Over the past few weeks, hiking has taken a back seat to self-care and healing. Our weather has also been pretty fickle during this time, with delightful sunny, blue skies during the week, and rain arriving just in time for the weekend. But last weekend, I was anxious to hike Read more…
Cold Mountain is one of the 6,000 foot peaks in the Great Balsams of North Carolina, and a challenging trail with spectacular wildflowers. Our trek began on the Art Loeb trailhead leading up from the Boy Scout camp. This is a shorter route, but steeper climb than coming from the Read more…
The blooms in the Big Ivy area have SPRUNG! We took a short 4 mile hike after work to check out this ever-evolving wildflower haven. The bright blue skies and warm temperatures over the past few days mean that the forest understory is greening up with spring ephemerals. Some wildflowers Read more…
False Solomon’s seal- Maianthemum racemosum
Day One: HIKING-weather or not? Hike, see spring wildflowers, repeat….again and again, but always a thrill! There are not many weather events- springtime or not- that deter our hikes. However, predicted high winds, heavy snow and lightening are weather conditions that cause re-evaluation of the best laid plans. During the Read more…
Live in accordance with the nature of things. In dwelling, be close to the land. In meditation, go deep in the heart. In dealing with others, be gentle and kind. Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching We often string together different trails in the Big Ivy/Coleman Boundary area for a longer, Read more…
3-29-19 The Fork Ridge trail leads from the Shelton Laurel backcountry to the Appalachian Trail, near the Jerry Cabin Shelter. If you want a good workout, this is your hike. Along the way, there is a side trail to Baxter Cliffs- well, sort of. It’s not much of a trail, Read more…
bearna gbaoithe- Irish for “wind gap in the mountains” Robert Macfarlane- Landmarks This hike includes sections through the Blue Wall Preserve within Nature Conservancy land (575 acres), as well as the Palmetto Trail. The Blue Wall Preserve is adjacent to 22,000 acres of protected watershed lands in South Carolina, perched Read more…