Wednesday hikes submitted by Charlie Ferguson 828-333-5165, ccf108@gmail.com . Driving distance is round-trip from Asheville. All Wednesday hikes assemble at Westgate Shopping Center parking lot near CVS (Exit 3B off I-240) UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. Some hikes will have second meeting places as described in hike listings. Please contact the hike leader if you are not sure of the meeting location.

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-104 Jan. 2
Wolfe Ford & High Falls 8:30 AM
Hike 9, Drive 60, 600 ft. ascent, Rated A-C
Charlie Ferguson, 828-333-5165, ccf108@gmail.com
P400 From the gauging station on the South Mills River, we'll hike this mostly level trail to High Falls, then cross the footbridge at Wolfe Ford. We'll take the Rigby Cutoff (named for CMC hiker Ed Rigby) near Squirrel Gap to return to the trailhead. Second Meeting Place: Pisgah Ranger Station at 8:35 AM. Topo: Pisgah Forest; also Nat'l. Geo. PRD map #780

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-598 Jan. 9
Pink Beds to Soapstone Ridge 8:30 AM*
Hike 6.7, Drive 90, 1200 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Becky Elston, 828-749-1886, belston@cytechusa.com
P400 *Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form car pools, and meet leader at Pisgah Ranger Station at 9:05 AM. From the Pink Beds parking lot we will do part of the Pink Beds loop, then hike the Barnett Branch trail up to Rich Mountain on the Black Mountain trail for lunch and views to north and south. Then down to the Cradle of Forestry via the Club Gap trail. Topo: Shining Rock; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-053 Jan. 16
East Fork Pigeon River 8:30 AM
Hike 8, Drive 74, 1200 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Tom Sanders, 828-252-6327, tomary2@charter.net
P400 A stroll along one of WNC's most beautiful streams, the East Fork of the Pigeon River, which is often spectacular in the winter. We will ascend to Dark Prong for lunch and then return. Wilderness area, limit 10, so contact leader for reservation. Second Meeting Place: Big East parking area on US 276, north of BRP at 9:15 AM. Topo: Shining Rock; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-511 Jan. 23
Florence Nature Preserve 8:30 AM
Hike 8, Drive 40, 1000 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Don Walton, 828-654-9904, donwalton@bellsouth.net
Walk all of the trails in the new 600+-acre Florence Nature Preserve near the Lake Lure area. This hike has easy loops with moderate climbs. Second Meeting Place: Nita's Grocery in Gerton, near the Preserve at 9:00 AM. Topo: Bat Cave; also Florence Nature Preserve Trail Map

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-278 Jan. 30
Kitsuma Peak 9:00 AM
Hike 8, Drive 25, 2200 ft. ascent, Rated B-A
Ken and Carol Deal, 828-281-4530, cnkdeal@charter.net
*Only meeting place: Parking lot next to McDonalds at exit 64 of I-40 at 9:00 AM. Our hike up Young’s Ridge offers great views of Greybeard, Green Knob and the Mt. Mitchell area. We will start from the picnic area near Old Fort. Also we’ll enjoy a grandstand view of the Swannanoa valley from our lunch spot. Topos: Old Fort, Black Mtn

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-594 Feb. 6
KagleStone Ramble 8:00 AM
Hike 10.4, Drive 80, 2100 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA
Tom Bindrim & Joan Lemire, 828-273-3880,
*Meet at Westgate at 8:00 AM to form carpools, and meet leaders at Pisgah Forest Bi-Lo side parking lot at 8:30 AM. This will be a moderately paced hike (expect late return) in a Figure 8 loop that will take us to the tops of two more granitic bubbles that together with their more famous companions, comprise our local pluton. Some off-trail hiking, even bushwhacking. Topo: Shining Rock and Rosman. Nat'l Geo. PRD trail map #780 marginally useful

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-304 Feb. 13
Shut-In Trail to Garenflo Gap to Hot Springs 8:30 AM
Hike 8.6, Drive 80, 2100 ft. ascent, Rated B-AA
Jay Bretz, 828-658-1220, williambretz1220@msn.com
We’ll start by hiking up the East Fork Shut-in Creek trail to the AT, doing 16 stream crossings and then a pleasant AT hike down Deer Park Mtn. 5 mile car shuttle. Topo: Lemon Gap, Spring Creek, Hot Springs; also Nat’l. Geo. French Broad & Nolichucky Rivers map #782

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-428 Feb. 20
Cane River Gap to Little Butt 8:30 AM
Hike 7, Drive 50, 2200 ft. ascent, Rated B-AA
Ruben Marshall, 828-299-1497, cmcrm08@yahoo.com
This hike begins with a 1200 ft. ascent to the ridgeline, then continues along the top of the ridge with a few gradual ups-and-downs. After Big Butt, we’ll follow the narrow ridgeline with good views to our lunch spot at Little Butt, which has a great view of the Black Mtns. range across the valley. Return via the same route. Topo: Mt. Mitchell; also USFS Big Ivy map

Scouting Report:  The CMC trail maintenance crews have done a great job of clearing brush away from the trail between Big Butt and Little Butt.  Bring your cameras for some pictures of all the 6000 foot peaks along the Blacks Crest Trail.

