Dodging El Niño: Now that the rains are over, and before the snows come, enjoy a stroll in Pisgah Forest’s Pink Beds.
After the nonstop rain, any excuse to get outside is welcome. Serendipitously, the second week of October can sometimes mark the peak for fall foliage in Western North Carolina. And even if last weekend’s unusual drought-followed-by-deluge event means an unpredictable color season, the forecasted cooler temps and clear air this week will still make it prettier in Transylvania County than … well, than just about anywhere else.
On October 8, Pisgah Field School sponsors a “Pink and Blues Hike” in the Pink Beds area of Pisgah National Forest. The moderate, 3.5-mile trek (part of a five-mile loop) includes a stroll down the boardwalk over wetland areas, passing by noble stands of hemlocks and pristine streams. So-called because of its carpet of blooming Catawba rhododendron in the spring, the Pink Beds are part of the first nationally maintained tract of forestry in the U.S.
The Thursday hike ends with a stop at Oskar Blues Brewery in Brevard, completing the picture of outdoor fun and craft-brew fanaticism that is as integral WNC as the cycles of color changing hands on the mountain.
12-4pm. https://www.boldlife.com/event/pink-and-blues-hike-2/. For more information: http://cfaia.org/pisgah-field-school-brevard-nc/
