There was a post on X not long ago (that still seems so strange to me to not call it Twitter) by RunChat that was part of a contest to win an entry to the Key West Half Marathon (I did not win). You were supposed to post photos of some of your favorite places to run and could enter once a week over the course of a month. I enjoyed thinking of some of my favorite places I had run over the years and that’s what inspired this post. I’m going to begin a little photo journey down memory lane.
Although I was hiking in this photos, Hawaii is one of my favorite places to run, even with the heat. I’ve run on the Big Island (Hawaii), Kauai, Maui, and Oahu and have loved every island!Charleston, South Carolina is another place where I love to run that’s also hot like Hawaii. There are giant, sweeping trees as shown here that provide shade all over the stunning southern city.Although I had been to Washington, D.C. many times before running the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile Run in 2022, the race was my first race in the district, and I loved it. There are so many scenic places to run in the area.Greenville, South Carolina has many shaded areas along the popular 22-mile Swamp Rabbit Trail. There are also a variety of unique shops and restaurants to fill your time when you’re not running.View from the top of Mt. Maunganui in New Zealand. I never got tired of the ever-changing views while running when I visited the North Island of New Zealand. Every city I went to was a new adventure when I was able to go for a run!
Where are some of your favorite places to run? Do you enjoy running while on vacation or do you prefer to do other activities instead?
My daughter will be starting college this fall at a school in Southwestern North Carolina. We’ve been to the mountains several times at this point but until she announced she wanted to check out the school, I had only been to that part of North Carolina once despite living in the state for 26 years. I had been to Asheville many times, which is about 45 minutes to an hour east of where I’m referring to, and I had been to Gatlinburg and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is about 90 minutes to 2 hours north of the towns I’m going to talk about here.
West of Asheville, NC and South of Gatlinburg, TN lie many quaint small towns worth checking out, especially if you love nature and want to “get away from it all.” Picture traditional bed and breakfasts where your room is filled with antique furniture in an old Victorian-style house with a full breakfast and coffee served every morning or waking up in your cabin by the river and watching the deer graze right outside. There are waterfalls and trails scattered all throughout the area to fill your days and when you’re tired of hiking, you can stroll along tiny downtowns with brick buildings and every shop is locally-owned and full of friendly faces.
I’ll start with some of the towns you might want to check out and what they each have to offer.
Some Unique Towns and What They Have to Offer
Sylva is a cute little town with some breweries along the water, like Lazy Hiker Brewing, Balsam Falls Brewing, Innovation Brewing, and Nantahala’s Brewing Sylva Outpost and Brewpub, plus other restaurants like Mad Batter Kitchen (with really good pizza), Lulu’s on Main, Creekside Oyster House and Grill, and City Lights Cafe, just to name a few. There are also some coffee shops like The Farmhouse Mercantile and Coffee Bar, The Coffee Shop, and White Moon Coffee Shop. Saturday mornings from 9-12 you can find the Jackson County Farmer’s Market. If you want to relax after a long day hiking on the trails you can make an appointment for a massage or other body treatment at Fusions Spa and Wellness. https://www.fusionsspa.com
Dillsboro is a short drive from Sylva (just a few minutes by car) and you can find some antique shops and locally made products in the Old Dillsboro Shops. It’s a tiny town so I wouldn’t plan to spend much time here but it’s worth checking out if you have some time to kill. If you enjoy museums, you can check out the Appalachian Women’s Museum. They’re open on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm April through October. They have events scheduled throughout the year so check out their website https://www.appwomen.org
Continuing south, you’ll come upon three towns, Highlands, Cashiers, and Sapphire. Highlands is the furthest west and is 20 minutes from Cashiers, which is 15 minutes from Sapphire. You can find many restaurants in Highlands including Lakeside Restaurant, Madison’s, 4118 Kitchen and Bar, The Secret Garden, and The Ugly Dog Public House, just to name a few. There’s also the Highlands Country Club, Mountain Theater Company for live shows, and The Bascom: Center for the Visual Arts. https://www.thebascom.org
In Cashiers you can find The Orchard Restaurant, Events, Barn, and Cottage (so yes, you can stay here as well), Cashiers Valley Smokehouse, a few Mexican restaurants, Slab Town Pizza, and more. There’s also Cashiers Sliding Rock (which is technically in Highlands so it’s a bit confusing; even more confusing when there’s another sliding rock in the area simply called Sliding Rock in the Pisgah Forest), where you can slide down the rock in the summer months into icy cold water to cool off.
