Mount Pisgah Trail and Buckhorn Gap Trail to Twin Falls near Asheville, TN

The morning sky was just incredible today.

Mount Pisgah Trail is located right off Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the most stunning roadways compared to California State Route 1. The parking lot at the beginning of the trail as it is described on Alltrails was closed for the season, but I did some research ahead of time and found that people parked at Buck Spring Gap, less than quarter a mile away. I walked up the stairs to have found another, closer parking lot.

The trail is a "must hike" kind of train in Pisgah forest. It offers amazing views and a great workout as you gain 860 ft in about 1.5 mile. The whole trip was 3.16 mi, including me taking the "stairs" and walking towards the main parking lot. The views at the top were incredible. It was quite windy, and I even recorded the sound of wind passing though the tower (video is at the bottom of this post).

I also decided to go to Buckhorn Gap Trail to Twin Falls where I would hike 4 miles along the stream. The trailhead was 2.5 miles from the main road on a rugged pathway. Luckily, it was not too bad, and my car slowly made it to the starting point. The issue was that there was absolutely no reception there. I was not able to access the map, and the signs were minimal, to say the least. I was able to track my route and found Twin falls on the map. After hiking away from the falls, I got a bit suspicious and decided to take a loop that eventually brought me back to the road. I did enjoy the trail quite a bit. It was this perfect fall hiking you think about when you look at pictures of forest in the fall with leaves rustling under your feet.

Random streams

Twin Falls from a distance

Creek Crossing

After finishing the hike I decided to go back to the cottage and relax for the rest of the day. I was ready to go home tomorrow, and so was Kitty.

Four Waterfalls Trail and Hooker Falls Trail near Asheville, NC

For Christmas this year I decided to go to Asheville, NC. I have been in Asheville before in early October of 2020 (here and here are the descriptions of my trip), but now with no foliage on trees it would look completely different. 

I was lucky to have an amazing weather for the holidays. It got to 72 degrees! I rented a cottage for 3 nights and took my cat with me. He wasn't overly pleased with the ride, especially when we got to the area with multiple turns. Before arriving at the cottage, I stopped by to pick up a coconut cream pie I pre-ordered a few days ago at Whistle Stop Market. Kitty has vomited by then, and I knew I quickly needed to check in. The pie turned out to be fantastic, by the way...

While the cottage did not turn out as great as I hoped it would, the hiking and overall experience in Asheville were very good. I arrived around 2.30 pm and went out to Oskar Blues Brewery, an outdoor only experience with minimal heat provided. Beer was quite good. Reasonably frozen, we headed to Sora Japanese for sushi and it did not disappoint. Quick service, good food and a very pleasant atmosphere.

I stayed the rest of the night in enjoying the large screen TV with a whole bunch of premium channels in my Airbnb (this was probably one of the few highlight features of the rental).

The next day in the morning I headed to hike Four Waterfalls Trail. I am still not really sure why this trail is called "Four" waterfalls as I have only seen 3. Those three were really nice nevertheless.

The access to the first one, Triple Falls, was partially closed, so I was not able to get near it, but enjoyed the view from afar.

High Falls, the second waterfall, was really nice. I got close to the bottom and then was able to get a good view from further away.

Grassy Creek Falls was the last waterfall I saw, much smaller. On the way there, I passed through the covered bridge that I believe was used for horses in the past.

I finished the hike and found another trail starting from the same parking lot. Hooker Falls Trail (not sure why someone would name a beautiful waterfall like that) is an easy hike towards Hooker falls. I found this waterfall to be my favorite.

I thought I would do another hike after, but was quite lazy and hungry and went back to my Airbnb. After lunch I drove to Asheville and walked around the city. I stopped at a school bus-like coffee shop to get coffee (not the best coffee I've had), bought amazing dessert (well, 3 desserts, but who's counting) at Old Europe Pastries (their tiramisu was not that great, but the hazelnut dessert was to die for) and visited a book store that reminded me how much I love books. A great afternoon. With dessert in hand, I knew it was time to taste it and headed back to my Airbnb.

The rest of the evening was spent watching the new series of "Sex and the City" or whatever the alternative is chowing down delicious dessert. I mean, come on, who can beat that kind of Christmas Eve???

Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, TN

Located just 10 minutes from my apartment, Ijams Nature Center was highly recommended to me by several people as a nice retreat away from the city. On a cold (almost freezing) Tuesday morning, right before the beginning of my work day, I headed out to hike a trail that was supposed to cover the perimeter of the park. 

Sadly, it barely got me to the midpoint because of the trail closure. The trail came close to the water, and hiking on a boardwalk was rather peaceful, but the hum of the city together with its industrial smell just didn't give me that feeling that I was in nature. 

It's interesting how when you take the pictures out of the context, they look pretty incredible. But with the sound and smell, the whole photo changes. I would like to see what this park would look like in the spring, but for now I don't think I will come back.