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-599 Feb. 27
Daniel Ridge-Caney Bottom – Cove Creek Falls Loop 8:30 AM*
Hike 10, Drive 80, 1000 ft. ascent, Rated A-B
Stuart English, 828-883-2447, stuengo@citcom.net
P400 *Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form car pools, and meet leader at Pisgah Forest Ranger Station at 9:05 AM. We’ll start with the 4-mile Daniel Ridge Loop, ending at Toms Springs Falls, a 100 foot falls. From these falls, we’ll follow an old FS road, go down a perfectly good but unmapped trail to Caney Bottom Trail. Here we’ll loop around it to Cove Creek Trail and 60 foot Cove Creek Falls, then back to Caney Bottom Loop and eventually back to our cars on Davidson River Road (FS 475). Topo: Shining Rock; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-595 Mar. 5
DuPont 3 Waterfalls and 3 Lakes 8:30 AM*
Hike 9, Drive 86, 1140 ft. ascent, Rated A-B
Ashok Kudva, 828-698-7119, ashok.kudva@mchsi.com
*Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Pisgah Forest Bi-Lo side parking lot at 9:05 AM. Between the Lake Imaging and Buck Forest parking lots we will visit Grassy Creek Falls, High Falls, Triple Falls, Lake Imaging, Lake Dense and Lake Alford. The last two lakes are named for local executives in the DuPont Company's Imaging Systems Manufacturing Department. After an optional 0.6 mile bushwhack to the summit of Joanna Mountain, we will stop for lunch on picnic benches at Lake Dense with a backdrop view of Joanna Mountain. Short car shuttle. Topo: Standingstone Mtn.; also DuPont State Forest Map, June 7, 2005 revision

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-330 Mar. 12
Raven Cliff Falls 8:30 AM
Hike 8, Drive 95, 1450 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Ruth Hartzler, 828-251-0886, ruthmtn@charter.net
We’ll do a pleasant walk to the pedestrian bridge over the top of a beautiful 250 ft. waterfall in Caesar’s Head St. Park in S.C. The hike will follow the Raven Cliff Falls Trail and a portion of the Foothills Trail to the bridge, and then return with a side trip to the spectacular overlook of the falls and Matthew Creek Gorge. Second Meeting Place: Pisgah Forest Bi-Lo side parking lot at 9:05 AM. Topo: Table Rock; also Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area trail map

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-600 Mar. 19
Pink Beds-Buckhorn Gap-South Mills River Loop 8:00 AM*
Hike 10, Drive 75, 1000 ft. ascent, Rated A-B
Jack Fitzgerald, 828-685-2897, suejackfitz@bellsouth.net
P400 *Meet at Westgate at 8:00 AM to form car pools, and meet leader at Pisgah Forest Ranger Station at 8:35 AM Hike starting on Pink Beds Loop to Barnett Branch (Art Loeb Trail), go up to Buckhorn Gap, then down to South Mills River. Hike to Gauging Station, then back to cars on the Pink Beds Loop trail. Lots of variety. Topo: Shining Rock; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-056 Mar. 26
Black Mountain Ramble 8:30 AM
Hike 9.4, Drive 60, 2600 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA
Bruce Bente, 828-692-0116, bbente@bellsouth.net
P400 *Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Boyleston Baptist Church on NC 280 at 9:00 AM. This great hike starts at Turkey Pen parking area, goes over Sharpy Mtn. and around Black Mtn., and ends at the Pisgah Maintenance parking lot. A long uphill, but with good views from our lunch spot at Black Mtn. Car shuttle. Topo: Pisgah Forest; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

WEDNESDAY NO W0801-439 Apr. 2
Pounding Mill Loop 8:00 AM*
Hike 8, Drive 55, 950 ft. ascent, Rated B-C
Greg Goodman, 828-684-9703
*Meet at Westgate at 8:00 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Boyleston Baptist Church on NC 280 at 8:30 AM. This hike takes the South Mills River Trail to the Pounding Mill Trail and on to Squirrel Gap Trail. We’ll continue onto Pea Gap and then return on the Bradley Creek Trail. Topo: Pisgah Forest; also, Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780