It was so hot this past weekend I couldn’t muster the ambition for an ambitious hike; best I could do was 4.6 miles on the mountain-biking single-track at the park across the road. Tanglewood Park has a raft of amenities,…
Destinations
Places I’ve hiked and you should hike.
Revisiting the peak of Pilot Mountain
by tom • July 18, 2010 • 7 Comments
I’m warming to this idea: at least one sweltering outing a year at the top of Pilot Mountain, just to test the principle that there’s no bad time to hike up there. I finished a sweat-drenched wretch on Sunday just…
Quick trip to Clingmans Dome
by tom • July 12, 2010 • 7 Comments
The road to Clingmans Dome — highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park — opened a few weeks back after a long closure for renovations, so it’s been high on my list of places to check out.
Craggy Gardens minus the rhododendrons
by tom • July 3, 2010 • 6 Comments
Craggy Gardens, about 20 miles north of Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway, is a must visit in mid-June, when the peak bloom of the Catawba rhododendron lights up vast swaths of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
One more at Grandfather Mountain — Profile Trail to Calloway Peak
by tom • June 27, 2010 • 6 Comments
I’ve proved beyond doubt that Grandfather Mountain is no place to hike if you’re in a hurry. I’ve established a firm 1.1 mph pace after five outings totaling about 25 miles. Sign for the Profile Trail, seen heading north on…
Dan River to Hanging Rock via Indian Creek Trail
by tom • June 13, 2010 • 7 Comments
One-word summary of this outing: Wet. Sweat on the way up, rain on the way down. I finished soaked from the top of my cap to the soles of my shiny new New Balance trail runners. Yes, I took rain…
Grandfather Mountain: Swinging Bridge and MacRae Peak
by tom • June 6, 2010 • 19 Comments
This is a great combo if you’re into contrasts: start out with a sane, scenic hike to the Mile High Swinging Bridge, then move on to the utterly crazy ridge route to Macc Peak. There’s a certain sanity to the…
First look: South Mountains State Park
by tom • May 16, 2010 • 8 Comments
It took me 30 years to rediscover how much I liked walking in the woods, so I guess it’s an improvement that it took a mere nine months to discover a park that suits me almost perfectly. South Mountains State…
Walking and racing at Tanglewood Park
by tom • May 9, 2010 • 1 Comment
I had to run a few errands this weekend so there was no time for a long drive to the mountains. Had to make do with a few hours in Tanglewood Park, a mostly flat and only mildly interesting hiking…