House Mountain - First Hike in Tennessee

Move in date - November 30th; first hike date - December 4th. No time to waste!

This hike was an interesting one. It's been a while since I have hiked in the winter (well, technically not winter yet) among bare trees. House Mountain trail was a 4 mile trail with some elevation gain, and in my perception was going to be an easy one. 

Somehow it was not. Maybe it is my lack of regular hiking practice or possibly I was exhausted from the move, but going uphill was pretty strenuous. The surface was covered with fallen leaves making the ground somewhat slippery. My hiking shoes were up to the challenge sturdily gripping the moist soil under my feet. The rocks were a bit more difficult, but with careful foot positioning, I got to the top of the mountain. The view was rather nice.

The way down was a bit more tough as now slippery leaves were hiding rocks and roots underneath them. There is something about the sound of fallen leaves that made me feel peaceful in this serene place with few people around me. Quiet, very quiet... 

Stavrand & Sea to Sky to Raptor Ridge Loop

I had an amazing opportunity to visit The Stavrand, a getaway from the hustle and bustle as part of Yelp giveaways. A night at a hotel plus a dinner was exactly what I needed the week before my move. I arrived at The Stavrand just past their check in time of 3 pm and found someone to check me in. There was still some construction wrapping up as they just renovated the building I was going to stay in.

Main square

I got the keys, and an amazing staff member walked me to my room on the second floor of the Armstrong building. The service was superior! I walked in the room and saw what I have been hoping to find - a jetted tub!

The room was very light and spacious. Neutral color scheme, fresh smell...

Not complimentary, but nice to have nevertheless

A comfortable king size bed with a memory foam mattress

Entryway

Jetted bathtub - one of the few bathtubs I used in a hotel because it was very clean

Bathroom set up

The soundproofing of the room was not the best one, but the fan of the heating pleasantly masked any noise from the outside. There was also a gas fireplace and a nice balcony, but somehow I took pictures of the toilet, not the fireplace...

I walked outside to their garden and later uphill to see the view.

Pathway to the garden

The changing colors of leaves looked amazing!

Pathway to the top of the property

The view at the top

The property itself is rather small, but the town is only 10 minutes away. Dinner was not scheduled until 7.30 PM, so I decided to take a bath. It was incredible, although I must admit I poured way too much soap in the water.

After 20 minutes in the tub, nice and relaxed, I watched Harry Potter on their large TV. It's been a while since I watched TV in such great quality!

I heard some conversations outside, and knowing that most guests would be Yelpers like me, I headed out. I first went back to the top of the property to see what it looked like in the darkness. It was really neat seeing the moon today.

I went back to the building, and the staff member was generously pouring wine. I could not say no. I chatted with a group of people by the gas firepit.

Just before dinner, I went upstairs to freshen up and saw that the night service was done! It's been a while since I stayed in a hotel with a "tuck-in" service.

I headed to dinner where the group of us joined together for dinner. It was such a great group of people, from different backgrounds but yet united for the same reason. We had an amazing time together eating delicious food.

Vegetarian bucatini

One of the best desserts I've had! Miso caramel sauce was a strange combination of sweet and salty.

The dining hall itself was a piece of art. Cozy with multiple fireplaces, beautiful chandeliers and spacious seating.

Food was paired with wine, so by 10 PM I was ready to go to sleep! I glanced one more time at the moon and went to bed.

In the morning, I had a delicious breakfast and drove to hike Sea to Sky trail. I wanted to do another hike next to the ocean before my quick departure out of state.

The fog was almost completely gone, and the views were incredible!

The loop unfortunately was closed, but I was at least able to do the in and out. It was beautiful!

Mount Burdell Open Space via Novato Blvd

Today I just wanted to hike in the greenery. This was my goal, so after so much rain I headed to Marin County again. Mount Burdell Open Space via Novato Blvd trail had very few reviews on Alltrails, but after looking at posted pictures, I decided this was exactly what I was looking for.

I arrived at the parking lot for the dog park right on Novato Blvd (hence, it is in the title) and walked to the trailhead next to the residential district about a quarter a mile away. There is no parking there, so I guess this is the best spot to park if you are hiking the trail. 

This early in the morning, there was not a soul, just fog. It was pretty dense, almost disorienting. 

Resilience of nature - burnt grass giving space to brand new green grass

Spider webs all over the grass with fog exposing them with tiny little droplets

As I continued the hike uphill, the sky started to show through dense fog. While the fog often prevents from seeing the views on hikes like this one, it also exposes something mysterious, the light that is invisible in normal circumstances.

Visibly lone tree

The light can fool you so easily that you might even picture a rainbow above. Who knows what's real...

The trail continued uphill and became pretty steep in some parts. Such a great cardio workout! The view was worth it. While there was no single "top of the mountain" on this trail, the fog beneath the elevation I was at was really beautiful.

I really enjoyed this hike, especially with all green colors surrounding me!