5. Conditioning Hike – Walker’s Knob and Greybeard Falls – May 5

I joined a group of hikers from a Meetup Group I belong to. It was a glorious spring day with a gentle breeze, blue sky, and perfect temperature. This mountain trail in the Montreat College area, had lots of roots and rocks as do most of the trails in Western North Carolina. The spring flowers have been amazing this year and today’s hike did not disappoint with many beautiful sightings. There were Dwarf Crested Irises, Clinton Lilies, majestic Pink Lady Slippers, and a rare find of several Painted Trilliums along the way. We hiked 8.75 miles with an elevation gain of 1800 ft. in about 5 hours. Along the way was Greybeard Falls which though small in height, are still quite pretty to view. The best payoff was the view from the top of the trek at Walker’s Knob at 4774 ft. elevation. The view of the valley below was breathtaking.