Afternoon: Arrival at the Assembly Inn, check in between 3 - 5:30 p.m. Registration for our program will be in the lower lobby from 4 - 5:30 p.m. Pull up to the Assemby Inn porch to unload, then park your vehicle in any designated spot close to the Inn or by the lake.

Dinner: Dinner will be served from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Galax Dining Room, on the first floor of the Assembly Inn. A relaxing break after your day of travel. All our meals are served buffet style, so grab your plate and utensils and settle in for some comfort food. A choice of two entrées (or have both), good-for-you vegetables, a complete salad bar, bread and, of course, some yummy desserts. Tea (sweet and unsweetened), coffee, milk, and water available.

Evening: Our opening program/orientation will be at 7 p.m. (usually in Convocation, also on the first floor of the Inn). We will spend some time learning a little about Montreat, meeting your instructors, going over the schedule, and answering questions. We know you're tired from your travels, so we'll wrap up around 8 p.m. with some "getting to know you" activities. Refreshments and fellowship follow in the lobby, or retire to your room to rest.

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Dinner

Mountain Formations Class, Wildflower and Plant Communities/Guide to Field Guides class, and Afternoon Hike on the Mountains to the Sea Trail

Breakfast: Our breakfast buffet is served from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. in the Galax Dining Room. Is breakfast your favorite meal of the day? Then you're in for a treat this week! Breakfast options change each day, but will incorporate lots of your favorites. Biscuits and gravy, French toast, pancakes or waffles, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, grits, hash browns, oatmeal (and not the packaged kind either), and lots of others. Standard offerings include fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt, granola, baked pastries, orange juice (and another juice option). Fresh coffee or hot tea will start your morning off right!

Morning: 8:45 - 10:15 Class lecture, "Mountain Formations," with Brian Joyce 10:15 - 10:45 a.m, refreshment break in the lobby 10:45 - 12:15 p.m., Class lecture, "Wildflowers and Plant Communities" and "Guide to Field Guides," with Joe Standaert. "Wildflowers and Plant Communities" A description of the ecology and structure of plant communities with emphasis on the characteristics of various Southern Appalachian community types and their native wildflowers. A discussion of plant habitats, micro climates, community succession and influences of disturbances on community composition. Extensive photo examples will be presented of the wildflowers to be expected in each environment. "A Guide to the Field Guides" An overview will be presented on the various basic, intermediate, and advanced field guides available for use in wildflower identification. The pros and cons of each type of field guide will be discussed as well as examples of general identification methods used from the simple to advanced "keying" methods.

Lunch: lunch 12:15 - 1:15 p.m.

Afternoon: 1:15 - 5:30 A field trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway, to the Mountains to the Sea Trail. The group will divide into two, and a leader and sweep with be with each group as we walk along, (hopefully) discovering plant life. We will be walking for about two hours and about 2 miles along a single track, wooded hiking trail. The hike will be moderate, but will include some rocks and roots and uneven terrain. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail is a simple footpath stretching almost 1,000 miles across North Carolina from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains to Jockey's Ridge on the Outer Banks.

Dinner: dinner at the Assembly Inn. 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Evening: 7:00 to 8:00, "Fun in the Mountains," Glenn & Evelyn Bannerman games/cards and tv available in the lobby for fellowship movie on a big screen

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Another yummy buffet breakfast is served 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. Get your morning off to a good start! It's the most important meal of the day...

Morning: 8:45 departure for the NC Arboretum. Peter Loewer will guide us on our visit (the bonsai display is always a favorite). Cultivating Connections Between People and Plants for 25 Years... ...amid a 434-acre public garden located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest. Surrounded by lush folds of the botanically diverse Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum is adjacent to the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, at Milepost 393, and is nestled in one of the most beautiful natural settings in America. The North Carolina Arboretum is located on land within the Pisgah National Forest, and is operated under a special use permit issued by the National Forests in North Carolina. Established in 1986 by the General Assembly as an affiliate of the University of North Carolina, the Arboretum was founded nearly a century after Frederick Law Olmsted, the 'Father of American Landscape Architecture,' first envisioned such an institution near Asheville as part of his legacy to the Biltmore Estate. Learn more at http://www.ncarboretum.org.

Lunch: box lunches at the Arboretum. The Assembly Inn will prepare a fresh lunch for us to take along on our trip. A sandwich with meat and cheese (with mayo and mustard in packets), lettuce and tomato, some chips, a piece of fruit, and a cookie will nourish us as wel continue our explorations of nature.

