NC High Peaks Trail Assn and Friends of Mt Mitchell State Park

Big Bald Vacation Bird School 2018: July 9-13, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Teaching with the Birds of Big Bald – Saturday, July 21, 2018, 9am-2pm, at Big Bald Mountain (25 minutes north of Mars Hill, NC)

Join the High Peaks Birders for a fun and educational slide presentation on Friday, June 8 at 6 p.m. at the Yancey County Public Library.

Local resident Steve Buettner, an avid naturalist and professional photographer, will narrate a presentation of his work showing wading birds in breeding plumage at a rookery in Florida. The show will include various egrets, herons, spoonbills and wood storks on nests with their young.

Celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday, June 2 by joining the NC High Peaks Trail Association for one of two hikes near Mt. Mitchell.

A strenuous hike of 4.6 miles will climb 6,320-foot Blackstock Knob as hikers go from Mt. Mitchell Road off the Blue Ridge Parkway to Walker Knob Overlook. This hike will involve a climb of around 1,000 feet but offers tremendous views from the high ridge.

All members and the public are welcome to join the NC High Peaks Board of Directors for our next meeting on Thursday, May 17 at 9 am.  We will be meetin in a new location, the community room at Untied Community Bank which is on the corner of US 19E and NC 197N. We will review all our recent hikes, workdays and other topics.  Please join us if you can.

Join the NC High Peaks Trail Association for a fun hike May 5 from the summit of Mt. Mitchell down to an historic railroad grade that once carried timber and tourists from the highest peak in the eastern U.S.

Jack Kaeck will give a slide presentation on the birds of the Sax Zim Bog.  This mature bog is important wintering habitat for Great Gray Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, White-winged Crossbill, Pine Grosbeak, Common Redpoll and Hoary Redpoll.  Particular attention is given to the habitat of both the three-toed and the black-backed woodpeckers.  Great Grey owls and martens (weasel family) are also considered.  To read more about the bog, go to saxzim.org.  The bog is an hour northwest of Dulut

Join the NC High Peaks Trail Association for one of two adventurous hikes on Mt. Mitchell on Saturday, April 28. The hikes have been repeatedly postponed due to weather and road closures.

The strenuous hike will start at the Black Mountain Campground and climb 6 miles and 3,700 feet to the summit of the East’s highest peak, while the easier hike will start at the Mt. Mitchell State Park Ranger office and proceed about 4.3 miles to the summit, climbing about 700 feet.

All members and the public are welcome to join the NC High Peaks Board of Directors for our next meeting on Thursday, April 19 at 9 am.  We will be meeting upstairs at Appalachian Java on West Main St. The next few weeks will be very busy with hikes in the Celo Community and the Black Mountains, volunteer opportunities on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mount Mitchell State Park and more.  We will update all these topics on Thursday.