The optional half-day field trip will depart from the meeting site at 8:00 AM on Saturday, 11 August, traveling along the Blue Ridge Parkway and Grandfather Mountain Nature Preserve. We will return to the Appalachian State University campus by 1:00 PM.

Field trip cost ($25) includes transportation, entrance to Grandfather Mountain, and a box lunch. Because the eastern Blue Ridge is essentially a montane rainforest, participants are advised to dress for a wide range of weather conditions. The most reliable local weather is obtained from Ray's Weather Center.

The Blue Ridge Parkway segment will include scenic stops including a short hike to Neoproterozoic sediments (metamomophosed, of course, but recognizable). Grandfather Mountain includes a museum with numerous natural history exhibits, a wildlife area housing many Pleistocene survivors and/or analogs (deer, bear, otters, eagles, Panthera (Puma) concolor, etc.). Afterwards we will drive to the site of the famous "Mile High Swinging Bridge," allowing everyone to spend some quality time above 5000 feet.