Trail Maintenance, Garenflo Gap to Bluff Mountain, Appalachian Trail

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
7/6/2025	4 miles	6 hours 11 minutes	856'	1.1 mph	230.7 miles

Parking: 

• Garenflo Gap

Map:

• Gai GPS app

Directions:

• n/a

We haven't been getting out to do trail maintenance much this year due to my orthopedic issues. Normally we try to go out once a month. I did end up having to ask for help with weed whacking our section. I had tried to recruit some help, but the timing wasn't right for people. It usually takes us 3 very long days (8-9 hours per day) to get it done by ourselves. Luckily, we got help this year. Two groups went out to work on our section and finished weed whacking the top 1.4 miles near the Bluff Mountain summit. That left Glen and I with 2.7 miles left to do. Glen worked 8 hours, and I did 6 hours. Done! Phew! We removed some smaller down trees as well. We do need to go back soon and do some lopping - which is much easier work than weed whacking! A friend from my sewing class has comped me 2 beers at a brewery in Hot Springs. I still haven't been able to have them - it was getting late when we finished, and I was too hungry to stop in Hot Springs for the beer. I'm on a restricted diet while I prep for my upcoming colonoscopy :(

5-foot-tall weeds need some whacking!

Glen with his swing blade that we use for weed whacking.

Warren Wilson College Trails, Swannanoa

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
7/3/2025	3.5 miles	2 hours 6 minutes	224'	2.2 mph	226.7 miles

Parking: 

• Riceville Road, across the street from Berea Baptist Church

Map:

• Warren Wilson College Trails new

Directions:

• Keep taking right turns. Never cross a road, and when you get to a bridge, turn around.

Hike and some dog swimming on a hot day. The cicadas are all gone. 

Persian Silk Tree - a non-native invasive species in NC

Price Lake - kayaking and Price Lake Loop, Blowing Rock, NC

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/23/2025	2.5 miles	1 hour 6 minutes	40'	2.2 mph	223.2 miles

Parking: 

• Price Lake Boat Rentals, Blue Ridge Parkway

Map:

• None needed

Directions:

• Hike counterclockwise around the lake from the boat launch parking area.

Glen, Marie, Krumm, and I went kayaking today at Price Lake. We are in the middle of a heat wave, so kayaking sounded like a great idea. I think of Price Lake as being at higher elevation, but its only 3,410', so while it is cooler than Asheville, it was still quite hot. The folks who work at the boat rental are always very nice. When they saw Krumm, they asked if we wanted a no slip mat for our kayak - but we actually bring our own yoga mat for him. We had a fun time kayaking. We let Krumm jump from my boat to Marie's boat - a good thing to practice. We've been doing a lot of swimming practice locally this summer, so he's getting more confident about jumping out of the kayak. Once he's on shore, he wants to wade along the shore rather than jump back into the kayak. Some year I hope to own our own kayaks.

After our kayak, we hiked the Price Lake Loop, a short flat loop around the lake. Part of it was shaded, but when the trail was in the sun, it was hot. Not as hot as Asheville, but ugh, enough with this heat. We saw some very cool fish - blue/grey and yellow/red ones. 

Krumm after kayak jumping!

Taking a break to fetch sticks

Any fish experts who can identify these 2 species?

Grassy Ridge Bald from Carvers Gap, Roan, TN

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/20/2025	5.3 miles	4 hours	990'	1.6 mph	220.7 miles

Parking: 

• Carver's Gap

Map:

• Gaia GPS app

Directions:

• Head north on the AT. Where the trail splits, head right towards Grassy Ridge Bald. Hike to the summit. We went a little beyond the summit. Return the same way.

Last minute decision to head to Carver's Gap to beat the heat. I've hiked here a few times, but I've never been able to go in June when the rhododendrons are blooming. This is my favorite hike in our area and going when the rhododendrons and flame azaleas are in bloom has been on my bucket list. 

This was a hard hike for me this time due to hip pain, but it was worth it. I took pain drugs at the top, but I should have taken them before I started hiking. No dog swimming on this hike :) It was much cooler up here compared to Asheville, despite being in direct sun a lot of the time. A beautiful day. Sooo many people on the trail, which is expected, especially this time of year. There was a trail ambassador posted near an area which has a number of the rare grays lilies. We saw many backpackers. I'm trying to decide if I feel up to backpacking it. I'd love to stay on top of Grassy Bald, but I don't think there are any water sources up there....so staying on the AT next to a shelter would be more doable. 

Flame azaleas

Grays lilies

Rhododendron leaf gall

A very tame deer joined us on the summit of Grassy Ridge Bald

Lunch spot view

Lots of blueberry plants along the trail