When a hiker asks me what trails they should start with in Western North Carolina, I always suggest climbing Mt. Pisgah. Not only is it a classic, but it allows you to orient yourself to the area. Mt. Pisgah is a classic and a basic hike.

From the top of Mt. Pisgah, you’ll see Cold Mountain, Looking Glass Rock, and the Frying Pan Mountain tower.

Sunday, I went on the Carolina Mountain Club half-day hike, led by Bobbi Powers. Since the climb is just 2.6 miles and 750 feet of elevation gain, Bobbi needed a couple more miles to make it a decent half-day hike. So we started and ended at Pisgah Inn. The mile from Pisgah Inn to the bottom of Mt. Pisgah must be the most manicured mile on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in the mountains.

We went past the Buckspring Lodge site and peeked into the Spring house, just off the trail.

Some hikers call it a secret. It’s not a secret, folks. Read Walt Weber’s book Trail Profiles and maps from the Great Smokies to Mount Mitchell and Beyond and my two hiking guides.

Then we started climbing Mt. Pisgah. I had forgotten how steep and rocky the trail is.

I’ve been hiking in the Smokies for so long that I sometimes forget that most WNC trails in Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway are full of rocks and roots. I have become so spoiled.

I had to stop a couple of times to take a drink and catch my breath. Since this was an afternoon hike, we were walking in the hottest part of the July day. It wasn’t easy.

Look at the picture to the left.

Now look at the quality of the Chimney Tops Trail. It’s longer and steeper but the trail quality is so good.

Of course, Chimney Tops has been completely rehabilitated with money from Trails Forever, donated by Friends of the Smokies. I wrote about this a few weeks ago.

What does it all means?

*  Mt. Pisgah is actually on Blue Ridge Parkway land. But the Parkway puts fewer resources into quality trails than the Smokies.

* When deciding on a trail, look at distance, altitude gain and terrain. The latter is the hardest information to get, but it’s important.

* Hike up to Mt. Pisgah. It’s worth the effort.

Every once in a while, I get a request to test an outdoor product.

If I feel that the product is something I’ll like and can be used for hiking, I’ll say “Yes”. Most times, I never hear from the company again.

But Rocket Pure, which touts Natural Body Care for Athletes, actually sent me a sample of their products to test. You can find various powders, lotions and potions on their website, but I asked for four products.

I took this picture before I opened the containers to make sure that they were pristine. Then I dove in. So my review is not left to right, but from superb to “could use improvements.”

1.  The Hand and Foot Balm was superb. That’s even better than awesome. It looks like a version of vaseline but feels so much better. I lather it on my feet after a shower and when I go to bed. I haven’t tried it on my hands yet, because they don’t crack except for the winter.

A few years ago, when I walked the Mountains-to-Sea Trail across North Carolina, I got blisters after the first day in the Coastal Plains.  I wrapped my feet in Duct Tape every morning after that. Same problem on Le Chemin de St. Jacques in France.

But when I took this balm to Italy, I could walk on their cobble stone and rocky trails without any foot problems.

2.  I used the Anti-Chafe Balm Stick on my feet every morning just before putting on my hiking socks and boots. This prevents rubbing my feet raw on long hikes. It worked well. So I don’t really know if the balm cream or stick did the trick. But when I’m walking over 15 miles a day, every day, I’m not going to question success. I’ll continue to use both.

3.  The Sunscreen and lip gloss belongs in the “Could use improvement” category. According to the website, it offers. Broad Spectrum UVA & UVB Protection, Non-Nano Zinc. White Hot Sunscreen With Zinc Oxide by Rocket Pure.

But the sunscreen left white sploshes on my face, a look that I thought went out in the 1970s. I looked up non-nano zinc but I couldn’t really understand it. I’m sure the sunscreen did the trick. When I reapplied the sunscreen on the trail, my husband kept trying to rub the white off my face.

So… take care of your feet and other spots that chafe. I can heartily recommend the hand and foot balm and balm stick. I’m off on another long-distance hiking trip and I’ll take both.

After I wrote this review, Monica Nelson of Zola-PR and the spokesperson for Rocket Pure explained why I got a white face with their sun screen. Here it is unedited:

Rocket Pure (and all natural sunscreens on the market) use zinc oxide to prevent sunburn. (Some also include titanium dioxide, but Rocket Pure does not). The zinc acts as a barrier where chemical sunscreens dissipate the sun’s rays with a chemical reaction. Chemical sunscreen ingredients like oxybenzone and retinyl pamitate are very dangerous and these dangers are written about frequently by the FDA, and here on the independent website EWG. Even the FDA is concerned about many of the chemical sunscreens on the market.

So, with zinc there is a slight whitening effect of the skin. It’s not like the old days where you’d see bright white streaks on lifeguards’ noses, but there is a little bit of this whitening effect. Our sunscreen does rub in, and a little goes a long way.

