Friday’s PAC Hike to visit Montreat Wilderness Area The Pacolet Area Conservancy (PAC) will host a 4.7-mile hike at Montreat Wilderness Area in the second hike of PAC’s Fall Hiking Series. PAC Land Protection Specialist Pam Torlina will lead hikers to Lookout Rock. The 4.7-mile hike is a moderate to strenuous loop with a total ascent of 1,040 feet. The trailhead is accessed from the historic Montreat Conference Center. The highlight of this hike is Lookout Rock, a stone outcrop that offers views of the Montreat and Swannanoa valleys and the Seven Sisters range or Middle Mountain. If you are interested in attending the PAC hike at Montreat Wilderness Area, please contact the PAC office to sign up by phone at 828-859-5060 or email, landprotection@pacolet.org. Hikers should wear appropriate clothing and footwear; bring a bag lunch and/or snack and plenty of water. Please be sure to bring any personal medication you may require. In case of inclement weather, please contact the PAC office by 8:15 a.m. on the day of the hike to see if the hike will take place. Hikers will meet at the Columbus Bi-Lo at 8:30 a.m. to start the approximately 1¼ hour drive to Montreat. If you cannot make this hike but would like to attend other hikes, please visit PACs website, www.pacolet.org, or go to PACs Facebook page, “Pacolet Conservancy,” for information on upcoming hikes. The next hike is scheduled for Oct. 28 at Pisgah National Forest, where PAC Land Protection Specialist Pam Torlina will lead hikers to John Rock. – article submitted by Pam Torlina