Join the Pacolet Area Conservancy (PAC) this Friday, March 2, for the second of six hikes offered this spring. Hikers will enjoy a 4-mile hike at Paris Mountain State Park. PAC Land Protection Specialist Pam Torlina will lead hikers on the moderate loop through the park. Paris Mountain State Park is one of the oldest protected areas in South Carolina. Originally protected as a watershed for the City of Greenville, S.C. the 1,540-acre park features large stands of old-growth hardwood forests. The loop trail begins with a gradual ascent, paralleling a stream that leads to a dam, a remnant of the reservoir originally created to provide water for Greenville, S.C. The trail continues to follow the stream to the top of the ridge, then, leaving the stream, the trail follows the ridgeline before descending through the forest back to the starting point. This park was developed during the Great Depression in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and the park continues to display CCC craftsmanship in several buildings and structures. Geologically, Paris Mountain is a manadnock, an immense rock that remained when the mountains around it weathered away. The park has become a gem to those living and working in Greenville, S.C., a close natural getaway from city life and a convenient location to reconnect with nature. If you are interested in attending the PAC hike at Paris Mountain State Park, contact the PAC office to sign up by phone at 828-859-5060 or by e-mail at landprotection@pacolet.org. Note that there is a park fee for this hike. Hikers should be prepared to pay park admission: $2 per adult and non-resident, $1.25 for S.C. seniors and free for 15 and younger. S.C. park passes are accepted. Hikers should wear appropriate clothing and footwear; bring a bag lunch and/or snack and plenty of water. Be sure to bring any personal medication you may require. Hikers should be prepared to return to the area by 3 p.m. at the latest. In case of inclement weather, 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 Gowensville Spinx (at the intersection of Hwy. 14 and Hwy. 11 in South Carolina) at 8:30 a.m. to arrange carpooling and start the approximately 30-minute drive to the park. If you cannot make this hike but would like to attend other hikes, visit PACs website, www.pacolet.org, or go to PAC’s Facebook page for information on upcoming hikes. The next hike is scheduled for March 16 at Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve. – article submitted by Pam Torlina