January 23

Join us for this hike to the Little Hump and Hump Mountain Balds via the historic Overmountain Victory Trail and the Appalachian Trail. This 8.6-mile moderate/Strenuous out-and-back hike with 2,306 feet of elevation gain will take us to the spectacular views of Little Hump and Hump Mountain. Led by Luke Largess and Elizabeth Leland this hike offers views of the Tennessee and North Carolina Mountains including Grandfather Mountain to the East and Roan Mountain to the west. The summit of Little Hump is at 5,453 feet and the summit of Hump Mountain is at 5,587 feet with views comparable to the Sound of Music! In 1780, more than 2,000 Patriot militiamen hunted British Major General Patrick Ferguson’s army for two weeks, trekking through Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina, crossing the Appalachian Mountains along the way.

January 17

This 4.3 mile, moderate hike​ runs from Wendell Begley’s home on Sunset Mountain to Route 9. It passes through property once owned by Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino, best known for his innovative system of self-supporting arches and vaults using interlocking tiles in some of New York’s most famous Beaux-Arts landmarks, as well as Asheville’s Basilica of St. Lawrence. He retired in Black Mountain and built an eclectic estate called Rhododendron and known locally as the “Spanish Castle”.

Difficulty: Moderate, 4.3 miles