Black Balsam Day Hike

One of their counselors, Gordon, is a backpacking instructor. The other cabin counselor, Harry, usually teaches performing arts/music but was able to join the trip to be with the cabin!

Also joining was Doni, one of our camp photographers who captured some great shots, Griffin, a former camper on his 2nd year as backpacking staff, and Henry, a Man of S.T.E.E.L. this summer.

Black Balsam is a popular hiking destination near Asheville, North Carolina, with a summit of over 6000 feet. It’s known for it’s open meadows and grassy balds, offering great views of the surrounding mountains. You can reach Black Balsam Knob via a section of the Art Loeb Trail, a 30 mile trail that’s part of Pisgah National Forest. Continuing on the trail past Black Balsam would take you to Shining Rock Wilderness, a wilderness designated area in Pisgah. It’s a beautiful area, and the group was lucky to have equally beautiful weather to enjoy the day.

The views started before the hike even began, since the group drove on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway to reach the trailhead. The Blue Ridge Parkway is America’s longest linear park, and is a 469 mile road that traverses from Virginia through North Carolina.

At Black Balsam, the group did a short hike to a spot where they could enjoy lunch while overlooking the mountains. They brought chicken caesar wraps for a picnic, and continued the hiking loop back after lunch.

The best part of the day was said to be the creek time! In the afternoon they walked to a nearby creek where they could splash around and cool off in the refreshing mountain water. They were back at camp in time for 2nd Free Choice period, so they didn’t miss any evening program excitement either! Day trips are a great opportunity to try out Outdoor Adventure trips, and to see more of the area that surrounds Falling Creek, without feeling like you miss too much in-camp action.

We’re looking forward to a wonderful Wednesday today!