Montreat east ridge loop hike + Foothills Grange

TLDR: ~4 mile hike in Montreat followed by a beer and a bite at Foothills Grange in downtown Black Mountain. Meet at the Lookout trailhead at 11am.

Dogs: dogs not required. Dog-free but dog-loving people welcome, but if you bring your dog he/she should be incredibly friendly with other on and off leash dogs.

Parking: There is very limited parking at the trail head. There is overflow parking further up the road (a short walk) and at Anderson Auditorium (a much longer walk). Montreat takes unauthorized parking very seriously (you'll see the many no parking signs), so please allow ample time to find parking and be at the trail head at the start time. It's too cold this time of year to wait for stragglers for long so don't be late. :)

Hike/difficulty/pace details: ~4 miles; moderately strenuous with ~1200 ft of elevation gain, a bit of a rock scramble near Lookout Rocks, and some roots/technical trail with lots of leaf litter. We will aim to stay at a pretty good pace, so please be familiarized with the route (download a map!) in case you find that you want to go slower and finish without the group. Noting that there is a "shortcut" at Bald Gap (down to "shelter view" on the map) that avoids Brushy Mountain and cuts off some mileage if you get a late start or fall behind and want to catch up.

Route (see map in event photos): Starting at the Lookout Mountain trailhead, heading up and over Lookout Rocks to Lookout Mountain, east (left) onto the East Ridge Trail to Boggs Bunion, continuing east (left) on the East Ridge Trail passing over Brushy Mountain before turning south (left) onto Old Trestle Road until it meets the Lookout Mountain trail where we will turn down (right) to head back to the trail head.

Après-hike: Post-hike beer at Foothills Grange in downtown Black Mountain. Dogs are not allowed inside but they have an outside walk-up counter for ordering and plentiful sunny outdoor seating with some heaters. They serve food for anyone who wants to grab a bite.