Bent Creek from Rice Pinnacle Parking Area

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
10/13/2026	4.4 miles	2 hours 15 minutes	339'	1.9 mph	296.9

Parking: 

• Rice Pinnacle Parking Area, Rice Pinnacle Road

Map:

• Gai GPS app

Directions:

• Misc trails

My friend Marie invited me to help scout a half day hike she will be leading for the Carolina Mountain Club. Krumm and I joined her. A nice crisp autumn day in the woods. The parking lot was busy, but we didn't encounter too many mountain bikers on the trail. We did run into another CMC member - neither of us knew him. No swimming on this hike for Krumm. I only took one photo, because we were too busy chatting.

Morocco Day 3 - Marrakech

10/19/2026

Some people woke up early to catch a sunset from our riad's rooftop. I slept through it.

After breakfast at our riad, 4 of us decided to visit a local art supply store. It was a ways away, and we walked there. We left the walled medina and entered a less touristy environment. It was hot, hot, hot! We made it to the art supply store and checked it out. I only saw one product from Morocco - some colored paper. Other brands were things you could easily get in the US.

We found a spot to sketch on the sidewalk on our walk home. We needed shade. We wondered if it was considered socially acceptable to sit on the sidewalk and sketch, but no one complained. A few people stopped to check out our sketches. If I haven't mentioned, most people we encountered spoke Arabic and French. Fewer people spoke any English - sometimes it was just enough English to sell you things. One person in our group had studied French for a year using DuoLingo, which did help our group. 

We started walking the rest of the way home, but it was so hot! Regarding water - tap water is not potable. Everyone drinks bottled water - still or sparkling. Bottled water is sold everywhere. We ended up grabbing taxis and returned to our riad. One thing about riding taxis - taxi drivers often don't speak English. We learned that it's good to have the name of your riad written out in Arabic, to show your taxi driver.

In the evening, we went out to a higher end rooftop restaurant in the medina. They had photos of many famous people who eaten there. This was one of the few places we found that served alcohol. Most Muslims don't drink, so alcohol is hard to find. Many restaurants do serve mocktails. What was for dinner for me? Vegetarian tagine! That was pretty much dinner every night for me, lol. I love vegetarian tagine, but by the end of the trip, I was trying to find anything else I could eat. Our waiter saw us sketching and told us he is an artist too. He did a quick sketch for us. At the end of the meal, he gave each of us a coloring book he had created with scenes from Morocco.

Sunrise from our riad's rooftop, with a mosque in the distance.

Exiting the gates of the medina

Checking out the art store

Sketching a hotel

I wanted to sketch this mosque, but there was no shade.

Dinner sketching

What's for dinner? Tagine of course!

Bull Creek Preserve, Swannanoa

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
10/12/2026	3.3 miles	1 hour 50 minutes	140'	2.1 mph	292.5

Parking: 

• Riceville Road, across the street from Berea Baptist Church

Map:

• Gai GPS app

Directions:

• Misc trails

My siblings have gone home, so it's time to get back to hiking with Krumm. I had hoped to go to Dupont, but I had too many errands to do today. I was feeling low energy, but hiking helped perk me up. There were a few new blowdowns from this week's hurricane.

 

Morocco Day 2 - Marrakech

 9/18/2026

More people in our group arrived in Marrakech today. We visited a couple famous spots within the medina.

We went out sketching at the famous Koutoubia Mosque. The mosque is 253 tall and was built in the 12th century. Non-Muslims are not allowed inside, but we were able to see a bit of the inside while walking by. Shade was scarce, but we were able to find a tiny sliver of shade for sketching.

We also visited Jemaa el-Fnaa, the main square in the medina. There are juice stalls, vendors, and lots of activity in the square. We saw a snake charmer. If you go up to them, they'll charge you money to take photos, but I was able to watch from a distance.  We also saw a couple of men with monkeys on chains. I was really sad about this, as it was clear the monkeys were mistreated. UNESCO recognizes the square's cultural importance. The square feels like one big tourist attraction, with many people asking you to buy things when you walk by. It's easy to just ignore them though and keep walking.

Walking in the medina - you have to pay attention. There are people riding motorbikes through the streets. Somehow, none of us managed to get run over. We'd also see people with donkeys carrying carts, as well as people pushing carts of goods. We'd hug the walls when they went by.

In the evening, Chiara and I walked in the medina to do late night sketching. We have heard that people don't like to take their photos taken, but no one complained that we were standing out there sketching. Many of the souks have signs saying "No photos."

Each guest is welcomed with mint tea and cookies in our riad.
It is a sign of hospitality to pour the tea from a high height.

Sometimes we'd get an omelet for breakfast

All of the interesting old tiles in Morocco remind me of the tiles in Portugal

Walking in the medina.
I didn't take too many photos inside the medina,
because it's not polite to take photos of Moroccans without asking permission.

The first of many cat photos I took. 
Stray cats are everywhere. 
Stray dogs are not.

The entrance to our riad.

The Koutoubia Mosque in the distance. 
There are many mosques in the medina, but this one is the most famous.

Heading to the ATM in Jemaa el Fnaa, the large central square in the medina

The most famous mosque in the medina

Our mini-throwdown

There was a garden next to the mosque.
Still, very limited shade.

Lunch at a restaurant overlooking the square

We weren't sure how safe it was to eat uncooked vegetables.
All of us did and didn't get sick.

This type of bread is served at every meal in Morocco.

I felt so bad for the monkeys.

Walking inside the medina.
We had to keep aware to not get run over by motorbikes weaving between the crowds.

We saw a few souks selling pigments

Street sign in the medina.
A "Derb" is typically a dead-end street.

Our riad had a small rooftop pool.
Just large enough to cool off after being outside all day.

We ate a delicious meal inside our riad.

Looking down at our group of sketchers in our riad

Chiara and I went out for some quick night sketches in the medina.

Morocco Day 1 - Marrakech

9/17/2026

Not a hiking trip, but worth blogging about. In September, I went to Morocco for a sketching workshop with Christina Wald. I broke up my trip, first flying to Paris, staying at the airport overnight, and then flying to Marrakech.

I arrived early in order to spend some time in Marrakech before the workshop. I stayed at Riad Dalla Santa inside the medina. What is a riad? It's an old house converted into a small hotel. Inside a riad, there is an inner open air courtyard and a fountain. Everyone says if you visit Morocco, you should stay in a riad. What is a medina? It's a walled historic city. The medina in Marrakech is 2.7 square miles. It's a labyrinth of narrow streets, not open to cars (though you will find motorbikes and donkeys inside). Inside the medina are souks, mosques, and riads. 

I picked up money at an exchange in the Marrakech airport. The currency is dirham, often shown as MAD. We sometimes went to ATM's to get money too - this sometimes proved to be challenging - sometimes we'd have to try a few before we got one to give us money. Many places here only take cash, not credit cards, so its good to get a reasonable amount of cash.

I worked with our riad to arrange a driver to pick me up at the airport. Aziz, the Riad Dalla Santa manager met my taxi at an entrance to the riad. This was ideal, because getting lost in the medina is very common (and yet fun). Aziz and Christina walked me to the riad, where I was welcomed with mint tea and Moroccan cookies before being shown to my room. Despite the noise and busyness of the medina, the riad is a quiet sanctuary. Christina and I went out to dinner at Le Jardin, a restaurant that was very close to our medina. 

Inside the riad, looking at the open air courtyard.

A gate next to our riad

Christina and I went to Le Jardin for dinner

My bedroom