Sapphire has a ski resort, Ski Sapphire Valley, where you can go skiing in the winter or go hiking in the warmer months. You can stay at the sprawling and pricey golf resort The Greystone Inn on Lake Toxaway or the Cabins at Seven Foxes, not on the water but nearby. You can eat at Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company, Grand Olde Station Restaurant, Villa Amato (pizza), and Los Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant.
Most of these towns are dog-friendly so here’s my dog at one of the restaurants with outdoor seating, which many places have
Trails and Waterfalls
This part of North Carolina has the highest concentration of trails and waterfalls in the state. By no means is this all of them (just a tiny fraction) but I’ll list some of the more popular ones, starting on the furthest west near Highlands and going east towards Sapphire, then I’ll go up towards Sylva. Just put them in Google Maps and make your own waterfall map.
Bust Your Butt Falls (Highlands)
Bridal Veil Falls (Highlands)
Sequoyah Falls (Highlands)
Ranger Falls Loop Trail (Highlands)
Glen Falls (Highlands)
Secret Falls (aka Big Shoals Falls) and Secret Falls Trail Head (Highlands)
Silver Run Falls and Trail Head (Cashiers)
Rainbow Falls Trailhead (Rainbow Falls and Turtleback Falls) (Brevard)
Panthertown Valley Trail (to Schoolhouse Falls) (Glenville)
John’s Jump Falls (Sapphire)
Frolictown Falls (Sapphire)
Granny Burrell Falls (Sapphire)
Gorges State Park (Sapphire)
Southern Highlands Reserve (a botanical garden in Lake Toxaway)
North of the already mentioned trails and waterfalls you can find the following:
Upper Sols Creek Falls (in Tuckasegee)
Cowee Mountain Overlook, off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Canton
Courthouse Valley Overlook, off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Canton
Little Bird Falls (Canton)
High Falls (Glenville)
Pinnacle Park (Sylva)
For something unique, there’s the Judaculla Rock in Cullowhee, a large soapstone boulder with carvings believed to be 2000-3000 years old, pre-dating the presence of Cherokee Indians in the area but their origin is unknown. It’s free and a quick stop for something different. https://freecharm.com/JudacullaRock/JudacullaRock.html
Logistics
The weather is relatively mild throughout the year so you can easily hike during the spring, summer, and fall months. It does snow here, as you can tell from the fact that there’s a ski resort in the area, and you could hike during the winter months, but I’m not a fan of hiking through the snow myself but you certainly could do that with good winter boots and warm clothes. I personally like going to this area the most during the summer because it’s cooler than where I live and not as humid so it’s a nice break from the heat and humidity, but it is the most crowded then.
Most of these towns are tiny, with limited options of where to stay so make sure you make reservations at hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, and Airbnb stays well in advance, especially during holidays and the summer. You will need a car to get around so unless you’re driving here, you’ll need to rent a car. The closest airports are Asheville Regional, about an hour away, and for larger airports Charlotte Douglas International Airport is about 3 hours away, and Atlanta is also about 3 hours away.
Have you been to this part of North Carolina? If you haven’t would you like to go?
