All-day hikes submitted by Bruce Bente 828-692-0116, bbente@bellsouth.net. Driving distance is round-trip from Asheville. All Saturday and Sunday hikes assemble at Westgate Shopping Center parking lot near CVS (Exit 3B off I-240) UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. Some hikes will have second meeting places as described in hike listings. Please contact the hike leader if you are not sure of the meeting location.

ALL DAY NO. A0803-613 July 6
AT: Carvers Gap – Iron Mtn. Gap 8:00 AM
(strenuous)
Hike 13.8, Drive 130, 2500 or 4200 ft. ascent, Rated AA-AA+
Tish Desjardins, 828-656-2191, desraylet@aol.com and Susanna Whitaker, 828-808-3071, susannawhitaker@hotmail.com
SB6K Come and enjoy cool weather at the higher elevations. This long and beautiful key swap hike on the AT hasn’t been done by CMC in 9 years, and offers dense forests, spectacular views and two SB6K summits along the way. Expect late return. Topos: Carvers Gap, Bakersville, Iron Mtn. Gap; also Nat’l. Geo. South Holston and Watauga Lakes map #783

ALL DAY No. A0803-242 July 6
Sam Knob – Devils Courthouse Loop *8:30 AM
(Moderate)
Hike 8.5, Drive 75, 1500 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Becky Smucker, 828-298-5013, bsmucker@charter.net
SB6K, P400 *Note later start time. This hike in the cool high elevations is perfect for a hot summer day. From FS 816 we will ascend Sam Knob (6040 ft.) with its 360 degree views, then hike though high meadows on the Flat Laurel and Little Sam Trails and the MST via Devils Courthouse (with its great views). We then return via the MST across FS 816 and up to the summit of Black Balsam (6214 ft.), then down to our cars. Note: Ask the leader about options which can reduce the distance and ascent for this hike. Second meeting place: Cold Mtn. Overlook on BRP at 9:10 AM. Topo: Sam Knob; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

ALL DAY NO. A0803-243 July 13
Forney Creek Circuit to Fontana Lake *8:30 AM
Hike 10, Drive 145, 800 ft. ascent, Rated A-C
Kathleen Hannigan, 828-230-4883, kathleen.hannigan@pgnmail.com
900M *Note later start time. This is your chance to go hiking and swimming on the same day. This moderate hike begins at the end of the Road to Nowhere, through the tunnel, then continues along the Lakeshore Trail and along cascading Forney Creek to our lunch spot at the Fontana Lake shoreline. Second meeting place: Rest area beyond Waynesville on US 23/74 at 9:00 AM. Topo: Noland Creek; also Nat’l. Geo. GSMNP map #229

ALL DAY NO. A0803-249 July 20
Haywood Gap - Buckeye Gap *8:30 AM
Hike 9, Drive 80, 1500 ft. ascent, Rated A-A
Stu English, 828-883-2447, stuengo@citcom.net
P400 *Note later start time. Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at BRP Cold Mtn. Overlook at 9:10 AM We’ll hike the MST and the Buckeye Gap Trail in the Middle Prong Wilderness, down a ridgeline on an old logging railroad grade, then pass an old logging camp. At the junction with the Haywood Gap Trail, we’ll hike steeply up alongside Haywood Gap stream to Haywood Gap and follow the MST back to our cars. Wilderness area hike, limited to ten hikers—call leader for reservations. Topo: Sam Knob; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780 and USFS Shining Rock and Middle Prong Wilderness map

Scouting Report:

On July 1 six of us scouted this hike in the Middle Prong Wilderness. It was a beautiful day that started very cool: 59 degrees and windy. The Buckeye Gap trail was very overgrown and seemingly unmaintained. It was hard to follow in places. There were a lot of blow downs that we had to crawl over and under. There was one huge blow down that obscured the trail and made it hard to find again. The Haywood Gap trail was much better but very steep in places. There was a big rock that we had to climb down that would be a problem if wet. The stream crossings were not bad, but could be with more rain.

