spring bluets

Spring Ephemerals…Hope Springs Eternal

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…

Glorious April in Big Ivy

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…

Spring wildflowers: Pisgah and Cherokee National Forests

The last weekend of March found us searching for spring wildflowers and a place to hike and camp where we could safely social distance. We focused in on two locations, hiking about 8 miles in the Pisgah National Forest with proximity to the Appalachian Trail. The next day, we visited Read more…

Big Ivy/Coleman Boundary: 4/6/19

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…