In an effort not to overwhelm you with tons of pictures from everything we crammed into two days in Asheville, I thought it would be smart to break it into two posts. Read part one here (heavy on food + beer).
And here is the Saturday recap! I somehow managed to sleep until almost 10 a.m. I woke up a few times but willed myself back to sleep. Ten hours of sleep after averaging 5 hours a night for weeks was pretty much necessary.
We took our time getting ready and drinking coffee before checking out and hitting downtown in search of brunch.
We’ve made countless visits to Asheville but never had breakfast as Early Girl. It is an Asheville establishment featuring farm-to-table comfort food but usually the crowds and long waits keep us away. Luck for us, the city was pretty quiet Saturday morning and we were able to get seated after a short 15 minute wait.
I went with the Early Girl Benny – grit cake topped with tomato, spinach, poached eggs, tomato gravy and avocado. I had a biscuit on the side, which I loaded up with plenty of butter and local jam.
Our brunch did a great job of fueling us for the hike we had planned. We drove to the Pisgah National Forest to hike up to John Rock. It’s a granite rock face at 3,300 feet elevation that overlooks the Davidson River Valley and Looking Glass Rock.
It was a beautiful day for a hike and we were pleased to find that the trail was really uncrowded. I think we only passed 4-5 other groups of people over the course of our 3-hour hike. We covered about six miles.
The trail was beautiful and very well-maintained. It was moderately difficult with some strenuous uphills.
We crossed quite a few streams and some waterfalls.
The most difficult part of the hike came when we turned onto the John Rock trail to make our way up to the rock face. It got pretty steep and my heart rate was definitely up there.
The views from the top were amazing and a perfect payoff for the hard uphill.
I only had a minor heart attack when Brandon was standing at the edge of the rock!
Beautiful scenery = insert yoga pose.
Brandon and I really enjoy hiking and camping but life has been so crazy recently that there has been no time. During our hike Saturday we scoped out some great campsites and are already planning a return trip very soon to enjoy fall colors and camping. Besides, we have to do this hike again with Sullie. She would love it!
The great outdoors…yea or nay?
