Blueberry Hike at Shining Rock Wilderness Area

Trip Organizer: Tom Arrigo__ Activity Type: Day Hike_ Difficulty Rating: Moderate

It's a perfect time to escape to the high country and enjoy the cool weather and beautiful views of the Shining Rock Wilderness Area. The extra bonus on this trip is that the Blueberries should be ready for picking. There's nothing like the intense flavor of a wild blueberry. I haven't been to Shining Rock yet this year, so I'm not sure how plentiful we'll find the berries, but it was a mild winter, so they should be fine. We'll start our hike at the Black Balsam Parking Area and take the high route on the Art Loeb Trail (ALT) over Black Balsam and Tennent mountains to Ivestor Gap. We'll continue on the ALT and pick in this area. Bring along a container or large zip lock bag and we'll pick for about one hour. These berries can be frozen and you can enjoy them throughout the winter. We'll return on the Ivestor Gap Trail. We should also have time to cool our feet in the cool mountain water of Yellowstone Falls, which will add another mile to our hike. We can have dinner in either Brevard or Hendersonville. The group can decide.

Please make sure that you bring the following:

Rain Gear, Bag Lunch, Hat, Sunscreen, Hiking Boots, At least 1/2 gallon of water

This hike is about 6 miles, elevation gain about 500 feet, highest elevation about 6200 feet above sea level. The rating is moderate mainly due to the distance and some rocky areas along the trail. We will hike at a comfortable rate and stop for lunch, blueberry picking, views and photos. Please read the guidelines on the link below for Event Participants.

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Berg Guidelines for Event Participants (http://files.meetup.com/520812/Guidelines.for.Event.Participants.htm)

Berg Guidelines for Event Organizers (http://files.meetup.com/520812/Guidelines.for.Event.Organizers.htm)