Asheville Scouting Trip

Adam and I recently travelled to North Carolina to scout a few potential hikes for our newest Peaks and Paddle Trek. What we found were several amazing hikes with vistas bound to make even the weariest teenager stare at its beauty. We started our first hike at the Boone Fork trailhead, around mile marker 300 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Donned with backpacks and overnight gear, we headed up the Daniel Boone Scout Trail to the Hi-Balsam Shelter.

After grabbing a quick lunch and transitioning to daypacks, we left the shelter en route to Calloway Peak. At 5,964 feet, Calloway Peak is the highest point in the Blue Ridge Mountain Range. We shared the summit with a group of hikers from Ohio who had set up a slack line on the summit. They are braver than I to be walking across (basically) a tight rope with steep drops all around!

Continuing on the Grandfather Trail, the real fun began. We climbed up and down ladders, clung to cables to give us an extra boost up, and enjoyed the rockslide that makes up the “Attic Window.” Throughout the entire hike, we had views of the Blue Ridge Mountains in all directions. Our turnaround point for the hike (and the end point for our Peaks and Paddles hike) was the Grandfather Mountain famous Mile-High Swinging Bridge. It sits at 5,280 feet about sea level. Very cool! From here, Adam and I made the rocky trek back to the Hi-Balsam Shelter, our home for the night. As we returned, the trail let us know just how fast the outdoor temperature was dropping, with a thin sheet of ice on the rocks. We (carefully) made it back for one last sunset shot over Calloway Peak before retreating to the warmth of our sleeping bags for the night.

We woke to slightly sore muscles after the hilly hike from the day before. After warming up with hot cocoa and oatmeal, we headed back to the truck. The truck would take us to another iconic East Coast peak – Mt. Mitchell. Mt. Mitchell is known to be the highest peak on the east coast, along with the highest peak in the Appalachian Mountains. We thought it a fitting hike to add to our Peaks and Paddles trek.

Adam and I enjoyed lunch with a million dollar view before setting out on our hike. We went in two different directions in an effort to cover more ground in a shorter amount of time. I chose a 6.6-mile loop that started at the Mt. Mitchell summit, wound through a Balsam forest and along an old logging road, before climbing to the crest and following the crest back to the Mt. Mitchell summit. I enjoyed the heavenly scent of balsam and the challenge of an extremely steep grade before joining up with Adam at the junction of the Big Tom and Black Mountain Crest trails. Adam had chosen to follow the Black Mountain Crest Trail over Mt. Craig, Big Tom, and Balsam Cone.

As we followed the crest back to the truck, we were both thinking about how awesome the hikes were going to be on this trek. As Adam drove us along the Blue Ridge Parkway towards home, I kept thinking how much I love my job!