Deer Lake Lodge/Wolf Branch Loop

| October 26, 2020

Deer Lake Lodge/Wolf Branch Loop

5.78 miles; 374 ft. ascent; Asheville, NC This was a beautiful little hike (under 6 miles for a change) with not a lot of elevation and in the woods almost entirely. It was more reminiscent of hiking in Arcadia. There was a small stretch of boring forest road—I’ve grown to dislike those roads—and much more […]

Hard Times/Owl Ridge Loop

| October 23, 2020

Hard Times/Owl Ridge Loop

7.7 miles; 524 feet ascent; Asheville, NC A variation on the Hard Times/Arboretum Loop which I thought would be shorter but, no, nope, not shorter at all. Longer. Okay. Also, at about the 4.9 mile mark, it started to rain, and I mean RAIN. I got very wet. Although I must say I loved the […]

Laurel River Trail

| October 20, 2020

Laurel River Trail

9.73 miles; 7 feet ascent; Marshall, NC Oh, wow, what a beautiful trail! And considering it’s in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it’s a remarkably flat trail, too, with only 7 total feet of ascent. It follows the Laurel River out to its confluence with the French Broad River. Again, though, AllTrails said it […]

FW: Sleepy Gap to Bent Creek River Park

| October 12, 2020

FW: Sleepy Gap to Bent Creek River Park

7.7 miles; 475′ ascent; Arden and Asheville, NC Another Feisty Women hike. This has a heck of a lot less ascent than it felt like. Most of the climbing is at the beginning. Only had to stop while gasping for air once, so getting better. We had a lot of rain this past weekend as […]

Florence Nature Preserve, Blue-to-White Loop

| October 1, 2020

Florence Nature Preserve, Blue-to-White Loop

4.3 miles, 787 ft. total ascent; Gerton, NC This was a difficult hike [for me], as it was entirely uphill for the first 2 miles. Nothing especially steep, except for the first few 10ths of a mile from the parking lot, but still, a lotta work. Beautiful hike, though. No major waterfalls and no views, […]