ALL DAY NO. A0603-241 Aug. 6 Mt. Kephart via Sweat Heifer Creek Trail 8:00 AM (strenuous) Hike 12.8, Drive 140, 1800 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA Michael Cornn, 828-685-3442, mcornn@aol.com SB6K, 900M This hike is designed to visit two of the best scenic overlooks in the Smokies, Jumpoff and Charlies Bunion and to climb Mt. Kephart (6217 ft.). From Newfound Gap, we will hike on the AT to Mt. Kephart and the Jumpoff, and from there to Charlies Bunion. After lunch, we will return via the AT, and then down the Sweat Heifer Creek (rarely hiked by CMC) and Kephart Prong Trails. Topos: Clingmans Dome, Mt. Leconte, Mt. Guyot, Smokemont; also Nat’l. Geo. GSMNP map
ALL DAY NO. A0603-199 Aug. 6 Black Mtn. Campground to Green Knob 8:30 AM* (moderate) Hike 7, Drive 85, 2000 ft. ascent, Rated B-AA Janet Martin, 812-738-8154, jaykaymartin@msn.com *Note later start time. Enjoy the beautiful woods as we climb Lost Cove Ridge on the Green Knob Trail from the Black Mtn. Campground to fantastic views and a first-class lunch spot atop Green Knob. After lunch it’s all downhill. Second meeting place: Craven Gap at 8:50 AM. Topo: Old Fort; also USFS South Toe River, Mt. Mitchell & Big Ivy Trail Map
ALL DAY NO. A0603-368 Aug. 13 Bradley Creek & Riverside Stream Crossings 8:00 AM Hike 9, Drive 70, 500 ft. ascent, Rated A-C Tom Sanders 828-252-6327 tomary@charter.net P400 Everyone had a lot of fun on this hike two years ago. There are about 25 stream crossings, but the terrain is almost level and you will enjoy the beauty of the streams and the diverse flora nearby. It is advisable to hike in tennis shoes and bring two hiking poles. Car shuttle. Second meeting place: NC 280 at Turkey Pen Rd. at 8:30 AM. Topos: Pisgah Forest, Dunsmore Mtn.; also Nat’l. Geographic PRD map
ALL DAY NO. A0603-044 Aug. 20 Lost Cove 8:00 AM Hike 7, Drive 150, 1500 ft. ascent, Rated B-B Les Love, 828-658-1489, lesrlove@charter.net Everyone enjoyed this hike in the Wilson Creek area last year, so we’re offering it again. It features spectacular waterfalls and the best swimming anywhere. Bring your bathing suit. Be prepared for several wet-foot stream crossings. Optional supper at Little Siena. Second meeting place: parking lot adjacent to McDonald’s off I-40 at exit 64 at 8:20 AM. Topo: Grandfather Mtn.; also USFS Wilson Creek map
HALF-DAY No. H0603-465 August 6Sam Knob Loop 12:30 PM*
Hike 5, Drive 75, Rated C-C Stuart English, 828-883-2447, stuengo@citcom.net
*Note early start time. Newcomers who have not hiked with CMC before are welcome, but are required to phone the leader before the hike to determine hike requirements. Meet at Westgate at 12:30 PM to form car pools and meet leader at Cold Mountain Overlook on BRP at 1:00 PM. We will take Sam Knob Trail, with side trip up Sam Knob, then left onto Flat Laurel Creek Tr.; right to off-trail up through spruce forest to MST; left to FS 816 and back to the parking lot.
HALF-DAY No. H0603-057 August 13Blue Ridge Pinnacle 1:00 PM*
Hike 4, Drive 25, Rated C-C Barbara Rathbone-Shoaf, 828-667-8684, barbararathboneshoaf@gmail.com
*Note early start time. Newcomers who have not hiked with CMC before are welcome, but are required to phone the leader before the hike to determine hike requirements. This in-and-out hike starts on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mt. Mitchell, with great views on top. Second meeting place Folk Art Center Lower Parking Lot at 1:20 PM. Hikers who are not familiar with how to get to second meeting place should phone leader for directions.
