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2018 AT Countryside Focus Area Hike

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Date: Saturday, February 10

Start Time: 10 AM, details provided upon registration

Location: Appalachian Trail Country Side

Difficulty: Moderate (9)

Dogs: Well-behaved dogs are welcome, but must be kept on a leash.

Cost: FREE for all participants

In this conservation focus area, we will learn about SAHC’s work in the landscape surrounding the Appalachian Trail (AT) between Hot Springs, NC and Watauga Lake in TN.

This Focus Area Feature Hike will get our boots on the Appalachian Trail! We will trek about seven miles through a diverse landscape of fields, maple and oak forests, and finally up to the summit of Big Bald.  From this peak we have the chance to see spectacular 360° views of the Appalachian Mountains.  Hundreds of acres of the beautiful land visible have been preserved forever, thanks to help from SAHC!

Presented as part of our Focus Area Feature Hike Series. Have you ever wanted to learn more about SAHC’s land protection work, particularly our conservation focus area priorities? Each of our Conservation Focus Area Feature Hikes highlight one of the six distinctive geographic regions where we work. Over the past 43 years, our members and donors have protected over 71,000 acres across ten counties in NC and TN. Join us in learning about some of these successful projects and find out what makes each of our six Focus Areas unique.

Registration for this hike is now full. To be placed on the waitlist, or if you plans have changed and you can no longer join us, please contact emily@appalachian.org. Thank you!

2018 Hike with Hemlock Restoration Initiative

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Location: Fairview, NC

Date: Saturday, January 20

Time: 10:00 am

Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous (5-6)

Leader: Emily Adler, SAHC Americorps Outreach Associate & Thom Green, Hemlock Restoration Initiative Outreach Associate

Cost: Free for SAHC members; $10 for non-members. Pre-registration is required.

Dogs: Dogs are not allowed on this hike due to the educational component

 

Join SAHC and the Hemlock Restoration Initiative (HRI) on a hike to explore some beautiful stands of Carolina hemlocks in the Fairview Farming Community, where SAHC has helped protect over 1,300 acres of forest and historic farmland. We will learn about Carolina hemlock ecosystems, the hemlock wooly adelgid, and current options and efforts to control the adelgid.

We will begin with a short walk to a large stand of hemlocks where we will first discuss the hemlock wooly adelgid and mitigation options. We will then travel to Hickory Nut Gap on the Eastern Continental Divide and traverse several SAHC Conservation Easements, giving hikers a chance to learn about our land protection work in the area, as well as to see more hemlocks. We will be rewarded with scenic views from Ferguson Peak and Rocky Point along the way!

2018 Hike with the Hemlock Restoration Initiative

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Catawba Falls Hike 2017

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On Saturday, September 30th, we continued our “For Love of Beer and Mountains” series on a hike to Upper Catawba Falls.  Catawba Brewing Company collaborated with SAHC to create a beer called Breezy Brae Biere de Miel, a honey farmhouse ale brewed with local Wild Mountain Bee Honey.

The Catawba Falls Hike was led by our new AmeriCorps Conservation Education and Volunteer Member Emily Adler, along with conservation property life estate holders Rick and Melinda. The group began on an SAHC conservation easement, hiking down to the Catawba Falls on a route few people get to visit. Read more

Full Moon Night Hike

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An intrepid group of hikers braved the fierce February wind to enjoy a night hike at our recently protected Flatwoods Pasture property. This scenic property added about 145 acres to the over 10,000 acres SAHC has helped protect in the greater Sandy Mush landscape, and we intend for it to continue being grazed, thus remaining active farmland. We were joined on this hike by Christian Hunt of Defenders of Wildlife, who discussed red wolf recovery efforts and challenges. At the end of the night, the group all gave our best red wolf howl to the February Snow Moon! Read more

Hampton Creek Cove, A Hidden Gem in Tennessee

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The 693-acre Hampton Creek Cove State Natural Area (HCC SNA) is a breathtaking haven for wildlife with ample opportunity for outdoor recreation. Time spent visiting the pastoral cove, trekking the miles of hiking trails, or fishing cold trout streams will be well spent. Check out these recent updates from the cove! Read more

Devil’s Britches “For Love of Beer and Mountains” Partnership Hike

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hikingtime.jpgSAHC’s AmeriCorps PR & Outreach Member Anna Zanetti recaps a snowy “For Love of Beer & Mountains” partnership hike:

“Highland Brewing Company’s seasonal release of Devil’s Britches Red IPA kicked off the first “For Love of Beer & Mountains” partnership hike of 2014 at Cataloochee Ranch. Hikers trekked through deep snow to the top of Hemphill Bald (5,540 ft. elevation), where they leaned about SAHC’s first conservation easement as well as feral hog damage and the natural history of the area.

In late February the Southeast experienced a large snowstorm, accumulating 6 inches of snow in the Asheville area and more in higher elevations, but the Devil’s Britches hikers were undeterred. On the Sunday after the storm 17 hikers made their way out to tackle the mountain with SAHC and Highland Brewing. Read more

For Love of Beer and Mountains: Seven Sisters Hike

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Hikers at the summit of Big PineyThe Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy became educational partners with Highland Brewing Company in June 2010. Highland Brewing Company is now able to give back to the mountains that provide Highland employees with off-duty recreation, supply clean water for its beer, and lend their names to the company’s seasonal brews.

To solidify their partnership and educate the public, the organizations lead guided hikes together on the peaks each seasonal beer is named after.

Saturday, November 4th marked the third hike the partners have led together and was on the West Ridge Trail which crosses each of the Seven Sisters mountains. The hike was in honor of the release of the Seven Sisters abbey-style ale, a classic Belgian Ale that features sweet aromas and a hint of nuttiness.

The Seven Sisters are the mythical “daughters” of Graybeard, the tallest peak on SAHC’s 2,450 acre Montreat conservation easement. They are seven ascending peaks located south of Graybeard Mountain. Their names are Tomahawk (elevation 3,680 ft.), Little Piney or Stomping Knob (3,960 ft.), Big Piney (4,180 ft.), unnamed sister (4,360 ft.), Forked Ridge Knob (4,511 ft.), unnamed sister (4,830 ft.), Little Slaty (5,260 ft.), and the tallest sister, Big Slaty or False Graybeard (5,260 ft.). These seven peaks make up the western border of the conservation easement. The easement is part of several thousand acres of contiguous forested lands that is vital to the unique plant and wildlife populations and in protecting headwater streams of the French Broad watershed from sedimentation and other pollution. Highland Brewing Company realizes that their high quality beer would not be possible without the fresh water that is safeguarded by the Montreat easement and the other surrounding forested lands.

To celebrate, all the hikers got the opportunity to taste the Seven Sisters ale when the group reached the summit of the third sister, Big Piney. It was an unusually cold November day and the views were made even better by snowy ridges in the distance. Overall it was a rewarding, challenging hike and everyone fell a little more in love with beer and mountains…

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