All Day  Saturday & Sunday

ALL DAY NO. A0902-224 Apr. 5
Table Rock – Pinnacle Loop *8:00 AM
(strenuous)
Hike 11.2, Drive 125, 3900 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA+
Jeff McGurk, 864-921-6469, jbsbestfan@hotmail.com
*Meet at Westgate at 8:00 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at the Nature Center Parking lot in Table Rock State Park. This great hike starts from the Nature Center, and climbs steeply up to our lunch spot on Table Rock where everyone can enjoy the great view. We will then follow the ridgeline to Pinnacle Mtn. and then do a steady but moderate descent back to our cars. NOTE: $2 parking fee per person. Second meeting place: Table Rock State Park at 9:15 AM. Topo: Table Rock

ALL DAY NO. A0902-304 Apr. 5
Shut-in - AT - Hot Springs 9:00 AM*
(moderate)
Hike 8.6, Drive 90, 2100 ft. ascent, Rated B-AA
Tish Desjardins, 828-656-2191, desraylet@aol.com
*Note later start time. After the hike there will be a potluck supper in the nearby Bear River Community Lodge. Hikers are requested to contribute food for the supper. Food will be taken to a refrigerator before the hike. Please phone the leader to coordinate what food to bring. We’ll start by hiking up the East Fork Shut-in Creek trail to the AT, and then a pleasant AT hike down Deer Park Mtn., ending at the old Jesuit Hostel in Hot Springs. The climb up to Garenflo Gap includes 16 stream crossings, a few of which may be wet if it has rained recently. 5-mile car shuttle. Topos: Lemon Gap, Spring Creek, Hot Springs; also Nat’l. Geo. French Broad & Nolichucky Rivers map

ALL DAY NO. A0902-333 Apr. 12
Bearwallow Mtn. 9:00 AM*
Hike 9.2, Drive 35, 2700 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA
Bruce Bente, 828-692-0116, bbente@bellsouth.net
LTC *Note later start time. This hike is an old CMC favorite. From Hickory Nut Gap on US 74-A, we will hike over Ferguson Peak, then through undulating, open meadows before reaching our lunch spot on the windy summit of Bearwallow Mtn. Nice views down towards the Lake Lure area. Topo: Bat Cave

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Half Day Sunday Hikes

HALF-DAY NO. H0902-316 Apr. 5
Carl Sandburg Park *1:00 PM
Hike 4, Drive 50, 700 ft. ascent, Rated C-C
Nonmembers, call leader, Laura Stallard, 828-697-1579
*Note early start time. Meet at Westgate at 1:00 PM to form carpools and meet hike leader at parking lot of Carl Sandburg Park at 1:40 PM. Traverse the same trails that poet/biographer Carl Sandburg enjoyed by climbing Big Glassy Mountain behind his farmhouse.

HALF-DAY NO. H0902-602 Apr. 12
North Carolina Arboretum *1:30 PM
Hike 4, Drive 15, 300 ft. ascent, Rated C-C
Nonmembers, call leader, Paula Robbins, 828-281-3253, paularww@bellsouth.net
*Meet at Westgate at 1:30 PM to form carpools, and meet leader at Ingles parking lot on NC 191 across from Biltmore Square Mall at 1:45 PM to carpool with those who have an Arboretum membership. This easy 4-mile wildflower hike will be led by an experienced Arboretum guide. Those who wish a longer hike can easily add extra loops from the 10 miles of Arboretum trails.

All Day Wednesday

WEDNESDAY NO. W0902-647 Apr. 8
Albright Grove Loop Trail 8:30 AM
Hike 6.7, Drive 150, 1500 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Janet Martin, 502-494-9309, jaykaymartin@msn.com
900M Hike the Maddron Bald Trail in the GSMNP for nearly 3 miles to the Albright Grove Loop trail and return on the Maddron Bald Trail. The trail first passes through 19th C. homestead sites and then passes alternately through hemlock/rosebay rhododendron and open deciduous, second growth, woods primarily of beech and tulip poplar. Fallen trees and creek beds provide a rich environment for spring wildflowers. The silverbells may be in bloom. The loop provides views of massive trunks including a tulip poplar reportedly with a 25 ft. circumference. Second meeting place: Pilot Truck Stop at Exit 24 off I-40 at 9:00 AM but call leader first. Topos: Jones Cove, Mt. Guyot; also Nat’l. Geo. GSMNP map #229

WEDNESDAY NO. W0902-518 Apr. 15
Five Waterfalls in SC *8:00 AM
Hike 8, Drive 200, 500 ft. ascent, Rated B-C
Jack Fitzgerald, 828-685-2897, suejackfitz@bellsouth.net
WC100 * Meet at Westgate at 8:00 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Cracker Barrel, Exit 53 on I-26 at 8:30 AM. Visit five great waterfalls in South Carolina, all on the Waterfall 100 Challenge: Spoonauger, King Creek, Yellow Branch, Issaqueena and Station Cove. All are in-and-out hikes, with 1-2 miles round trip each. Long drive and long day, but well worth it with waterfalls and spring flowers.

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All-day hikes submitted by Bruce Bente 692-0116, bbente@bellsouth.net . Driving distance is round-trip from Asheville. All Saturday and Sunday hikes assemble at Westgate Shopping Center near I-240 UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

Half Day hikes submitted by Lucy Prim 828-693-6580 lucette32@mchsi.com. Wednesday Hikes are submitted by Charlie Ferguson, 828-398-0213 ccf108@gmail.com and Ann Gleason, 828-859-9387, gleason.ann@gmail.com .

The meeting place for each hike will be designated by the hike leader and will appear in the hike description. Driving mileage will be listed, round trip, from the first designated meeting place.
Leaders: Mail please mail your sign-up sheets. Meet at Westgate unless otherwise noted.