From a RiverLink press release:
RiverLink’s successful Hike With Dave series strolls on
Earlier this year, RiverLink began the monthly Hike With Dave series, lead by Volunteer Coordinator Dave Russell and designed to bring hikers out to discover the French Broad River Watershed. The hikes are free and take place on Sunday mornings. The most recent adventure, on Sunday, Dec. 14, brought seven hikers out to enjoy Big Laurel Creek, a 7.2-mile walk along beautiful cataracts and summertime swimming holes to the confluence of the creek and the French Broad River.
The hike included a trek through part of Runion, a once-thriving community that is now a ghost town of ruins. In its heyday, it boasted a population of 1,000 and had its own school. Runion was part of the Amos Stackhouse empire, built around a sawmill operation with a railroad spur to the mainline that follows the nearby French Broad River.
The next Hike With Dave invites hikers to The Shining Rock Wilderness to discover a hidden gem of a waterfall on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015. Shining Creek is one of the little known wonders in WNC, and this hike follows it for 1.5 miles.
This is a somewhat strenuous hike, with some uphill portions and rocky terrain. It’s a four-mile roundtrip. The group will meet at the RiverLink office on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 08:45 and leave promptly at 9 and return sometime around 1:30 p.m.
Hikers should be able to hike two miles per hour, bring a snack or lunch, raingear, camera, walking stick, etc. Well-behaved dogs are allowed but are the sole responsibility of their owners. By coming along, hikers acknowledge that hiking can lead to injury and will not hold RiverLink responsible in any way for injuries.
There’s no charge, but please let Dave know you’re coming so carpooling can be arranged by e-mailing dave@riverlink.org or calling 828-252-8474, ext. 11 before 3 p.m. on Friday, January 9.
RiverLink is a regional nonprofit working to revitalize the French Broad River and its watershed as a place for everyone to live, work and play. Bringing folks out to discover the splendors of the River and environs is an important part of the mission.
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