Location: Sandy Mush, NC

Date: Saturday, February 18

Hike Start Time: 10 AM; Carpool leaves Asheville @ 8:45

Difficulty: Very Strenuous (10+)

Leader: Haley Smith, SAHC AmeriCorps Outreach Member

Cost: Free for SAHC members; $10 for non-members.

Registration: Pre-registration is REQUIRED.

Have you ever wanted to learn more about SAHC’s land protection work, particularly our focus-area priorities? This will be the first in a series of SIX Focus Area Feature Hikes in 2017, each highlighting one of the regions where we work.

Our conservation work in the French Broad River Valley Focus Area is greatly comprised of farmland protection in the fertile bottomlands of the French Broad River Basin, but also includes high elevation grassy meadows and steep forested coves.

This 6-mile hike begins with a challenging climb through several properties protected by SAHC, ascending 2,000 feet to an open grassy pasture on the edge of Buncombe and Madison Counties. At the top we will be rewarded by a sweeping view of the Sandy Mush farming community, where SAHC has helped protect over 10,000 acres, forever. If the weather is clear, we will be able to see the Black Mountains and popular Max Patch in the distance as well.

For more information or to register, please email haley@appalachian.org or call (828) 253-0095 x205.