HALF-DAY No. H0603-297 August 20Sam’s Gap South 1:00 PM*Hike 5, Drive 60, Rated C-B Gail Lamb, 828-350-0450, galmb46@aol.com
*Note early start time. Newcomers who have not hiked with CMC before are welcome, but are required to phone the leader before the hike to determine hike requirements. A moderate in-and-out hike from Sam’s Gap to the Hogback Ridge Shelter and return along the Appalachian Trail off the new portion of I-26.
WEDNESDAY NO. W0603-091 Aug. 2 Blacks South of Mt. Mitchell 8:00 AM Tom Sanders, 828-252-6327, tomary2@charter.net Hike 9, Drive 65, 2000 ft. ascent, Rated A-A SB6K From Mt. Mitchell we will follow the Old Mitchell Trail south with a bushwhack to climb Mt. Hallback (6320 ft.), then to 6571 ft. Mt. Gibbes and continuing to Potato Knob, with return by partially alternate route. You can also climb Mt. Mitchell to fill out your list of 6000+ ft. peaks. Second meeting place: Craven Gap at 8:20 AM. Topos: Mt. Mitchell, Montreat; also Nat’l. Geo. South Toe River, Mt. Mitchell & Big Ivy Trail Map
WEDNESDAY. NO. W0603-475 Aug. 9 Hump Mountain/Yellow Mountain Area 8:30 AM* Hike 9, Drive 130, Ascend 2400 ft., Rated B-AA Adrian Lotherington, 828-350-8065, jaloth@bellsouth.net . We will hike from Roaring Creek Road to Yellow Mountain Gap at which point we join the AT, along an open ridge to Little Hump Mt and on to Hump Mt where will have lunch on a grassy bald at 5587 ft. We return to Yellow Mt Gap and take the Overmountain Victory Loop back to the car park. The fabulous vistas and meadows full of flowers make the drive and moderately strenuous walk very much worth while. *ONLY MEETING PLACE. Rose's car park, across from McDonalds at the US 25/70 Weaverville exit at 8:40 AM. Topos: Carver's Gap, White Rocks Mtn.
NO HIKE SCHEDULED, NO LEADER AVAILABLE Aug. 16
WEDNESDAY NO. W0603-247 Aug. 23 Ivestor Gap Blueberry Hike 8:30 AM* Hike 6, Drive 76, rated B-C Ken and Carol Deal, 828-281-4530, cnkdeal@charter.net P400 Our traditional hike to the picking fields of Grassy Cove Top in the Shining Rock Wilderness. Limit 10 hikers. Call for reservation. *Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form carpools, and meet leaders at BRP Cold Mountain Overlook at 9:15 AM for carpooling to Big Sam parking area.
ALL DAY NO. A0603-124 July 23 Clingman’s Dome and Mt. Collins 8:00 AM Hike 9, Drive 150, 2500 ft. ascent, Rated B-AA Lenny Bernstein, 828-236-0192, lsberns@worldnet.att.net SB6K, 900M Two SB6K peaks! This beautiful hike was rained out in the last quarter, so we’re trying again, with a revised routing. We will hike the AT from Newfound Gap, over Mt. Collins (6188 ft.) to Clingman’s Dome (6643 ft.), enjoy the views. Second meeting place: Maggie Valley Post Office at 8:30 AM, but call leader first. Topo: Clingman’s Dome
Photographs by Ashok Kudva
Most names in this report have been deleted to protect the guilty.
As I hike leader, I have occasionally misplaced a hiker or two on the trail, but this is the first time I have ever lost two in the parking lot.
It all started auspiciously enough, when a couple visiting Asheville from St. Louis showed up at Westgate. The woman had e-mailed me earlier and asked to join our hike. While she was not a hiker, she was in training to run a marathon, so I thought she would be able to handle the hike. I had told her what she needed to bring, and she and her husband were appropriately equipped for the hike.
This was a shuttle hike. The visitors had shown up in the largest vehicle, so I asked them to drive. Since they were not familiar with the area, I asked one of our more experienced hikers and his friend to accompany the visitors. After telling everybody that we would meet again at the end of the Clingman's Dome Road, we left. When we got to the end of the Clingman's Dome Road, all were accounted for except the four people in the van from St. Louis. Several of us looked around the parking lot, but didn't see them. We guessed that they had misunderstood and were waiting for us at the Newfound Gap parking area, the beginning of the hike.
