GSA: Max Patch hike

 On Wednesday, July 25th, Kel and I headed out to one of my all-time favorite places to hike - Max Patch in Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina.  So much natural beauty and a combination of open views from flower fields to cool trails through the woods.  The summit of Max Patch has a bald top, so you get awesome 360 degree views of the Smokey Mountains.  The Appalachian Trail goes through here and we met a group from Texas who were backpacking on this part of the AT.  There are many options of trails to take from the parking lot, a short hike right to the summit or the 3.5 mile loop that we opted for and enjoyed immensely.  Again, the heat wave continued with temps in the 90's but we were prepared with plenty of water and lunch.

The best surprise was the abundance of wild blackberries!  Acres and acres of nature's bounty and not only did we snack on these sweet treats, but Savi became an expert picker, eating the ripe ones within her reach!  Blueberries also grow in the area but were not yet ripe.  After our hike, we retrieved a bucket from the van and went back and picked fresh berries to fill the bucket.  That night, Debbie made delicious preserves out of them.

 Savi was on the hunt and to our surprise, was found pointing a wild quail!!!

 

 Mia and Savi

 Neat wild flowers and the sign for the different trails...everything was very well marked.

 At the summit, we had our picnic lunch and rested.  We met many people from all over, including Florida, Texas, Michigan and the Carolinas.  You can click on the photos to enlarge them.

 Roll at the summit from Savi!

 Kel, glamour girl at the summit!

 Always time for a photo op with the dogs.

 Savi running through the fields at the top.

 And what to do after a great hike on a hot day - go swimming of course!

 Savi didn't hesitate to retrieve her bumper, one of the many awesome prizes she won for qualifying at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial, the previous weekend.

 Splish, splash...

And on our drive out of the park, this was an interesting site.  The driver, an Amish looking man on the left, with his son, absorbed in texting on his phone!

Thanks to our