Agile Trekker

Sunday, July 5, 2026

Craggy Gardens

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/30/2026	0.9 miles	?	?	? mph	197.9

Parking:

Craggy Gardens Visitor Center

Map:

Gaia GPS app

Directions:

Take the trail on the left side of the parking lot. Turn left immediately after the pavilion. Return the same way.

Hot and very humid day in the 90's. Rather than just not hike, we headed up to Craggy Gardens for a mini hike. Temps were pleasant in the mid-70's. Being July 4th, there were tons of people on the trail. Still, we managed to snag a spot under our favorite tree, and no one joined us. Bugs were out. I threw Krumm's toy as I often do up there. Unfortunately, he overheated after a while. We offered him water, made him lie down and rest, and when we felt it was safe, we headed back down. The high humidity must have affected him. We headed down just as it was starting to thunder. We got him in the air- conditioned car, and by the time we got home, he was feeling all better.

Too hot. Time to cool down.

Bull Creek Preserve, Swannanoa

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/30/2026	3.5 miles	2 hours 3 minutes	220'	2.0 mph	197

Parking:

Riceville Road, across the street from Berea Baptist Church

Map:

Gaia GPS app

Directions:

Misc trails

Hot and very humid day. We took Krumm for his swim. Looking forward to fall.

Monday, June 29, 2026

Bull Creek Preserve, Swannanoa

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/28/2026	3.5 miles	1 hour 53 minutes	175'	2.2 mph	193.5

Parking:

Riceville Road, across the street from Berea Baptist Church

Map:

Gaia GPS app

Directions:

Misc trails

Warm and very humid day. We took Krumm for his swim. Today's excitement was seeing a small turtle on the trail and two bears on the drive home.

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Three Lakes Trail, Dupont State Recreational Forest

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
6/24/2026	4 miles	1 hour 57 minutes	173'	2.2 mph	190

Parking:

High Falls Access Area

Map:

Gaia GPS app

Directions:

Take the High Falls Trail from the parking lot. At the big intersection, turn right then left to take Buck Forest Road. Cross Little River at the covered bridge (top of High Falls). Turn right onto Conservation Road. Turn left onto Three Lakes Trail. Pass Lake Dense, Lake Alford, and Lake Julia. Turn right onto Conservation Road. Turn left onto Buck Forest Road. Turn right onto Covered Bridge Trail. At the big intersection follow the sign/High Falls Trail back to the parking lot.

Finally, a trip out to Dupont. Even though it's a weekday, the park was busy - I guess because it was a nice day & schools are out. We've hiked the Three Lakes Trail before, and I figured it would be a nice one to do on a warm day, to give Krumm a chance to go swimming. Once we left the gravel roads and got onto the Three Lakes Trail, it was quieter. We did encounter a couple of mountain biker groups on the trail though. We passed by our first lake, and I decided I didn't want Krumm to swim in it. We've swum there before. The second lake which I thought would be too mucky for him to swim in turned out to be fine. We stopped and threw his floaty toy. He kept losing his floaty toy in the grass. I guess it blends in very well. He did a great job swimming in much deeper water than he gets at the creek. He had a blast. We continued by Lake Julia - the trail never approaches the shore, however. Back to the car. Even though I think of Dupont as a place where I could get away with shorts while hiking due to the wider trails, I ended up finding a tick on my stomach when I got home. Ick.