Making natural body care products is much more difficult than with chemical products, so there are some trade-offs! In the case of sunscreen, some whitening of the skin, is the trade-off for putting cancer-causing and hormone disrupting chemicals on your skin.

As for the term “non-nano,” don’t get too focused on that. There was a scare a while back that nano (very small) minerals were being used in skincare products and those minerals were being absorbed into the skin, and were potentially toxic after absorption. To get around this, mineral suppliers started making the minerals in larger size so it’s not absorbed into the skin. The bottom line, is our zinc oxide isn’t absorbed into the skin.

But chemical sunscreens DO absorb into the skin and DO get into the blood. Their ability to rub in, as well as their absorption — the very process that people like — is actually causing people harm.

After six days at Family Nature Summits, we came home, did the laundry, and packed the car for three days of camping in Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We hiked, set up camp and got silly with wiffle ball nets. What could be so difficult and strange about that?

It rained on and off the whole weekend. Even though Cades Cove Campground was supposed to be full, several campsites were empty. I guess that $20 a site per night (less if you have a Senior Pass) wasn’t enough to convince everyone to show up.

On Sunday, we drove the Cades Cove loop and stopped to walk to the John Oliver cabin, shown at left, and Elijah Oliver’s home place. Elijah, son of John, had a more elaborate set up, with a home, barn, and several outbuildings. Since it was a half-mile walk to the second site, we only saw one family there.

We saw a bear in the woods on the loop, but the most exciting sighting was close to the campsite. Isa, shown here with grandpa, and I were going to play in the creek one afternoon. We walked through the campsite when Isa announced that there was a bear ahead. Whoah! The bear didn’t even lift its head. It kept sniffing the ground and we found another place to play.

When you get a campsite, you’re told in plain language to not leave any food, flavored water, or coolers unattended. We want to avoid attracting bears in the campground. Then you sign that you understood this.

Still campers are careless and forgetful. Our camping neighbors across the road left their coolers under their table while they went out for the day. They came back to this sign which also said that the rangers took away their cooler.

About 10 pm, I noted a park vehicle with two rangers, one talking to the couple. I stood and watched, curious to see what would happen. The campers got a $70 ticket (cheap at twice the price) and a good talking-to. Too bad!

It rained most of the day and I had told my hikers that there were several unbridged water crossings. We were going to get wet, but still seven hikers came.

The Caldwell Fork Trail has ten crossings over the stream. Several bridges are missing so we had to walk right through the water. That’s what most people remember.

But the Boogerman Trail itself forms a “C” in the forest. Rhododendrons bloom and ferns show off their range of green color. The area never allowed commercial logging so the trees are huge. Huge stonewalls remain from the residents who lived here before the area became a park.

The hike took longer than usual because we needed to be careful with the water crossings. Since it rained most of the day, the river moved quickly and we traversed the water slowly. We ended up muddy and soaked but we all loved it.

While I was splashing on the trail, Lenny went on a birding trip, looking for birds in the rain.

Hannah and her group went on a hiking and cultural trip through Cataloochee. Isa went canoeing on Lake Junaluska with her group leader. This was Isa’s first canoe trip.

This is the beauty of Family Nature Summits. Each member of the family does her or his own activities with a group. We then get together for late afternoon family time and then dinner.

Last night, each group put on a skit, even the faculty. We had a slide show, which recapped the week’s adventures.

Then the moment we’ve all been waiting for: place and date for next year – Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, July 2 to July 8, 2016.

Look at the website to register.

This organization plans a one-week camp for families and individuals all around the country. This year, right now in fact, we’re at Lake Junaluska close to the Smokies. So I’m leading four hikes – two in Deep Creek and two in Cataloochee.  So how does it all work with families?

We all stay at the same location and eat in the same dining hall. After breakfast , adults drop off their kids at the Junior Naturalist (JN) program at 8 am.

Isa is in the Fern and Jack, the youngest of the JN while Hannah is the oldest JN. Next year, she moves up to the Teen program.

The children went to Cataloochee and the Mountain Farm Museum. The younger ones will canoe while Hannah’s group rafted. They look at plants, play in creeks and do nature drawing.

At 3:30 pm, the children’s program ends. If the adults aren’t back, the younger ones roll over to daycare, where the fun continues. Hannah, meanwhile, hangs out with her friends. But most days, we’ve taken the girls swimming in the Lake Junaluska pool. They see all their friends, but this time, it’s the parents (and grandparents) who supervise them. The group leaders are off duty.

We seem to have dinner quite early here.

By 7 pm, it’s time for an evening program. This week, we’ve seen birds of prey, listened to a story teller and had a barn dance, complete with a live caller and band. Everyone participates. By eight o’clock, Isa is ready for bed and I’m ready to call it a night as well. I’ve got another hike to lead the next day.

For adults, it’s not all hiking. They can ramble, learn about flowers, draw or visit an organic farm. This year, the adults could raft, canoe or mountain bike. It’s all about using all the resources that the location offers.

Who knows where it will be next year? But it will be exciting.