The point is that anyone considering this hike should not let the 9 miles and 1500 feet ascent mislead them. This is a strenuous hike and took 7.5 hours. Stuart

SATURDAY NO. A0803-447 July 26
MST: Mt. Pisgah to Beaver Dam Overlook *9:00 AM
Hike 8.5, Drive 45, 1700 ft. ascent, Rated B-A
Victoria Tripp, 828-250-9094, torrose@gmail.com
P400 *Note later start time. This moderate hike will start with a round trip up and down Mt. Pisgah, and will then follow the MST northbound to Beaver Dam Overlook. Expect good views along the route, and a magnificent display of Turk’s Cap lilies in bloom. Short car shuttle. Second meeting place: BRP French Broad Overlook at 9:10 AM. Topos: Cruso, Dunsmore Mtn.; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780 & MST Profiles, pg. 53-55

ALL DAY NO. A0803-165 July 27
Mt. Le Conte via Boulevard, Alum Cave Trails 8:00 AM
Hike 13, Drive 150, 2600 ft. ascent, Rated AA-AA
Joe Cirvello, 828-252-2721, blaackhole@gmail.com
SB6K, 900M This classic and exciting hike features great views from the AT, Boulevard Trail, our lunch spot at Cliff Tops on 6593 ft. Mt. Le Conte, and the spectacular Alum Cave Trail. In addition, you can check out the Le Conte Lodge cabins, and see many interesting old photos in the common room of the Lodge, including one of a guy doing the entire hike to the summit carrying his mother seated on a chair strapped to his back! Plan on a long day and an optional stop for supper on the way home. Car shuttle. Second meeting place: Rear of Post Office parking lot in Maggie Valley at 8:30 AM, but call leader first. Topos: Clingman’s Dome, Mt. Le Conte; also Nat’l. Geo. GSMNP map #229

ALL DAY NO. A0803-614 Aug. 3
Cheoah Bald from Stecoah Gap *8:00 AM
(strenuous)
Hike 11, Drive 170, 3100 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA+
Brent Martin, 828-369-7084, brent_martin@tws.org and Bruce Bente, 828-692-0116, bbente@bellsouth.net
*Meet at Westgate at 8:00 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Stecoah Gap at 9:30 AM. We will hike in-and-out from Stecoah Gap to Cheoah Bald, a federally-inventoried roadless area. The views from Cheoah are some of the best in this region. We’ll have a chance to see the location for the proposed Corridor K four-lane highway and tunnel, which may radically change the appearance through Stecoah Gap. Second meeting place: Rest area on US 23/74 beyond Waynesville at 8:30 AM. Topo: Hewitt

ALL DAY NO. A0803-199 *Aug. 3
Black Mtn. Campground to Green Knob 8:30 AM*
(moderate)
Hike 7, Drive 85, 2000 ft. ascent, Rated B-AA
Janet Martin, 502-494-9309 (cell), jaykaymartin@msn.com
*Note later start time. Enjoy the beautiful woods as we climb Lost Cove Ridge on the Green Knob Trail from the Black Mtn. Campground to fantastic views and a first-class lunch spot atop Green Knob. After lunch it’s all downhill. Second meeting place: Parking lot adjacent to McDonalds at Exit 64 of I-40 at 8:50 AM. Topo: Old Fort; also USFS South Toe River, Mt. Mitchell & Big Ivy Trail Map

ALL DAY NO. A0803-604 Aug. 10
Splash Dam via Trace Ridge *8:30 AM
Hike 7.8, Drive 42, 1100 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Dave Wetmore, 828-884-7296, dwetmore@citcom.net
P400 *Note later start time. Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Trace Ridge Trailhead at 9:00 AM. This moderate hike has been rescheduled and will be mostly on old roadbeds up the Big Creek Trail, to what appears to the uninitiated as only a rocky place. If those rocks could talk, they would tell a tale of long arduous months of labor, the pitfalls of succession, the striving of man with nature and the consequences of that effort. Several wet but easy stream crossings. Come and learn the secrets of Big Creek! Topo: Dunsmore Mtn.; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

