Warren Wilson College Trails, Swannanoa

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
1/1/2025	2.5 miles	1 hour 23 minutes	119'	2.2 mph	2.5 miles

Parking: 

• Across the street from Berea Baptist Church, Riceville Rd.

Map:

• Gaia GPS app
• Warren Wilson College Trails new

Directions:

• Misc trails

Happy New Years!

2024 Wrap Up:

• Hiked 779 miles
• Visited 10 new National Parks (Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Indiana Dunes, Mammoth Caves, Carlsbad Caverns, White Sands, Congaree, Guadalupe Mountains, US Virgin Islands)
• Hiked to 1 state high point (Texas)
• Hiked the Fisherman's Trail in Portugal
• Snorkeled for the first time
• Saw a total eclipse
• Saw the northern lights from my yard
• Learned how to knit (2 hats)
• Learned how to sew garments (many things!)
• Post Helene - volunteered in my community & collected dog food for donations

2025 Goals:

• Visit 8 new National Parks
• Hike to 2 state high points (Michigan, Wisconsin)
• Hike 800 miles
• Knit my first sweater
• Sew my first underwire bra (that fits)
• Sew myself a backpack
• Sew a pair of jeans

I'm still having joint pain, but the best way to start off the new year is with a hike. I've been reflecting on 2025 goals to set for myself. I like to set hiking mileage goals, but it's hard when I'm suffering with joint pain. Then again, if I were to hike 2.3 miles a day, I would reach my 800 miles per year goal. That sounds very doable. I keep reminding myself that the pain is temporary. At some point it will get better.

On today's hike, we saw a wet human in a bathing suit! What? She decided to take a New Year's Day plunge in the river that runs through the park. Wow! Krumm said he wanted to do his own polar plunge, so we obliged. Glen and I stood on the riverbank and stayed dry :) After 2.5 miles, I returned to the car, and worked on that knitting sweater goal, while Glen went back out to hike another 2 miles.

 

Shivering after his swim, but it was worth it!