It has been a few years since we hiked the trails in the Green River Game Lands in Polk County. There are over 16 miles of trails with several possible loops. Although it was very hot, the shade in the woods made it bearable to be hiking… pretty much.

The recent rains made everything so green and lush. Interesting and colorful fungi were everywhere in the damp leaves on the forest floor. We look forward to exploring more when the weather cools.

On Sunday afternoon we revisited one of our favorite walks, the Point Lookout Trail in McDowell County. It is a paved trail that is popular with hikers and bikers. The trail runs between Ridgecrest and Old Fort and has some great views of the Royal Gorge and sometimes a train passes thru on the 19th. century railroad just below the level of the road.

We started out from the Old Fort end where the trail goes uphill at a gradual incline. The weather turned a bit ominous, so we headed back. The storm caught us before we made it back out and we got drenched. Way to get cooled off!

On July 3rd. we took a drive to Carter County TN. We hiked a bit of the Appalachian Trail where it crosses the NC. and TN state lines. The site of the long gone Cloudland Hotel is a pretty spot to visit about now as the beautiful rhododendrons are blooming. It was ten degrees cooler there than at home as well… always nice in July.

This nicely maintained Greenway is a real gem located just outside of Hendersonville, N.C.. Cyclists and pedestrians share the 2 lane trackway thru a variety of habitats including a very pretty meadow loaded with wildflowers. It will be fun to see the flowers change with the seasons.

There haven’t been too many chances to go hiking so far this spring. We are making do with very local walks. Here is Annie, almost two years old, sitting amongst the wild coreopsis flowers in May.

Morse Park at Lake Lure, NC is a very nice walk along the Lake with views of Chimney Rock and Rumbling Bald Mountain. There are some nice mini habitats along the walk including a little swamp with turtles and ducks.

Setrock Creek Falls is located near Burnsville, NC. This is a pretty spot and an easy walk to the falls. There is a trail head to Mt. Mitchell here as well.