Weekend hiking club.

The past two weekends we've gone hiking. The mornings are cool, the afternoons are hot (mid 80s), though a breeze is always about. The sun seeks solace in the clouds occasionally, which offers a stark contrast to the desert hiking we've grown to know. This morning, Andy and I get things together twice as fast as last week. We know more about what to bring. We remember the map. And, the capri sun is safely tucked in the camelbak. Turner reads his Pokémon book while we pack and make sandwiches; he finished the 187 pages last night. This is his second time through.

"Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp," Turner says with each step as we descend into the basement. Mid-week we were doing this same routine, and he spotted our basement cricket. This is the cricket who brings us good luck. Wednesday was the first time we've ever seen him, though we've heard him quite a bit.

"Well, whatdya know?!" A shout comes from the backseat. "They're like the baked ones and the wavy ones mixed together." Baked wavy Lays. If you give a kid a bag of potato chips, usually his parents end up eating too many.

We wind through the wilderness, taking in beautiful sights on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Three tunnels through the mountains, winding up to 4325 feet in the air, we arrive at Mt. Pisgah Forest. We traveled here last weekend too, taking a different path. The first forestry school formed here in Pisgah Forest. The land was purchased from Master Vanderbilt, who seems to have owned just about everything around here at one point or another. An hour or more later, we arrive at Black Balsam Knob Road.

On the trail, we hiked the Art Loeb trail through Black Balsam Knob (6,214 feet) to another beautiful outlook at Tennent Mountain (6,046 feet) (elevation is according to our hiking guidebook). This trail is named for the man who started the Carolina Mountain Club. The mountain is name for the man who started organized hiking in western North Carolina. The haze was high given the heat (80 degrees at noon), but the view kept us breathless. After our last hike, Turner requested more rocks and less dirt. This trail allowed him to climb. Rocks piled high in the trail, but also when we'd reach a plateau (knob) with high grass and blue mountain tops fading in the background. So lovely. Other parts of the trail were tall with rubbish that towered over him, but he moved through without fear. Andy and I were wishing for hiking sticks, mostly to scare off snakes. With all the sunshine, it seemed a perfect day for sunbathing and migrating.