|
Blue Ridge Expedition Log (2008-07-19 -> 2008-07-31)
Leaders: Andy Hill and Maggie Herrick
Students: Dorsey Addicks, Luke Angelakis, Tom AuBuchon, Lara Barth, Brigi Doherty, Hannah Guidry, Stephen Kelly, Peter Mckay, Alex Nlan, Amar Sra, Evan Tonsfeldt, Allie Williams, Kyle Woodford
Trip Update 7-22-08
A big "Hey ya'll" to the families and friends of our Blue Ridge Expedition students!
Quaint Asheville Airport made spotting the Moondance crew quite easy as everyone lugged their backpacks and duffels around at baggage claim. Luckily, all flights were on time and once our local students were dropped off we hit the road to Brevard, North Carolina, the gateway to Pisgah National Forest. We pitched our tents by the sweet, clear water of the Davidson River. We were welcomed be the South's familiar humidity hug and changed quickly into bathing suits for a dip in a nearby swimming hole, Cove Creek.
Cove Creek has a perfect natural rock slide which drops you into the Rhododendron surrounded pool at the bottom. Tom and Luke were thrilled about the slide and showed their new found rock sliding skills until the second we left Cove Creek. Everyone got in the cold water, which could only mean this group was up for an adventure.
Evan, Amar, and Peter, our only Moondance alums, taught the group the way of ditching the tents on a clear night and sleeping right beneath the stars. The clear skies stuck with us through the evening and we awoke to very cool morning.
After a short steep approach to the base of Looking Glass Rock we were ready for a day of climbing. Allie and Dorsey seemed to know the ropes, and gracefully approached the top of multiple climbs. Brigid might be our next pro lady climber, she climbed as if she had been climbing her whole life. We finished the day at sliding rock and made home made french fries and grilled burgers by the Davidson.
The second day of climbing we made a different approach to the south face of Looking Glass for some more technical climbing. Kyle and Stephen kept the whole group in high spirits, with their hilarious stories and positive attitudes. Luke challenged his hesitation of heights and reached the top of multiple climbs. Lara, Hannah, and Alex seemed to hone their rock climbing skills today and pushed themselves to climb many different routes. After climbing we headed to Looking Glass Falls and swam beneath the falls. It is a massive waterfall that cascades into a beautiful pool beneath. A chance of a lifetime viewing of a Southeastern Hellbender occurred in the spray of the falls. This is a large, completely aquatic salamander that only lives in this part of the world. This was an amazing wildlife spotting!
We leave for our hike into Pisgah national Forest today. We will keep you all updated as our journey continues. We are having a great trip, and it is only the beginning. Ya'll take care.
Maggie and Andy
Trip Update 7-25-08
Hello Friends and Family of the Blue Ridge Expedition,
Things are going great over here in the Blue Ridge. We've been busy hiking, swimming, backpacking, and cooking, cleaning, laughing, playing and fly fishing in the mountains. Yesterday we completed a beautiful hike along Grogan Creek up along the ridge to Butter Gap. Evan led us through rhododendron thickets and across fast flowing mountain streams to camp in secluded Butter Gap. Evan, Steven and Kyle prepare beans, rive and burritos for dinner. Hanna, Brigid and Lara overcame having the heaviest packs ever but learned alot about packing a backpack. Dorsey discovered a perfect walking stick. Luke, Tom and Peter hung our bear bag to protect our food in the wilderness. We slept underneath the stars and awoke refreshed to continue our hike. Camped back along the Davidson we set up out tents and endured some crazy rain. After drying off in the sun we practiced our fly casts to wary brook trout. Amar, Evan and the boys rigged up some line and spotted some monster trout. We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in breathtaking cold water of looking glass falls. We saw a hellbender salamander, a very rare endangered species only found in the Blue Ridge. It was an incredible moment. We fished some more. Dorsey got some new flies, we slept well and are off again for a summit bid on Mount Mitchell, and Allie got us up early, prepared a great breakfast and led us on our way! On a sad note, Kyle left today to compete in state championship baseball game. Good luck Kyle, you will be missed. Wish us luck and good weather as we head for the highest point east of the Mississippi.
|
|
