WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-190 Oct. 7
MST: Mt. Mitchell to Balsam Gap * 8:00 AM
Hike 9.5, Drive: 80, 1700 ft. ascent, Rated A-A
Mary Beth Gwynn: 828-545-6487 (cell) or 828-254-2042 (home). mbgcmc@gmail.com
*Only meeting place will be the back parking lot of Folk Art Center. Please note: Much of the trail is on large moss covered rocks, lovely, but potentially slippery if wet. Appropriate shoes and perhaps poles are advised. This is a particularly beautiful section of the MST with spectacular views from our lunch spot. Car shuttle. Topos: Mt. Mitchell, Montreat; also PNF South Toe River, Mt. Mitchell & Big Ivy Trail Map  Deer bow hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-408 Oct. 14
Wolf Ford-Horse Cove Gap Loop *8:30 AM
Hike 9, Drive 70, 1200 ft. ascent, Rated A-B
Greg Goodman, 828-684-9703, greggoodman@bellsouth.net
P400 *Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Pisgah Ranger station at 9:05 AM. This hike takes the S. Mills River Trail to Wolf Ford, then goes left on Squirrel Gap Trail to the Horse Cove Trail to FS 5018 then back to Wolf Ford and cars. Topo: Pisgah Forest; also NatGeo map #780  Deer & Bear hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-672 Oct. 21
Bee Tree Gap to Glassmine Falls O/L 9:00 AM
Hike 7, Drive 55, 1950 ft. ascent, Rated B-A
Bruce Bente, 828-692-0116, bbente@bellsouth.net
Hike a scenic section of the MST with great views along the way. Car shuttle. Second meeting place: Craven Gap at 9:20 AM Topos: Craggy Pinnacle, Montreat; also MST Profiles, pg. 65-66 Deer & Bear hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-397 Oct. 28
Bad Fork - Chestnut Cove Overlook 8:30 AM
Hike 9.5, Drive 80, 1300 ft. ascent, Rated A-B
Stuart English, 828-883-2447, stuengo@citcom.net
P400 This in-and-out hike begins at the Trace Ridge Trailhead. We will hike up Bad Fork to the BRP (a steep 700 ft. ascent) to Bent Creek Gap, and then follow the MST to the Chestnut Cove Overlook to enjoy a beautiful view during lunch. Second meeting place: Trace Ridge trailhead at 9:00 AM. Topo: Dunsmore Mtn,; also NatGeo map #780 and MST profiles, pgs. 55-56  Deer & Bear hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-276 Nov. 4
Street Gap to Big Bald 8:30 AM
Hike 9, Drive 80, 2300 ft. ascent, Rated B-AA
Paula Massey, 828 299-0226 massey.paula@gmail.com
In-and-out hike on the Appalachian Trail, heading north. We will have panoramic views of the Blacks, Smokies and other ranges in WNC and TN. once we reach Big Bald as well as the Wolf Laurel area enroute. Topos: Sams Gap, Bald Creek  Deer & Bear hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

Scout Report: What a Great Day on Big Bald! We started our scouting hike from Street Gap, having taken the Tenn. Flag Pond Exit 50 and traveling on a paved road and then .9 miles on a well maintained gravel road . We enjoyed the scenic long range views of both Tenn. and NC as we walked along the 4 miles of gradual inclines and descents, until the last half mile to the Bald with a 500 ft ascent--and the panoramic 360 degree views on Big Bald made that last stretch of climb well worth it. It is true-"on a clear day you can see forever"! This was an 8-mile in-and-out with less than 2,000 elevation gain. Please join us for a "fall" walk in the woods and experience the AT at its best. (Although the gravel road up to Street Gap is in good condition, it is narrow and steep in places - we will encourage carpool vehicles to have high clearance and/or 4WD if possible).  Paula

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-673 Nov. 11
Coontree - Pink Beds *8:30 AM
Hike 9.5, Drive 80, 2200 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA
Ashok Kudva, 828-698-7119, Cell: 828-674-1374, ashok.kudva@gmail.com
P400 *Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Pisgah Ranger Station at 9:05 AM. From the right branch of Coontree Loop we will climb up to and on Bennett Gap Trail to our lunch spot with a view of Looking Glass Rock. Proceeding on the Buckwheat Knob Trail to Club Gap, we will approach Rich Mountain and descend via Soapstone Ridge to Barnett Branch Trail. We will go over the Barnett Branch Boardwalk, recently built by CMC‘s Friday Pisgah crew, to the cars at the Pink Beds parking lot. Car shuttle. Topo: Pisgah Forest; also NatGeo map #780  Deer & Bear hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

