Enjoy interpreter-led hiking in the Piedmont of Upstate South Carolina and the Southern Appalachians of North Carolina and Georgia as we explore the rich biodiversity and geology of the region. We’ll see waterfalls and soak in the views from scenic vistas as we explore our changing landscapes. Participants should be able to walk four to five miles on uneven terrain.

• April 14 - Hike the out-and-back Peach Orchard Branch trail to see trillium and other spring wildflowers. (Easy 4-mile hike)
• April 21 - Hike to Virginia Hawkins Falls, out-and-back, in the Jocassee Gorges. Special features: wildflowers and 30-foot cascading falls (Moderately strenuous, 3 to 4-mile)
• May 26 - Hike the Winding Stairs Trail in the Sumter National Forest. Special feature: 75-foot Miuka Falls. (Easy 3.5-mile trail)
• June 2 - Hike a 3-mile loop in Panthertown Valley from the Saltrock Gap Trailhead. Experience the remoteness of this mountain valley as trails weave around streams and seepage areas passing by Granny Burrell Falls, Frolictown Falls and Wilderness Falls. (Moderate)

Jean Askew is an avid hiker and has been hiking with OLLI and other groups since moving back to the Upstate in 2008. She has an educational background in botany and forestry and completed the Upstate Master Naturalist program in 2016. Delsey Brown moved back to the Upstate in 2016 and started exploring the area she left in 1983. She has been hiking with OLLI since 2017 and enjoys hiking with a group where everyone learns from each other.