Where: The Blue Wall Preserve

Meet: Ironwood Square, Conserving Carolina’s office, 847 Case Street, Hendersonville, NC

Time: 8:30 a.m.

Trail info.: 6.8 miles, moderately strenuous; trail type – out and back

Elevation gain: 1,584‘

Drive time: 30 minutes

 

For this hike, the group will head to The Nature Conservancy’s Blue Wall Preserve near Landrum, South Carolina, for a moderately strenuous (strenuous due to a 1,290’ elevation gain in over just one mile), out and back hike along the Blue Ridge Escarpment.

This 575-acre preserve is named after the Cherokee’s term for the Blue Ridge Mountains, the “Blue Wall.” The preserve is part of 22,000 acres of conserved land that provide drinking water to the surrounding area and ecological diversity important to the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

This hike offers beautiful views of the surrounding mountains, leading hikers by two secluded ponds, through the forest and up the escarpment through Vaughn Gap, then back to short loop to a pleasant waterfall.

 

Pre-registration is mandatory, and space is limited to 20 participants. RSVP below.  If the RSVP is closed, the hike is full. You can email Pam Torlina (email below) and request to be put on a waiting list and you’ll be contacted if a space opens up.

 

To learn more about this special place, join us on April 18 at the Landrum Library Speaker Series to learn about the preservation and ecology of this property from Kristen Austin, Upstate Conservation Director for The Nature Conservancy.

 

Conserving Carolina is sponsoring a Friday hiking series this spring, free, guided, and open to the public. The hikes will meet at 847 Case Street at 8:30 a.m. and will leave promptly at 8:45 a.m. Hikers should plan to return to the area in the late afternoon, time varying with group size, distance of hike, and drive time. Car-pooling will be organized at the meeting location. If you’re coming from an area closer to the trailhead, please contact Pam Torlina (email below) to make other meeting arrangements.

Be sure to wear appropriate clothing and sturdy footwear. Bring a bag lunch and/or snack and plenty of water for yourself.

In case of inclement weather, please contact Pam Torlina by email (below) by 7:30 a.m. on the day of the hike and/or check the Conserving Carolina website ‘calendar’ event and/or Facebook page to see if the hike will take place. Please also remember to bring any medication that you may need in the event of an emergency (ie: epinephrine, nitroglycerine, insulin, etc.). Hike leaders will carry a first aid kit; however, it may not contain specific medication for your individual needs.

Before each hike, you will be asked to sign a waiver form. For your safety, please do not attempt any hike beyond your ability and experience. This schedule is subject to change.

Contact [email protected] with additional questions.