March 7, 2009
Seven Sisters Summit

Chris, Adam, Wendy and Jim joined me on the third annual Seven Sisters run. This is more of a hike than a run. Over the course of 14 miles, the total elevation change is approximately 9,000 feet, with much of it being extremely rugged.

I stayed with Jim, who was unfamiliar with the area, and the rest went ahead. On the rocky crag of Lookout, we met up with Adam, but Wendy and Chris were nowhere to be found. Adam went ahead to catch them since they had likely missed a turn and continued on trestle.

I soon went on my own again as Jim assured me he'd be able to follow the course. The rest of the way I'd be by myself. It was nice to take in the sights and go at my own pace. The steep ups and downs didn't bother me.

The views were tremendous! Every summit afforded a clear view of other mountain ranges. The view from Walker Knob was the most stellar, looking out over Black Mountain and the Swannanoa range.

I was running low on water despite filling up midway. Thankfully, there was snow here and there so I filled my bottle at every opportunity. The temperature had warmed considerably and I would have been in major trouble without the snow. I noticed only one pair of footprints in the snow, which concerned me a bit.

I reached Greybeard, the high point of the journey, at 5400 feet. Views were senational to the north and the east! After relaxing a while, I headed back down and onto the Westridge trail. This is very technical with some boulder hopping and fancy footwork. Fortunately, it's on a downward trend, so it's a little easier on the lungs.

Many view spots exist along Westrigde and I took them in. The Asheville watershed lies along the trail and the reservoir is visible below. At one point, there is a very convincing visage of the old man of the moutain. The nose is formed by one rock while the head is of a different one, giving a bit of a Pinocchio effect.

Heading down from the ridge, I came across another wonderful view spot. I soaked up a few rays and took in the views, then headed down. The last bit of trail becomes exceedingly steep, with a few rocks at 60 degrees. My Innovates handled the rocks well and gripped even at that angle.

A short road section led me back to the car. It took about 4:20 to do the loop. Adam had left but Chris's and Wendy's vehichles were still there. They came in shortly afterward. It turned out they'd down about five extra miles due to numerous wrong turns. They had passed Jim several times as well. Chris and I enjoyed grub at Camino's, which is once again a top notch eatery, due to new ownership.

B-Rex