Hiking Not The Only Highlight Of The 9th Annual Thanksgiving Weekend Outing...Also Coffee!

It is Thanksgiving Weekend and for almost a decade it has meant one thing...hiking. Sometimes it is a long one or two days (like last year) and then there are some shorter ones, like this year in Hot Springs. For the ninth annual Thanksgiving Weekend outing, it was up the Appalachian Trail (AT) to Lovers Leap and then back the trail of the same name. It had been a while since I had been up there four years in fact.

I have done this hike a number of times and have documented it in this blog including a has part of a half-section and AT Section blogs. As always I started the hike in Hot Springs as the trail goes right through town. The first part of the hike is a road walk across the bridge over the French Broad River. Once the AT heads down away from the road it is pretty flat past the NOC Center and down by the river. Along the way passing Lovers Leap Rock and the French Broad Rapids before heading up Lovers Leap Ridge. 

New overnight kiosk

The sign has been knocked down

There are a number of outcrops with the best being the sketchiest, the one with the lone pine tree. But the views were great, and included a new feature across the river, on these and this includes "the Narrow" which is past the Lovers Leap Trail junction. At the junction were new trail signs installed by the Carolina Mountain Club (CMC). This wouldn't be the last new addition I would pass. 

Solar Panels

The Narrow

Old signs left & new on the right

As I headed down the Lovers Leap Trail I passed a new footbridge and more new signage courtesy of the CMC. This last hike of fall was all for the day. After spending a little time in Hot Springs on my way out I stopped at the other reason I came to Hot Springs. What is this reason? 

New footbridge...

...& sign

Well, I was stopping into one of my favorite places...the Laurel River Store, which has reopened! I talked about this after my overnight at Rich Mountain and looked forward to them reopening. Well, that happened in June, but this was the first opportunity to stop in. I must say I wasn't disappointed as the coffee was great as ever and I had a taste of pumpkin muffin to boot. A great end to a great day in Hot Springs.

Photo links:

Google

SmugMug