You can meet some interesting people along the Basin Cove Trail, and next summer the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Interpretive Rangers will make it easy for you.

Each month from May through October, the Park Service will offer guided tours of the Cove and its long-deserted homeplaces. Though the dates aren’t firm yet, they’ll likely be the second Saturday in each month. The Saturday following will be a rain date if necessary.

Should wildflowers strike your fancy, the May or June hikes would be best. As the Wild Bloodroot fades, Painted Trilliums line shady rock ledges near the creek. Wild cherry trees bloom a little later, and not for very long. With warmer weather comes Pink Lady’s Slipper. Assorted blossoms appear and disappear all summer, extending the Cove’s natural beauty.

Old cabin ruins bring pause for wonder and reflection. Genealogist and historian Lenny Caudill has attached the owners’ names to nearly every one. As part of the Caudill family, the lives of past residents touch his own. Young Harrison Caudill set up housekeeping there in 1855, and what’s left of his last Cove homeplace is about halfway in.

Two summers ago, Lenny and I did some serious bushwhacking in search of old roadbeds and ruins. What we found added little to that already known, but an unexpected meeting threw us a curve.

We were well back in the Cove and heading out. As we rounded a creek crossing, children’s chatter and splashing could be heard over the gurgling water. Two girls sat on large boulders in the stream while several younger boys turned over rocks in search of critters. One of the girls introduced herself and we talked for awhile about the Cove and its former residents. Lenny and I were surprised that one so young would be remarkably comfortable with total strangers out in the middle of nowhere.

“How old do you think she is?” I asked, when we were well down the trail and beyond her hearing.

“Oh, I’d guess 17 or 18,” he replied.

I agreed, and our conversation drifted to other subjects. Still, the girl’s youth and poise was puzzling.

Anyone that young and comfortable around adults has to show up somewhere on the Internet, I thought. It didn’t take long to explain her surprising maturity.

She’d worked a couple of years as a camp counselor at Camp Cheerio, then moved into a senior leadership role. Between then and our meeting, she took groups of kids to Europe, South Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the Mediterranean. Clearly, this “kid” was no 18 year old. She was in her early 20s and about to take flying lessons. Several months later, “the kid” earned her commercial pilot’s license and is now qualified to fly multi-engine jet planes!

A similar situation popped up late last summer when the Park Service’s arrangements pointed nine hikers to the Longbottom Road trailhead. But for two school-age girls, the group was “mature” men, the oldest of whom was 73. Before we started, I gave each hiker a copy of “The Cabin Below” so they’d have something to read at home.

“Maybe you can use this for a writing assignment in school,” I told the youngest girl. She flipped through the pages, thanked me, and tossed it into the family car.

The same suggestion was made to the older girl. She also thanked me and smiled broadly, but said nothing else. The booklet went to another car, and she rejoined the group as we crossed the road.

The unusual smile puzzled me as we started up the trail, then I overheard her chatting with another hiker. I waited for them and asked where she went to college. Her smile became a laugh.

“I’ve already earned my master’s degree,” she said. “Nine years ago, I started teaching eighth graders in Hendersonville. Most people think I’m an eighth-grader, too. One day the class and I were at (Charlotte’s) Discovery Place when an employee came over to ask where the teacher was. She didn’t believe it when I raised my hand.” Her young-looking husband was among the group of men, and had watched the familiar scene unfold…..again.

Whether you’re a kid or an adult who looks and feels like a youngster, the ten-mile round-trip’s a treat. We’ll cross moving water 27 times, but our pace will suit the group’s ability, allowing frequent stops to rest and take pictures. There’s plenty to see and some beautiful scenery between one end to the other. It also gives you bragging rights when you can look down from Wildcat Rock and say, “I’ve been there!” Watch for more details next spring.

Oh, the most recent hike’s 73 year-old member set the pace and most of us struggled to keep up.