Black Balsam Hike

For Labor Day weekend we headed to the mountains. We left Friday morning and arrived at the Black Balsam Trailhead past Graveyard Fields around 9:30, still finding plenty of parking. The Art Loeb Trail was beautiful.

The first short stretch wound through forest where we spotted some interesting mushrooms.

Then the trail opened onto the bald with amazing expansive views

Goldenrod were blooming all along the trail.

There was a lot of snakeroot blooming as well and a few gentians.

Honey bees were busy pollinating the flowers.

The trail was open and the views were fantastic the entire way up.

Harper hiked most of the way and handled the rocky sections and steps really well.

We carried her the final stretch to the summit.

The views from the top were phenomenal, though it was fairly crowded.

She hiked most of the way back down as well. 

From there we drove south on NC-215, turned onto Tanassee Gap Road, then after about 1.5 miles took the gravel Pressley Fields Road. We stopped at a pull-off just past the second “area under surveillance” sign.  Access was steep and difficult enough that we left Harper and Amaroq napping in the car and took turns. I scrambled down to Tucker Creek and walked upstream about 0.1 miles through water that never got deeper than mid-calf to the lovely Tucker Creek Falls.

Even with low flow it looked great, and it seems to be pretty unknown.

Amanda took her turn next.

While waiting I spotted a pretty Diana fritillary butterfly in the road and a hickory tussock moth caterpillar on a plant.

We continued back to NC-215 and stopped at Mill Shoals, which was crowded.

Harper wasn’t interested in playing in the water, so we skipped Bird Rock Falls. Just past there we turned onto Macedonia Church Road and after about half a mile found a short path to Lemon Falls on Lamance Creek.

It's small but scenic, and we had nice lighting nice light.

The water level was low so I could cross the creek at the base.

We finished the day in Brevard with dinner and drinks at Oskar Blues. Harper played and didn’t eat much, so we boxed her meal and checked into the Sunset Motel.

Turtleback Falls

Saturday, we headed to the mountains for the weekend in search of cooler temperatures. Our first stop was Gorges State Park, where we parked at the Rainbow Falls Trailhead. The trail begins along an old road, and at first it seemed like it would be manageable with the stroller. Harper walked part of the way, and the smooth trail made pushing the stroller fairly easy. There were a couple of creek crossings, but even those weren't too difficult to navigate. Once we crossed into Pisgah National Forest, however, the trail became much less stroller-friendly. Roots, rocks, and numerous steps made progress slow and challenging. Several times I had to pick up the stroller and carry it over obstacles, and by the time we reached Turtleback Falls, I was completely exhausted. Fortunately, the cool water was the perfect reward. I spent some time sliding down Turtleback Falls while Sandy, Amaroq, and Harper stayed on dry land and watched. The water was icy cold but incredibly refreshing after the strenuous hike. After enjoying the falls for a while, we continued to nearby Rainbow Falls, where we took photos and admired the impressive cascade.

A few adventurous visitors were even free-climbing the rock face before jumping into the pool below.

The return hike was a little easier, but the experience confirmed that this is definitely not a trail I'd attempt with a stroller again. 

After leaving the park, we drove to Brevard for dinner at Oskar Blues. Harper had a great time playing with a couple of little boys and a toy dump truck, happily filling it with gravel and dumping it back out again. From there, we continued to Flat Rock and checked into the Mountain Inn for the evening, ready to relax after a long day of hiking and adventure.

Arboretum Trolls

On Saturday, we took Harper and Amaroq to Asheville for a delightful troll-hunting adventure at the North Carolina Arboretum's Trolls: A Field Study exhibit by Thomas Dambo.

We arrived in the morning and kicked off our quest with Lilnut, the net-wielding troll right near the parking area. 

She nearly snagged Amaroq as he curiously sniffed around her.

Just a bit further along the lot stood Boge, looking like he was ready to grab hold of something (or someone!).

We wandered down the garden paths next, where Kirse greeted us mid-handstand.

There was a fun natural playground nearby, but the chilly weather kept Harper from playing too long. Continuing on the Natural Garden Trail, we soon spotted Poppy (or Poppi), who was armed with a fishing net and a handful of old cell phones, clearly fascinated by human gadgets.

Up in the meadow, Hasse had us laughing with her upside-down pose, peering between her legs.

We looped back onto the trail and passed Birch with his hiking stick.

At the end, we descend to the serene Willow Pond

Across, Anja was busy counting her collection of rocks.

From there, we climbed up toward the visitor center. Just outside stood Wilde, sketching a human figure on his phone with great concentration.

We pressed on through the gardens to find the final few: Bignut, who triumphantly caught Amaroq in his net.

Valle, peacefully napping in the garden.

Taks, ever the explorer, was searching intently with his net in hand.

Last but not least was Larke, sporting a dumpster on her head— a quirky reminder of human habits! With all twelve trolls checked off our list, we enjoyed a short hike along the Carolina Mountain Trail.

It wound down, following Wolf Branch to Bent Creek Road, then connected to the Bent Creek Forest area.

Instead of sticking to the road, we took the Creekside Trail.

Running parallel to the road, there were prettier views of the creek.

From there, we detoured onto the Ethnobotany Trail and through the Native Azalea Garden - I can only imagine how stunning it must be in spring when the azaleas are in full bloom. 

We looped back up via Running Cedar Road.

The Bonsai Exhibition Garden isn't dog-friendly, so we took turns exploring it.

After that, we headed out and stopped for a tasty dinner at Ecusta Brewing in Brevard before checking into the cozy Sunset Motel for the night. What a wonderful, whimsical day - highly recommend it for families, dogs included!

Middle Prong MST Hike

On Saturday, we whisked Harper and Amaroq off to the mountains for a weekend of waterfalls and vibrant fall foliage. We'd planned to hike Black Balsam Knob, but the parking lot was full, so we pivoted to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail lot on NC-215. Heading westbound on the trail, we crossed Bubbling Spring Branch into Middle Prong Wilderness, veered left off the path, and bushwhacked through a campsite to a social trail along the creek. After another crossing, we arrived at the base of Lower Bubbling Spring Branch Falls.

We took turns scrambling over the rocks for photos while keeping the kids safely below.

Refreshed from the falls, we crossed once more and tackled a steep climb, pausing for one final creek crossing before reaching Upper Bubbling Spring Branch Falls.

The rising sun made for tricky lighting, but a striking rock at the base, fringed with ferns, made it memorable.

We retraced our steps to the main trail, where Harper hopped out of the backpack and hiked independently for a stretch.

A mile in, switchbacks led to a viewpoint of Mount Hardy Falls (though the flow was modest in these dry conditions).

Past here were some nice views of the Balsam Mountains.

We pressed on another mile before turning back.

Driving south on NC-215, we stopped at Living Waters Ministry and followed a path to Mill Shoals.

It's a stunning double waterfall where North Fork French Broad River meets Shoal Creek, framed by pops of autumn color.

Shoal Creek Falls is just below the red building.

We clambered over the rocks, then took a short downstream trail past several inviting cascades, including Pancake Falls.

It's a small waterfall but flows over interesting rocks resembling a stack of pancakes.

The short trail ended at Bird Rock Falls. Even in low water, a gentle trickle veiled the massive cliff above the falls.

Several families splashed nearby, but we snapped a few photos and moved on.

For dinner, we pulled into Forks of the River Taproom, grabbing hearty wraps from the Levi's Lunchbox food truck and indulgent cake balls for dessert.  Harper enjoyed playing with the gravel around the picnic tables.  With full bellies, we checked into the Sunset Motel to unwind.