Hiker's Paradise

Just starting a list here of hikes I've done with Kali in the area. So far, it's not too long a list but will get longer as the season progresses. I'm using my equivalent of a bible from the "Best Hikes With Dogs" series of hiking books, this one by Karen Chavez for North Carolina.

1. LOTS of loops off the Hard Times Trailhead to Lake Powatan at Bent Creek Experimental Forest, part of Pisgah National Forest. This one is not in the book but is mine & Kali's old standby trail when we don't have much time for anything else. It is about 2 miles long with some climbs and drops but can be extended by the numerous other trails in the immediate vicinity. Features include the fresh-running creek, Lake Powatan & the marshy, muddy areas surrounding that and lots of geese to chase (she never catches any - neither do I, for that matter). We've done this one at least a dozen times.

2. Graveyard Fields, near mile 418 off the Blue Ridge Parkway, a moderate trail of about 3.4 miles through a lovely blueberried high valley replete with two waterfalls and numerous blackened tree stumps (hence the name). The beginning of the trail drops steeply and, well you can guess the end-of-trail consequences of that!

3. Rattlesnake Lodge Trail, near mile 376 off the Blue Ridge Parkway & Elk Mountain Scenic Hwy, a moderate 3.2 mile trail with some steep optional additions. This is a peaceful trail along both switchbacks & more level areas through the forest to the remains of the Ambler retreat from the early 1900's. You can still see building foundations, the rounded walls of the old spring-fed swimming pool, the spring house & the servant's quarters. You can add about a mile to this trail by continuing on the Mountain-to-Sea trail past the lodge and looping back on the blue-blazed trail through the rest of the former Ambler property.

4. Fryingpan Mountail trail starts near the Mt. Pisgah campground, around mile marker 408 and ambles its way above the parkway but roughly parallel to it. Then it begins to climb & climb until the top of the mountain. When you get up there, these is an ugly 10-story metal structure - an old fire tower. Not looking down, I climbed it, step by step, leaving my dog Kali at the bottom as a witness. The higher you go, the windier it gets until you literally have to grab onto the rails to avoid the sensation of being picked up by the current and tossed into the valley. Very cool!

5. Craggy Nature Trail, the bald & Craggy Summit are all very well-known and loved areas of the parkway about 20 miles north of Asheville. I hiked the nature trail up to the shelter & visitors center with my sister, brother in law, niece, nephew & friend Shanna early in June. We passed through rhododendron tunnels and hundreds of not-yet-bearing blueberry bushes. The bald area is a large, grassy Alpine-feeling meadow with fabulous views of the Asheville watershed area. We followed this with a tasty picnic in the area of Craggy reserved for such endeavors. Then, a couple of weeks later, Kali & I climbed up to the summit where there are viewing area of spectacular scenery. I love Craggy!

6. I wish I had all the dates of these hikes but the next one we did was the famed Mt. Pisgah. The books, the signs, the websites, the maps all say the same thing: Very Strenuous. Well, indeed it was but we took our time, climbing the rock steps up amongst the rhodies & mountain laurel to the very top of one of the tallest peaks off the Blue Ridge Parkway. At the top was a wonderful wooden platform to take in the 360 degree views. Kali discovered the shade underneath. After a bit of lunch and an unexpected phone call (after all, we were right near the transmission tower so I guess it makes sense that I had cell reception), we climbed down feeling smug & contented.

7. Following the Craggy summit hike which was only about 1.5 miles, we climbed Snowball Mountain, accessible from the lower part of the Craggy picnic area. It was, as my book Best Hikes with Dogs North Carolina said, "relentless" in its climb, gaining 300 feet in elevation in only 1/2 mile. We climbed to the leafy summit of Snowball and then, unable to see the mountains for the trees, fought gravity the whole way down. Good exercise but not very scenic this time of year.

8. Yesterday, we hiked Sam Knob and Flat Laurel Creek area with an unintended extender. Read the blog posting for June 27, 2009 for a more thorough description of this glorious/tiring day.