I saw something from WordPress that I had posted my first blog post 7 years ago, in 2016. I looked back to my first post, which I’ll paste here since it’s short:
Why I Run
I’ve been running pretty much since I can remember. I remember running on the track team in grade school and how my lungs would ache on those chilly mornings in West Virginia. I remember the sheer thrill I would feel as a kid when running with our dog through our neighborhood and how happy our dog looked. I remember running to stave off the freshmen 15 in college. Then I remember getting shin splints during one run in college and almost crawling back to my apartment, followed by the agonizing pain I felt when all of my leg muscles seized up in the shower. I decided to take some time off running at that point and I did not run again for about four or five years. Then I realized how much I missed running and I decided to train for my very first 5k. The race I chose was on the 4th of July in North Carolina. Being young and naive, I didn’t even think twice about running through the heat and humidity that envelopes the North Carolina summers. Fortunately, the race was in the evening, but I remember it was still extremely hot and humid even after the sun had gone down. It was during that summer that I remembered why I run. It’s not to stay in shape or lose weight. It’s not so I can eat whatever I want and not gain weight. When I run, I feel free. I feel alive. Sure, there are times when it’s painful and not much fun, but I know when I’ve finished a run, I will feel satisfied that I’ve put my all into that run and I have done my best. I run because I love it, quite simply. (end of post)
Running in Hawaii
On the same day I added the “Why I Run” post, I wrote the following blog post:
Why I Travel
As a child, I remember going on a few vacations with my parents and later, after they divorced, with just my mom and brother. On one of our few vacations as a family of four, we went to Myrtle Beach for a few days with another family of four.  At one point or another during that vacation, someone from both families either had an earache, kidney stones, a cold, or motion sickness. Needless to say, it was not a fun vacation. During a vacation with just my mom and brother to Virginia Beach and Colonial Williamsburg, my mom kept complaining about how expensive everything was. At least we weren’t sick during this vacation, but still, it wasn’t exactly a fun time either. These are the memories I have from family vacations as a child. I do have some good memories involving vacations as a child as well, but given my history it wouldn’t be surprising if I never wanted to travel as an adult. The funny thing is, I can’t seem to travel enough to scratch the travel bug I developed as an adult. When I was in college, I won a trip to the Bahamas, which was fantastic given that I was a poor college student paying my own way through school. This was my first time outside the United States and I loved it. I knew then that I wanted to travel more and see and do all I could. Unfortunately, that was hard to do on my meager student wages so travel would have to wait. Since finishing school many years ago, I’ve managed to travel to more interesting places and finally start to feel like I’ve dipped my big toe into traveling the world. I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface as far as the places I’ve been compared to what’s still out there for me to explore, but I’m slowly but surely seeing the world. So why do I travel? Not to impress my friends by name-dropping exotic places. Most of the time I don’t even post the photos on Facebook. I think it’s more to see new places and try new things. I know some people don’t like to get out of their comfort zones and go to new places, but I love it and can’t imagine my life without travel. I certainly wouldn’t be the same person I am today if not for all of the places I’ve visited and things I saw and did there. (end of post)
New Zealand- my favorite place I’ve traveled to
After those two initial posts, I began adding posts from the half marathons I had run through May of 2016. I had no real plan for my blog at that point, other than a way to keep my half marathons organized and have a sort of summary for the races. No one helped me set up my blog or guide me along the way. I didn’t take a course on SEO (search engine optimization) or how to monetize your blog (I still don’t make money from my blog).
What I’ve learned has been a journey for me, along the lines of how my quest to run a half marathon was something I kind of fell into and learned along the way. I learned not to just add a blog post and go on my merry way, but part of being a blogger is also to read other people’s blogs and comment on some of them. You certainly could just do the former but it’s way more fun to do the latter and you may even make friends along the way.
I’ve also learned many people suddenly stop blogging, even ones that have been blogging for many years. People get married, change jobs, have children, etc. and find they no longer have time to put into blogging. Because blogging does take time, especially if you include photos and post more than once in a blue moon, and you’re also reading and commenting on other people’s posts.
Catching up on other people’s blog posts has become a part of my life just like writing up my own posts has become. I would miss reading about other people’s experiences and their own journeys. As much as I enjoy writing, I enjoy reading as well, and that not only includes reading books but also blog posts. As you can probably guess, I like blogs about running and travel but also blogs that would fall in the category of generalized, meaning the bloggers write about their lives. I’ve learned so much just from reading blog posts!
So why do I blog? I blog because I enjoy writing about my own journeys and sharing my experiences with others but I also enjoy reading about other people’s experiences and learning new things. Mostly I blog for the community because otherwise I could just keep my own private journal and read books on my own.
I’ll admit I haven’t been on a ton of multi-day tours with companies when I’ve traveled. However, I have learned some things over the years when I have gone on tours. There are some important questions you should ask or make sure they’re answered before you plop down any money for a deposit and certainly before you embark on a journey with a company. I’d like to share some of those questions you should ask in this post.
