolina Arboretum. I thought before the frost wiped out all the flowers it would be a good time to see the gardens and bonsai exhibit. I would say bring everything you would on a normal hike since we will be doing some trails as well as paved walkways. Last time I was there, admission was $6 per car, so bring a few dollars for admission, gas, etc. |
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Hike for 10-18-07 |
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Hike for Sept. 6, 2007 The hike for this Thursday is an old favorite that we have done a number of times. We will start at the fish hatchery and go to the top of |
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Hike for this week will be an easy 4-mile shuttle which will be a combination of the Avery Creek and Club Gap trails.
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Hike for August 23, 2007
Hike for this week will be to Cold Mountain, a difficult 10.4 mile round-trip, 3,000' climb. We will go to the Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp to start the hike. Since it takes so long to get over there and back, I thought we would leave at 8:00 am, which will also give us more time in the cooler part of the day. |
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The hike for this week will be to Ivestor Gap to pick blueberries. The hike is 5mi. round trip with very little elevation change. We'll stay as long as everyone wants to pick or it gets dark.
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Hike for August 9, 2007 |
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Hike for August 2, 2007 |
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Hike for July 26, 2007 Hike for this week will be to Cedar Rock in the Pisgah National Forest. The hike to Cedar Rock in Dupont State Forest last week led to thoughts of the other Cedar Rock. Roy has volunteered to lead anyone who wants to go up the back side of the rock, for a total distance of 8 miles. This avoids the scramble up the face of the rock. I will lead anyone who wants to go up the face, which is a bit more exciting and a shorter total distance of 6.7 miles. Both groups will start from 471 (Cathy's Creek Road) and hike 2 miles to Butter Gap, where we will split up. It is .7 miles over the face to the top of Cedar Rock (the short route) and 2 miles around the rock and up the back side to the top (the longer route). We will all go down the back side and back to Butter Gap and then on to the car. |
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Hike for July 19, 2007
Hike for next week will be in Dupont State Forest, a 5.5-mile loop to include Cedar Rock, Bridal Veil Falls, and Cornmeal Shoals. We will climb Cedar Rock, explore potholes at the top of Bridal Veil Falls, go under the falls, and ford Little River at Cornmeal Shoals. Bring wading shoes or go barefooted.
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