We organize the shuttle and went back to Newfound Gap. Our guess was half right, the woman from St. Louis and the friend of the experienced hiker were there, but not the man from St. Louis or the experience hiker. According to the woman from St. Louis they were supposed to be at the end of the Clingman's Dome Road. We waited for a few minutes, then I asked Bruce Bente to lead the hike. It was almost 10:30 and long past time to get on the trail.
I took the woman from St. Louis back to the end of the Clingman's Dome Road, and sure enough, there were her husband and the experienced hiker. After shouting "Where were you?" at each other for about a minute, everyone piled into my car for another trip back to Newfound Gap. By now we were about 40 minutes behind the rest of the hike. But this was not the end of the saga. The woman from St. Louis was in great shape. Unfortunately, her husband wasn't. On the first uphill, he decided that the hike was more than he bargained for and turned back to Newfound Gap, where he spent the rest of the day.
The rest of the hike was uneventful. The weather was great, just cloudy enough to keep the temperature pleasant. The Turk's Cap lilies were in full bloom and beautiful. We caught up with the rest of the group at the Clingman's Dome Tower. They also had had a great hike. My thanks to Ashok Kudva for the picture of the group on top on the Tower.
I am sure that there is a lesson to be learned from this experience, but I haven't figured it out yet -- unless it is that Murphy's Law has yet to be repealed.
Lenny Bernstein
SATURDAY NO. A0603-242 July 29 Sam Knob – Devils Courthouse Loop 8:30 AM* Hike 9, Drive 75, ascend 800 ft., Rated A-B Stuart English, 828-883-2447, stuengo@citcom.net SB6K, P400 *Note later starting time. This hike in the cool high elevations is perfect for a hot summer day. From FS 816 we will ascend Sam Knob (6040 ft.) with its 360 degree views, then hike though high meadows on the Flat Laurel and Little Sam Trails and the MST via Devils Courthouse (with its great views). We then return via the MST across FS 816 and up to the summit of Black Balsam (6214 ft.), then down a short, steep manway to our cars. Second meeting place: Cold Mtn. overlook on BRP at 9:00 AM. Topo: Sam Knob; also Nat’l. Geographic PRD map
Well, if there were ever any doubt, I am not Tom Sanders. It rains on my
hikes
When 11 hikers got to the trail, it was raining, windy, and rather
cold. Nevertheless we started out. When at the top of Sam's Knob, (wind
blowing rain so hard you could barely stand up) the not-so fearless leader
gave them every chance to turn back. They would have none of it. CMC hikers
are a fearless bunch. So we slogged on up Flat Laurel Creek Trail to Little
Sam Trail, and the MST and then Devil's Courthouse. The rain slacked off
some, but it was still very windy. The temperature never left the fifties.
At Chestnut Bald, Charley Ferguson, Steve Pierce, and new member Richard
Banks left the trail and bushwhacked to the summit to bag an SB6K peak. When
we got back to FS816 the rain had ceased and it had started to clear off. We
climbed Black Balsam and went back down a newly constructed Black Balsam
Connector trail back to our cars. Welcome new member Richard Banks to our
club. He's already bagged three SB6K peaks. (that I know about) Stuart
English
ALL DAY NO. A0603-494 July 30 Buck Spring Gap to Rich Gap to Little Pisgah Ridge 8:00 AM Hike 10.6, Drive 65,
3200 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA+ Don Walton, 828-654-9904, donwalton@bellsouth.net P400 This new CMC hike will start at the Buck Spring Gap overlook and go toward Yellow Gap on the Laurel Mtn. Trail. At Rich Gap take an old trail down to the Big Creek trail. Go up this trail and continue up on the Little Pisgah Ridge Trail to the BRP, and walk along the BRP and on an old trail to our cars.
