Right so.....here we go again...today is Sunday Aug 15th and we have decided to spend it at the coach but maybe go and see a film at the movies tonight...we are Parked at Campfire lodgings Ashville…

Right so.....here we go again...today is Sunday Aug 15th and we have decided to spend it at the coach but maybe go and see a film at the movies tonight...we are Parked at Campfire lodgings Ashville NC....been here since Monday and have done several hikes....one being a really good day out at Chimney rock park....where by the way the film "The last of the Mohicans" was made....the pics I will download will probably jog your memory as the trails and and areas filmed are recognisable....The park it self is about 25 miles South of Ashville, quite a nice drive through the mountainous countryside here...there is a drive up to the visitor center where you park and choose between hundreds of wooden steps to the Chimney top and above or take an elevater 26 stories high to the Chimney top mountain overview...we chose the steps up and the elevater down....the views are awesome even though the distant polution spoils the pics....you can also hike (mainly steps) up to the summit called Explanation point where you can view the trails in the film and also the spot where whats her face jumped off at the end...the waterfall is just around the corner, though you can not see it from this angle...also there is an overhang that was clearly shown in the film that we climbed under....obviously they had to air brush the railings out...after reaching the bottom we did a couple of miles hike to the waterfal itself, though unfortuately there was not that much water falling over...though you can plainly see the huge jagged over hang that was once part of the cliff face and slid down leaving tons of rock at the bottom of the fall........

Another awesome hike was Mnt Mitchell...this was a 30 mile drive back up the Parkway...we have previously been here but wanted to do the 6.6 mile loop trail...this was a most strenous trail which took 6 good hours to accomplish, hiking down Mnt Mitchell then up to Mnt Craig where you can see the cloud held back by the ridge between the two mountains...then it was down Mnt Craig bush wacking as we went...to an old logging trail..oh at the summit before the trail down was a bear warning sign...on this logging trail we came across fresh Black bear poop (sorry) and the walk along it could smell where bear had been recently to water at mountain ripples...then we had to climb up a windy rough rocky trail to get to the car park again...about 5 hrs into the hike we had a down pour so this made the trail up even more strenuous and very slippery but. hey we made it...must of looked like drown rats walking back to the truck.......anyway great fun had a blast....