Asheville, NC 2: Two hikes in two days

Yesterday we drove about forty five minutes to the Black Balsam Knob and Tennent Mountain hike, east and a bit south of where we have been staying, in Waynesville.  On the way there, there were many overlook stop overs.  At first we stopped at most of them, but then we realized that it would take all day if we did that, so we finished up the drive.  Parking was chaotic near the hike, as there are other hikes that begin from the same starting point.  We parked along with other cars on the side of the road.

The hike took roughly about three hours and wasn't incredibly strenuous.  It first went upward toward a mountain top and then dipped again before rising to another top, before curving around and leading to a fairly straight path back to the parking lot.  There was a decent variety to the terrain.  The hike was perfect for me because we had a great view, but there wasn't a single area where it was steep near us.



Today we traveled west and a bit north to another set of mountains, to do another hike which promised waterfalls and wildflowers.  Wildflowers were nowhere to be seen, which made the forest hike fairly pedestrian, but it was still beautiful and we had the hike to ourselves most of the time.  This is what we saw.



Back at the hotel, we hung out on the porch and spoke with another couple.  Stephanie pointed out a mosquito outside of our door.