ALL DAY NO. A0803-044 Aug. 17
Lost Cove 8:00 AM
Hike 7.5, Drive 150, 1500 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Les and Catherine Love, 828-658-1489, lesrlove@charter.net
Everyone enjoyed this hike in the Wilson Creek area last year, so we’re offering it again. It features spectacular waterfalls and the best swimming anywhere. Bring your bathing suit. Be prepared for several wet-foot stream crossings. Optional supper afterwards at Little Siena. Second meeting place: Parking lot adjacent to McDonald’s off I-40 at Exit 64 at 8:20 AM. Topo: Grandfather Mtn.; also USFS Wilson Creek map and Nat’l. Geo. Linville Gorge map #779

ALL DAY NO. A0803-369 Aug. 24
Buckeye Gap - Gage Bald – Bear pen Gap *8:30 AM
Hike 8, Drive 80, 1200 ft. ascent, Rated B-B
Tom Sanders, 828-252-6327, tomary2@charter.net
P400 *Note later start time. We will start by hiking a section of the MST that leads through a lush forest of spruce and birch. The forest floor is covered with mosses and ferns. At Wet Camp Gap with a field of blooming phlox, a side trail will be followed to Gage Bald with its great views. We will hike through areas that in past years have yielded abundant blueberries and will stop to do some picking if we find them. Short car shuttle. Second meeting place: BRP Cold Mtn. Overlook at 9:10 AM Topo: Sam Knob; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

SATURDAY NO. A0803-367 Aug. 30
Art Loeb, Grassy Cove Ridge to Bridges Camp Gap *8:30 AM
Hike 8.5, Drive 65, 1650 ft. ascent, Rated A-A
Becky Smucker, 828-298-5013, bsmucker@charter.net
P400, SB6K *Note later start time. Beginning with a climb up to Black Balsam (6214 ft.) we’ll follow the ridgeline to Tennent Mtn (6040 ft.) and Ivestor Gap. Then we’ll hike down Grassy Cove Ridge to the Big East Fork of the Pigeon River. Two stream crossings, one or both of which will be wet. From there we’ll hike to Skinny Dip Falls, and then end at Bridges Camp Gap. Car shuttle. This is a Wilderness area hike limited to ten people. Please contact hike leader to reserve your place. Second meeting place: Cold Mtn. Overlook on BRP at 9:10 A.M. Topo: Shining Rock; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

ALL DAY NO. A0803-368 Aug. 31
Bradley Creek & Riverside Stream Crossings *8:30 AM
Hike 8, Drive 70, 650 ft. ascent, Rated B-C
Charlie Ferguson, 828-333-5165, ccf108@gmail.com
P400 *Note later start time. This is our biennial fun water hike. There are about 25 wet stream crossings, but the terrain is almost level and you will enjoy the beauty of the streams and the diverse flora nearby. Plan to hike in shoes/boots that don’t mind getting soaked and use two hiking poles. Car shuttle. Second meeting place: NC 280 at Turkey Pen Rd. at 9:00 AM. Topos: Pisgah Forest, Dunsmore Mtn.; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

Scouting Report:  The trail marker at the beginning was missing but the scout went fine.  Jay Bretz and Rich Sampson went on the scout.  The weather was fine and the water was pretty shallow.  The ascent was more like 750 feet in two short segments, one at the beginning and one at the end.  Determining the correct count of stream crossings was the most controversial event.  Two of the three of us decided that a squirell peeing on the trail did not constitute a stream crossing.  We lost count.  Boots were wet from beginning to end - nothing particularly deep.  There is a 40 minute car shuttle at the beginning and end.  We will make sure that we have enough cars at the end to bring everyone back to the beginning to get the rest of the cars, so that we don't have to drive cars back to the end to pick others up. A very pleasant hike.

