I went to Asheville, NC for a “solo retreat,” weekend. I enjoy doing a couple of solo road trips yearly, in close proximity to Atlanta, to get away from the noise and traffic. I love the vibe of Asheville and the peace and serenity of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I enjoy hikes and waterfalls and wanted to make sure this was my first experience/activity of my visit. I found Asheville Hiking Tours from a Google search result. I chose this company because of the great reviews and the solo booking/pricing. I also absolutely loved that transportation was provided. Being driven through the mountains by someone familiar with the good spots, without me having to search for them, definitely made me content.
The morning of the tour as I approached the Asheville Hiking Tours van, I was warmly greeted and welcomed by Paul, the guide for the day. There were (6) of us on the tour. Paul has a great personality and was an excellent guide. He and was very knowledgeable and provided historical information of the area. I loved his willingness to stop and identify plants and flowers. I learned a lot and my interest was piqued enough to come back and do a different hike with him. He was considerate, caring and understanding. My knee was bothering me that day and he kept checking to make sure I was good. I also thought it was very thoughtful of him to carry extra hiking poles in his back pack to share with others, if needed. We drove to a waterfall, and walked to the bottom. We then drove to a different location and hiked to another waterfall- the hike was a couple of miles and easy, especially considering we walked leisurely and stopped to learn about things we were interested in knowing more about. This was perfect for beginners and people like me who enjoy taking time to really experience the essence of it all. Being driven though the mountains gave me the opportunity to sit back, relax, take in all the sights, take pictures, while enjoying the ride. There was also a stop at an overlook so that we could enjoy, breathe in some refreshing mountain air and take pictures of the breathtaking mountain views. During the hike and tour, until the very end, Paul was very enthusiastic. He really loves his job and it showed, not only his words, but most importantly through his actions. I left feeling enlightened and refreshed. I would definitely use Asheville Hiking Tours again in the future.