What is included and what’s not included in the final price
Money is a top concern for most people planning a multi-day tour as they can be a quite expensive once in a lifetime experience. You want to make sure you get the most for your money but also make sure the tour guides and any support crew are supported by a living wage for the area where they live. Do several searches online to determine what the median price is for a comparable tour with several different companies. See how that price varies over a year and if discounts are available for signing up early. Determine how much the deposit is and what the company’s policy is on returning your deposit (and final amount due) should you have to cancel.
If it’s unclear what may not be covered in your fees, ask the company. Make sure things like park fees are paid for and if not how much they will be. If you need transportation to and from the airport to your tour group’s starting and ending points, ask if you need to arrange that on your own or if it’s included with the tour fees. Ensure that all food, drinks, snacks are included and ask for some examples of those things so you’re not left eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with packaged cheese crackers for snacks and only water a few times a day. If special gear is required (tents, sleeping bags, etc.), ask what is included and what’s optional. You also need to budget for tips, which are not included in fees but are an unwritten requirement just like when eating out in restaurants (in the United States anyway).
Scenes from my multi-day trek in Yosemite National Park
What is the agenda
Usually you can find the agenda on a company’s website but sometimes it’s vague and doesn’t include everything. Ask about morning start times during the tour, how long you’ll be hiking/biking/walking each day, and approximate times for meals and bedtime. How much downtime do you have each day? Make sure you’re physically able to keep up with the proposed distance covered each day and if not, perhaps you should choose another tour.
Check your flight arrival and departure times to make sure you have plenty of time for flight delays and for getting to your tour departure especially if they aren’t picking you up and dropping you off at your hotel before and after the tour. Is there a specific place you had your heart set on visiting during the tour that’s not on the agenda? If so, contact them to see if that might be a possibility and if not, see if other tour companies include that spot.
Do you need specific vaccinations before you embark on your trip
Depending on where you’re going, certain vaccines may be recommended or even required. Some vaccines may include more than one dose, spread out over a series of weeks or months so you’ll need to be aware of that in plenty of time.
How many people will be on the tour with you
This is also usually spelled out clearly on the website but again, can be vague. For example, I’ve seen numbers for tour groups listed like “Tours are usually limited to 12-20 people.” That’s a pretty big range to me. I would want to know which end of that range would be most likely for the tour I was thinking about signing up for and personally I wouldn’t want 19 other people on the tour with me (but I know other people would be fine with a large group). You should also know how many people from the company will be on the tour with you. Are there sufficient porters to carry all of the supplies or will you be expected to carry your own supplies including tent, sleeping bag, clothes, etc.?
If you want a private tour with only you and/or family/friends, that will be more expensive unless you have a large group versus if you go with other groups of people. However, group size seems like a personal preference for most people so determine this on your own before signing up. I would say if you’re unsure, go for a somewhat smaller group size of say 10 people maximum.
One of my favorite photos from our Machu Picchu multi-day trek
Do they have someone that’s Wilderness First Responder Certified (or the equivalent of in other countries)
You want to make sure there’s at least one person from your tour that will be able to sufficiently take care of someone who requires care when you’re in the middle of nowhere on your tour. Being First Aid Certified is a good start but it’s a far cry from the skills taught to Wilderness First Responders and is not nearly enough should a severe case happen in the wild when you’re miles away from a hospital.
Along these same lines, you should ask what’s their policy should you require emergency care that necessitates you leaving the tour group. For example, if you experience extreme altitude sickness, how would they handle that? What about if you break a bone or are bitten by a snake or something else that would make it extremely difficult if not impossible to continue with the tour?
What do other people say about the company and tour
Read reviews from not only the company website but other sources as well. Of course the company isn’t going to post negative reviews on their own website so you’ll only find positive reviews there. Do a search of the company with the word “reviews” and see what you get. You’ll likely get links for websites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, Facebook, personal blogs, and the company itself, among others.
I’m sure there are some things I’m forgetting here. For those of you that have been on tours, what other questions should you ask before signing up? What was one of your most memorable multi-day tours?
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