Art Lobe and Mountains to Sea

When a friend rolls into town, it rains and things are quiet at the shop.. what is there to do? Go hiking. As odd a feeling as hiking is for me these days, as awkward an inefficient as it can be, sometimes you just can't get to the same places on a bike and you need to suck it up, put on boots and go for a walk in the woods. A few years ago, on a backpacking trip with the Arthur Morgan School, we found our way to the section of the Mountains To Sea trail that overlaps with the Art Lobe Trail. It's a bit of a drive from Asheville, so its got to be a special occasion to head up there. The foggy/misty day was perfect to go back and visit this strange land. This section of trail follows right next to the Parkway but 1000 ft above it. When the trails split, the Art Lobe continues down to Shucks Ridge, a trail I have shoved my bike up during the past two Double Dare events. Thankfully the push up Shucks Ridge does not involve going up to the MTS trail, considering how steep it is. In my slide show, I focused on the still teaming green life as winter dormancy has arrived for much of the plant life out there, the lichens were looking strong as the misty air hydrated them.. the Galax that lined the trail down to the parkway was super lush, I also tried to find some shots that would show the steep drop off we were following.. the white abyss is there but you might have to know what you are looking at to appreciate it.