Three people hiked the lovely and challenging hike in reverse down the
Little Pisgah Ridge on the Big Creek Trail. Then we bushwhacked up the steep
sloop to the Laurel Mtn Trail. On the way up to Rich Mtn we stopped to see
the 5' across heavy metal tub in the middle of the forest. This was reported
to me by someone a year ago as an object that had to have fallen out of the
sky! We ate lunch at Rich Gap and moved on seeing a group of Outward Bound
on the way. We did the almost 11 miles in less than 6 hours and looked over
our route from above at Buck Springs Overlook. Don Walton
HALF-DAY No.H0603-068 July 23 Balsam Gap to Point Misery 12:30 PM*
Hike 6, Drive 60, Rated B-BJorge Munoz, 828-658-0606, jmunoz@buncombe.main.nc.us
*Note early start time. This in-and-out hike begins at Balsam Gap (milepost 359.7) on the Blue Ridge Parkway and follows the ridge crest to Point Misery, with superb views of Mt. Mitchell and the Blacks. Second meeting place: Craven Gap at 12:50 PM.
*** No report ***
HALF-DAY No. H0603-101 July 30 Lower Big Laurel Creek 1:00 PM* Hike 6, Drive 60, Rated B-CKaren Bartlett, 828-645-0291, kbart@buncombe.main.nc.us
*Note early start time. This is an easy in-and-out hike on a rocky trail along a beautiful white water stream near Hot Springs to the site of an old logging camp at. Over 250 species of vascular plants have been identified along this trail, including five endangered species.Ten hikers set out along the Laurel River in the warm humid weather. The shaded path and breezes from the river kept the temperatures bearable. I was happy to see that many of the rock “cairns” were back on the rocks in the river, as they had disappeared during my scouting expedition. We passed through the ghost town of Runion and stopped along the river for a rest and snack. Walking on to the confluence of the Laurel and French Broad Rivers, we spotted a blue heron and Canada goose. A good afternoon’s outing. Karen
WEDNESDAY NO. W0603-530 July 19 Bent Creek Loop #10 -Stradley Mountain via Rice Pinnacle. 9:00 AM Hike 8, Drive 25, 900 ft. ascent, Rated B-B Sherman Stambaugh, 828 254 1736 P400 This moderate hike is in the eastern part of Stradley Mountain. It is probably a new hike for most. Great views of Hominy Valley. We will return by Boyd Branch and Deer Lake Lodge Trail. Second meeting place: Ingles across from Biltmore Square Mall on NC 191 at 9:15 AM.
This may have been the last time Sherman leads a hike. We want to thank him for his many years of service to CMC. He will continue to guide us with his wisdom and long experience.
WEDNESDAY NO. W0603-237 July 26 Plott Balsams 8:00 AM Hike 9, Drive 90, 3400 ft. ascent, Rated B-AA+ Charlie Ferguson, 828-398-0213, ccferguson111@charter.net SB6K Here is your chance to climb all four of the 6000-footers in the Plott Balsams, and see spectacular views of the Smokies and nearby mountains. From Waterrock Knob, we will follow a very rough, steep trail over Browning Knob to Lyn Lowry and Plott Balsam. Then we will hike back to our starting point and then to the top of Yellow Face. The hike is strenuous due to the rough trail and climbing over fallen spruce trees on steep slopes. Wear long sleeves and pants. Topos: Hazelwood, Sylva North
Six hikers went on this very strenuous hike, including hikers from Boston, Annapolis and New Orleans. The sky was mostly clear with very good views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. We walked through big meadows with abundant and varied wildflowers, picked blueberries and blackberries, and did a lot of difficult hiking. The four 6K peaks we visited are some of the more difficult ones to reach. We had many rest stops and had lunch at the top of Plott Balsam. Our pace was fairly slow to conserve energy. 10 hours of hiking and 2 hours of driving made for a full day. Everyone finished the hike without incident, and all had a feeling of accomplishment.
Charlie Ferguson
All-day hikes submitted by Bruce Bente 692-0116, bbente@cytechusa.com . 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 Paula Robbins 828-687-1651 paularww@bellsouth.net. Leaders: Mail please mail your sign-up sheets. Meet at Westgate unless otherwise noted.
Wednesday Hikes are submitted by Paula McNabb, 828- 274-0057paulamcnabb@charter.net and Ann Gleason, 828-859-9387, cowbonetail@yahoo.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.