Scouting Report 11/5/09 : Pink Beds – Coontree, Hike: 9.9, Ascent/Descent : 1523/2354 ft, Revised Rating: A-A   Per Greg Goodman’s suggestion we will do the hike from Pink Beds to Coontree which is the opposite of the originally proposed direction. With the loss of daylight savings, we will start hiking as soon as we get off the cars and use the last part of the day for car shuttle and allow tired hikers enjoy fellowship and rest for 30 minutes waiting for the drivers. It makes the hike a little less strenuous aerobically but more slippery with leaves during steeper descent than the original hike. Hiking sticks will be very helpful. Greg and I enjoyed a great sunny fall day especially 360 degree views on the ridges of Rich Mountain and Buckwheat Knob. We have picked 360 degree view spots atop Rich Mountain on rocks and logs for lunch, a post- lunch snack at a rocky outcrop on Bennett Gap Trail and a pre-lunch snack after a climb on Barnett Branch Trail to Soapstone Ridge. This is the third CMC hike over Barnett Branch Boardwalk this fall. It was built last fall and repaired by the dedicated CMF Friday Pisgah Crew after a blowdown on October 5. Ya’ll come and appreciate their good work.  Ashok

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-268 Nov. 18
Hospital Rock - Pretty Place – Rainbow Falls *8:00 AM
Hike 7.8, Drive 95, 2000 ft. ascent, Rated A-A (very steep and rocky climb then very steep and rocky descent to Rainbow Falls)
Brenda Worley, 828-684-8656, clworley@bellsouth.net
WC100 *Meet at Westgate at 8:00 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Cracker Barrel at Exit 53 on I-26 at 8:30 AM or at Jones Gap State Park parking lot at 9:00 AM. We will hike up Hospital Rock Trail, then left to lunch at Pretty Place where you enjoy great views over the valley below. Continue on road, then climb down the escarpment on the Rainbow Falls Trail and back to the cars. Note: $2 fee entry fee per person at Jones Gap S.P. Topo: Standingstone Mtn.; also Mountain Bridge Wilderness map  Bear hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

Scout Report: for Hospital Rock, Pretty Place and Rainbow Falls Loop was done by Charlie and me on 11/12/09.
The hike goes to a beautiful waterfall on our list for the Waterfall Challenge.  We started the hike from Jones State Park around 10AM and got back to the car at 3:17 PM. The weather was sunny and breezy. The first leg of the loop, up Hospital Rock, was very steep and rocky which made the 2000 foot elevation gain in the first four miles feel more like 3000. The views from the trail trail were great. The view from Pretty Place was also great and made a nice lunch spot. It was breezy and cold but we were able to find some relief in the shelter. The trail down to Rainbow Falls is also very steep and ropes were provided on 3 different sections of the trail. I chose to slide down on my rear but Charlie used the ropes. The falls is about 10 stories high and spectacular. There was a lot of water probably due to the recent rain. The trail from the falls back to the car was easy especially compared to the rest of the hike. I would rate this hike strenuous but found it very interesting and beautiful;one of the best hikes I have been on in a while. Brenda

Friday  Nov. 20  9:00 AM  Scout of Kagel Mountain hike.
Hike 9, Drive 80, 1100 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Charlie Ferguson, 828-625-2677, ccf108@gmail.com 

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-336 Nov. 25
Mt Cammerer from Big Creek *8:00 AM
Hike 12.2, Drive 110, 3300 ft. ascent, Rated AA-AA+
Tish Dejardins, 828-656-2191, desraylet@aol.com
900M, LTC *Meet at Westgate at 8:00 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Big Creek Campground near Ranger Station at 9:30 AM. (New Driving directions: I-26 W to exit 19 - US Rt 25 (Marshall) through Hot Springs, continuing on US 25 to Newport TN. Left on US 321 to exit 435 I-40 E to exit 451 (TN); left under I-40 and follow to Big Creek campground and trailhead) A strenuous hike, but the payoffs are first class: great 360 degree views from the lookout tower. From Big Creek trailhead, follow the Chestnut Branch Trail, AT and side trail to the historic forest lookout atop Mt. Cammerer. Topos: Waterville, Hartford; also NatGeo map #229  Deer hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

The carpool from Westgate to Big Creek will take longer due to the I-40 road closing.