ALL DAY NO. A0803-241 Sept. 7
Mt. Kephart via Sweat Heifer Creek Trail 8:00 AM
(strenuous)
Hike 12.8, Drive 140, 1800 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA
Carroll Koepplinger, 828-667-0723, carrollkoepp@bellsouth.net
SB6K, 900M This hike is designed to visit two of the best scenic overlooks in the Smokies, Jumpoff and Charlies Bunion and to climb Mt. Kephart (6217 ft.). From Newfound Gap, we will hike on the AT to Mt. Kephart and the Jumpoff, and from there to Charlies Bunion. After lunch, we will return via the AT, and then down the Sweat Heifer Creek and Kephart Prong Trails. Second meeting place: Rear of Maggie Valley Post Office parking lot, but call leader first. Car shuttle. Topos: Clingmans Dome, Mt. Le Conte, Mt. Guyot, Smokemont; also Nat’l. Geo. GSMNP map #229

ALL DAY NO. A0803-520 Sept. 7
Clawhammer Via Pressley Cove *9:00 AM
(moderate)
Hike 7.7, Drive 70, 2400 ft. ascent, Rated B-AA
Charlie Ferguson, 828-333-5165, ccf108@gmail.com
P400 *Note later start time. Meet at Westgate at 9:00 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Pisgah Ranger Station at 9:35 AM. This hike will start with a steep climb on the Pressley Cove Trail, then finish the climb on the Black Mtn. Trail. Great views at lunch from the Clawhammer overlook. Short car shuttle. Topo: Pisgah Forest; also Nat’l. Geo. PRD map #780

ALL DAY NO. A0803-374 Sept. 14
MST: NC 221 to Bald Knob 8:00 AM
Hike 10, Drive 80, 2500 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA
Michael & Kathy Cornn, 828-698-3672, mcornn@aol.com
We’ll go north of our usual hiking area to hike the MST north from NC 221 to the North Fork of the Catawba River. After crossing the new MST bridge over the river, we’ll hike north to the summit of Bald Knob, and return via the same route. Second meeting place: Parking lot adjacent to McDonalds at Exit 64 of I-40 at 8:20 AM. Topo: Little Switzerland

ALL DAY NO. A0803-337 Sept. 21
Shining Rock from Black Balsam *8:30 AM
Hike 11, Drive 65, 1500 ft. ascent, Rated A-A
Bob Hysko, 828-645-4626, rhysko@yahoo.com
SB6K, P400 *Note later starting time. We will take the Art Loeb Trail from FS 816 to Shining Rock (6040 ft.), climbing Black Balsam (6214 ft.), Tennent Mtn. (6040 ft.) and Grassy Cove Top (6040 ft.) along the way. This will be your chance to bag four SB6K peaks while enjoying beautiful views covering the area from Pilot Mtn. to Cold Mtn. We’ll return via the Ivestor Gap Trail to get a different perspective on the same area. Wilderness area hike limited to 10 people. Please contact hike leader to reserve your place. Second meeting place: BRP Cold Mtn. Overlook at 9:10 AM. Topos: Shining Rock, Sam Knob; also Natl. Geo. PRD map #780

SATURDAY NO. A0803-547 Sept. 27
MST west from Balsam Gap *9:00 AM
Hike 7, Drive 80, 1600 ft. ascent, Rated B-A
Marianne Newman, 828-257-2136, marianneln@msn.com
*Note later start time. Come to see the MST extension that CMC has been building for the last 6 years. We did a similar hike 1-1/2 years ago, but six subsequent CMC work days have extended the new trail farther uphill. We will hike the MST from Balsam Gap to the end of trail and perhaps a little farther. Car shuttle. Second meeting place: Rest area beyond Waynesville on US 23/74 at 9:30 AM. Topo: Hazelwood

ALL DAY. NO. A0803-475 Sept. 28
Hump Mountain from Yellow Mtn. Gap *8:30 AM
Hike 9, Drive 130, 2400 ft. ascent, Rated A-AA
Jim Reel, 828-738-0751, jimr57@yahoo.com
*Note later start time. Meet at Westgate at 8:30 AM to form carpools, and meet leader at Burnsville McDonald’s at 9:00 AM. We will hike from Roaring Creek Road to Yellow Mountain Gap at which point we join the AT, along an open ridge to Little Hump Mt and on to Hump Mt where we’ll have lunch on a grassy bald at 5587 ft. We’ll return to Yellow Mtn. Gap and take the Overmountain Victory Loop back to the cars. The fabulous vistas and open meadows make the drive and moderately strenuous hike very much worth while. Topos: Carver's Gap, White Rocks Mtn.