Hope springs eternal is a phrase that has been in my mind this season. It was a tough winter in many ways- for all of us. The hope of spring hikes loomed large, with spring ephemerals representing the abundance and perfection of nature’s resilience, and a sumptuous prelude to summer Read more…
Our time on the trail was limited over the summer, but the wildflower offerings were no less spectacular. It is a gift to bear witness to the transition of seasons, when newly emerging leaves display all hues of green. Summer’s understory is a soothing, lustrous emerald carpet, with blooms interspersed Read more…
No spring is complete without several April hikes in Big Ivy area of Pisgah National Forest in order to embrace the incredible diversity and abundance of spring ephemerals. Big Ivy has it all: rich coves, pine-oak-heath forest, rocky streamsides and chestnut oak forests. The catch? Most trails have recently been Read more…
We revisited the Appalachian Ranger district to camp and hike the first weekend in April in an area where there were no trail closures. It was quite cold, and the presence of early April wildflowers was highly dependent on the orientation of slopes and elevation. Some south-facing crags displayed a Read more…
As COVID-19 has spread across the US, we continue to seek refuge in the wilderness. Even in normal times, trails that are less traveled are always our preference. The first weekend in March, we went to Rocky Fork, which defies the typical concept of a state park. Rocky Fork is Read more…
The Big Butt trail runs between Rt. 197 from the Cane River Gap to the Balsam Gap on Blue Ridge Parkway. This is one of my favorite places to hike year-round. Regardless of where you start, you will hike through different plant communities along the way, including spruce-fir forest, high Read more…
There is no doubt that the plant kingdom has fine-tuned the intricacy of seasonal change that belies the stark landscape of winter. Hiking in winter feels hushed and peaceful, as though everything around you is in deep slumber. Even before the winter solstice arrived, we had already hiked twice in Read more…
Hey y’all, these two hikes in North Carolina and Tennessee national forests increased our orchid count in a year that has already surpassed expectations for orchid sightings. Over a two-week period with rain and extreme heat, we accumulated fewer miles, but there was always something unexpected on the trail. Our Read more…
To celebrate a steamy Independence Day, we went high in elevation to hike in the Roan Highlands. Our starting point was Hughes Gap, where the Appalachian Trail winds upwards through spruce-fir forest and crosses over Roan Mountain. Our total mileage was 10.2 miles. Our hike began in beauty, with Turk’s Read more…
Just before the last week of June, we squeezed in 11.7 miles in three separate hikes. My goal was to find more native orchids and wildflowers before leaving for the Pacific Northwest to visit our daughter. The Round-Leaf Orchid (Platanthera orbiculata) is one of my favorites, and a tricky one Read more…