A day in Asheville

Thursday June 28

[Sorry about the delay in the trip details. Moving interfered, but photos are now up in the earlier trip entries.]

This day was a rest day to recover from the previous 4 days of hiking. A lazy day was spent, including a slow stroll through Asheville to photograph some of its architectural variety.

First up, this is the courthouse.

I think this is/was a bank building.

Interesting detail on local retail/commercial building.

Outside the convention center are these statues capturing local music and dance tradition.


Dinner was at Limones in Asheville, and featured quite possibly the smoothest chocolate mousse I've ever had. Yum.

Clingman's Dome

Sunday June 24 to Wednesday June 27

On a fine warm North Carolina morning I set out to climb Clingman's Dome. Here are a few factoids about it, before we get started:

• It's the highest point on the Appalachian Trail.


• It's the highest point in the state of Tennessee.


• Its summit observation tower is pretty close to ADA-accessible. Wheelchairs and stroller will make it, but not without assistance (the steep grade, mostly)


• It's a great place to see the Smoky Mountains


• Other than the access road, it's probably a 20-mile round trip (and at least 3-4000 feet of elevation) to the summit.
  

The National Park authorities require (free) permits before going into the backcountry. This is probably a Good Thing, since they know where to look for you. Camping in the backcountry is free, and restricted to campsites, most of which are fairly basic -- fire grates, food-hanging cables (to bearproof your site), some nearby water, and flat ground for your tent. The food-hanging cables were a new contraption to me, but easy to use.

Day 1 started with a brief 2+ hour hike (with full pack, thank you), to camp 74, which is near to Fontana Lake. After establishing camp, I spent the afternoon alternating between swimming in the lake (which was about 2-3 feet below "normal", and thus not that attractive, and fully exposed to summer sun), and relaxing in camp (shaded, moderately cool, but buggy).

Some of the trails in the park are open to horse-riding. This would be a recurring "feature" of the trail -- avoiding the horse droppings.

Day 2 was the first half of the Big Push: climb up about 2500' with a full pack, over a distance of about 8 miles. This was accomplished in about 6 1/2 hours, made exciting by a significant number of stream crossings (all manageable, but some were a fair amount of work when carrying a full load), and one ornery rattlesnake. The day ended at camp 68, where camp was erected in near-record time to be ready before rain arrived.

Day 3 was the second half of the Big Push: climb another 2500' with a day bag, an 8 mile round trip, plus another 2-3 miles of downhill under load to camp 69. The summit was a typical tourist-infested summit, but the views that day were quite nice (probably due to the rains of the day before).

Day 4 was the return to civilization -- about 8 miles of mostly downhill, but a spurt of up-and-down at the very end that is usually annoying because the muscles are all saying "we like going down, thank you".

After 3 1/2 days of not showering, hotel rooms are mighty nice.

Dinner was at Mela, a fine Indian restaurant in Asheville. I had quite possibly the best (certainly the freshest) Shahi Paneer I've ever had.

Happy trails!

Sassafras Mountain and Hendersonville

Saturday June 23

Today was divided between preparing for tomorrows departure into the Smokies, and a drive to the south of Asheville. The first destination, which was really more of an excuse for a country drive (besides being South Carolina's highest point), was Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina. Read the link, it's a decent description of what to expect. (My consolation is that I already knew what the view from there would be like.)

I also stopped in Hendersonville, NC, especially since I spotted some ice cream on a hot day. It also happens to be a place my parents occasionally visit, since it has a change ringing setup in one of its church towers.

Dinner was provided by an uninspired waitress at a largish Mexican restaurant. The food was filling and cheap, but also uninspired.

Asheville and Mount Mitchell

Thursday June 21

This day was partly a logistics day. Some necessary shopping, some supplies for at least tomorrow's assault on Mount Mitchell. I also visited the Folk Arts Center, which has nice displays and sales of contemporary regional folk arts, and a cool display on the design and construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway, going into some detail on the design principles that make the road as attractive as it is. I then drove on to Black Mountain, a small town outside Asheville with a one-street walkable downtown. Good for lunch, a haircut, and the necessary purchase of cooking gas for the upcoming trek into the Smokies.

Dinner was at the Laughing Seed Cafe, a place definitely Russell-unfriendly. Which means I liked it.

Friday June 22

This morning featured a hike up the highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Mount Mitchell is, amazingly enough, not on the Appalachian Trail, but it has lovely views out to the Smokies. Unfortunately, the very top of the summit was closed off due to the reconstruction of the observation platform.

Did I mention there was a road up to the summit area, and a concession stand? I actually hiked from further down, near where the access road meets the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trail featured some nice (if slightly after-peak) rhododendrons.

Dinner was at the Ophelia's World Cafe. It was good, but I really liked the other places I've eaten better.

Next update will not be until probably next Thursday, due to four-day hike into the Smokies.

Happy Trails!

On the move again

Hi there, I'm back!

The upcoming adventure this time is of a different sort. I'm about to sell the Raving Manse, and move into a slightly cozier abode in a nearby town. As I am forced by the unfortunate juxtaposition of property closings to be homeless for a period of 3 1/2 weeks, I am availing myself of this homeless period to embark on a modest road trip. Destination: North Carolina

What's there? Oh, some mountains, I hear. Stay tuned.