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-053 Dec. 2
East Fork Pigeon River *8:30 AM
Hike 7.5, Drive 74, 1200 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Barbara Morgan, 828-738-3395, bcmorg@hughes.net
P400 Wilderness area, limit 10; contact leader for reservation. 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. Second meeting place: Big East parking area on US 276, north of BRP at 9:15 AM Topo: Shining Rock; also NatGeo map #780  Deer hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

Scout Report:  Brenda Worley, Mary Beth Gwynn, and I scouted the hike for 12/2 and 12/26 on Friday, November 20. Due to recent heavy rains, the river was thundering and especially georgeous. This hike essentially parallels the East Fork of the Pigeon River, (with some derivations) in a comfortable incline to the lunch spot on the river. Return is by the same route.   Hikers are advised that this is a wilderness hike, so there is a limit of 10 hikers. Call or email the hike leader, Barbara Morgan, to sign up. Call 828.738.3395 or email bcmorg@hughes.net.  There is one "challenging" stream crossing (made more challenging by the recent rains), so poles are recommended, possibly along with planning for one wet foot!  This area is especially photographic, so bring your camera!

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-492 Dec. 9
Cookie Hike, Bent Creek Ramble *8:30 AM
Hike 7, Drive 10, 1200 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Ken and Carol Deal, 828-281-4530, cnkdeal@charter.net
P400 *ONLY MEETING PLACE: Ingles parking lot on NC 191 across from Biltmore Square Mall. Moderate loop hike in the Bent Creek area. We will start from the parking area for Cold Knob Road (479H off Bent Creek Road beyond Lake Powhatan). Using a variety of short sections of trails, we will hike up to the MST, follow it past Sleepy Gap, and descend by the Stambaugh Trail to the Lake Powhatan picnic area for lunch and a cookie feast. Bring cookies to share with lunch. The afternoon walk back to the cars is approximately 2 miles. Topo: Asheville; also NatGeo map #780 and Bent Creek Trail Map. Deer hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

ALTERNATE HIKE
WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-i Dec. 9
Cookie Hike, shorter version *10:00 AM
Hike 4, Drive 10, Rated C-C
Sherman Stambaugh, 828-254-1736
*ONLY MEETING PLACE: Ingles parking lot on NC 191 across from Biltmore Square Mall. Starting from the Rice Pinnacle parking area, we will take the Hard Times Connector to the Lake Powhatan picnic area to meet the other group for lunch and to share cookies. After lunch we will return to the cars.  Deer hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-479 Dec. 16
Kagel Mtn. *8:30 AM
Hike 9, Drive 80, 1100 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Charlie Ferguson, 828-625-2677, ccf108@gmail.com
P400 *Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Bi-Lo in Pisgah Forest at 9:05 AM. This loop hike will start from Catheys Creek Rd. and follow an overgrown forest road to the Art Loeb Trail, with lunch at the Butter Gap shelter. We’ll return on another trail for variety. Nice winter views. Topos: Rosman, Shining Rock; also Nat’l. Geo. map #780  Deer hunting season - hike in groups and wear bright orange.

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-345 Dec. 23
Seven Gaps and Seven Knobs *9:30 AM
Hike 6.5, Drive 25, 1100 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Marcia Bromberg, 828-505-0471, mwbromberg@yahoo.com
P400 *The only meeting place will be the Ingles parking lot on NC 191 across from Biltmore Shopping Center. A gentle winter hike along the “rim” of Bent Creek over seven knobs and seven gaps. Car shuttle.

WEDNESDAY NO. W0904-652 Dec. 30
Devil Fork Gap to Rocky Fork Rd. *9:00 AM
Hike 7, Drive 80, 1300 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Don Walton, 828-654-9904, donwalton@bellsouth.net
*Be prepared for possible wet stream crossings. This hike ventures into the new Rocky Fork Tract purchase of 10,000 acres near Flag Pond, TN. The first three miles of this hike is on the AT to Flint Gap Shelter and on to Flint Gap and the entry into the Rocky Fork Tract. This route is also the path of a surprise attack on an Indian Camp in the early 1800’s. Car shuttle. Topo: Flag Pond