Afternoon: after lunch, we venture over to the Bent Creek Azalea Collection Trail. Starting with a bridge from Bent Creek Road this trail provides access to and multiple routes through the National Native Azalea Collection, including a teaching circle and a close look at Bent Creek. For more information on the collection, including photos of the different species a guide is available during seasonal bloom times. At the west end of the Collection the Fern Loop provides a cool route along a natural mountain wetland and through part of a Rhododendron thicket where you can get a slight feel as to what a "Laurel hell" meant to a mountaineer traveling cross country. Total length, including the Fern Loop, is about one half mile.

Dinner: 5:30 - 6:30 dinner

Evening: 7:00 - 8:00 evening program Evening programs are typically a fun event -- a dance, a concert, or a storyteller games/cards/tv available in lobby for fellowship optional movie on big screen

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Climate and Weather class, Elizabeth's Path (in Montreat), Afternoon Free Time (with 2 options), and Evening Class on the Story of the Montreat Wilderness

Breakfast: 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. breakfast

Morning: 8:45 - 10:15 Class lecture, "Climate and Weather," with Tom Ross. We will discuss how the weather works and why the sun starts the whole process in motion. We will talk about winds, storms and rain. Then we will move on and talk about climate and weather extremes including - floods, droughts, thunderstorms, tornadoes and hurricanes, and how to be weather savvy- when these events occur. The class will move on to "Reading the Sky"- what do clouds, rainbows, halos and contrails mean. How to predict the weather for your town and where you live and a bit about the climate in Western North Carolina. We will finish up on a technical note and discuss how meteorologists measure weather and climate, - advances in technology from kites to weather radar and satellites. Lastly, we will cover how to find weather and climate information in the electronic age, the "greenhouse" effect, El Nino, La Nina, and climate variability. 10:15 - 10:45 refreshment break in the lobby 10:45 - 12:15 Walking Along Elizabeth's Path in Montreat with Peter and Joe.

Lunch: 12:30 - 1:30 lunch

Afternoon: free time to explore the area, OR chose from two great options 1/ wildflower walk along Lookout Mountain in Montreat with Joe... two miles with some short strenuous or difficult sections, but we will be going slow to look at and identify wildflowers as we go. We will hike up the lower Lookout Mountain Trail, then do a section of the old, historic Mt Mitchell Railroad bed from the 1920's. OR 2/ go with Peter to visit his friend Peter Gentling's garden. A Visit to Peter Gentling's Garden. Up on Town Mountain Road and overlooking the city of Asheville below, Peter Gentling, a retired surgeon, has created a most beautiful garden only a few miles from Asheville's Town Hall. Mixing a bit of Japanese garden philosophy with a host of native plants and wildflowers, all originally at home in Western North Carolina, this garden is full of bloom from spring to fall and is a must for some great garden photography.

Dinner: 5:30 - 6:30 dinner

Evening: 7:00 - 8:30 "The Story of the Montreat Wilderness," with Joe. Celebrating the Story of the Montreat Wilderness: A 30 minute video will be shown documenting the history of the Montreat cove and the efforts by the residents and the Conference Center to preserve the wilderness in Montreat over the years. Emphasis will be on the role of passionate individuals, institutions, and concerned citizens in pursuing environmental protections for over 2,400 acres of the Montreat wilderness. A short discussion will follow the video.

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Class on Forest Ecology, The Wild Gardener program, and afternoon trip to Shope Creek Trail, a part of the Pisgah National Forest

Breakfast: 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. breakfast is served. Have you tried the grits or Ronnie's biscuits and gravy yet? Don't miss out!!!

Morning: 8:45 - 10:15 a.m., class on "Forest Ecology" with Brian Joyce. 10:15 - 10:45 refreshments in the lobby. 10:45 - 12:15 Using his own photography and his knowledge of native plants, Peter Loewer's talk entitled "The Wild Gardener" illustrates the many garden uses of wildflowers that are originally collected and grown in Western North Carolina. His book, "The Wild Gardener" was named by the American Horticultural Society, as one of the top 75 garden books of the Twentieth Century.

Lunch: It's time to eat again! 12:15 - 1:15 lunch is served, buffet style in the Galax Dining Room.

Afternoon: This afternoon, we venture into the Pisgah National Forest for an exploration of "Shope Creek." We will be walking for about 2 hours.

Dinner: 5:30 - 6:30 dinner

Evening: 7:00 - 8:00 evening program games/cards/tv in lobby for fellowship (no movie tonight)

Lodging: Assembly Inn, Montreat Conference Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Field Trip to Botanical Gardens and return to Assembly Inn for Lunch and Departures

Breakfast: 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. breakfast is served. It's your last chance to try Ronnie's biscuits and gravy.... you'll wish you had them all week.

Morning: 8:30 - 11:30 trip to Botanical Gardens in Asheville. It is located in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, one of the most diverse temperate ecosystems in the world. Their mission is the preservation and promotion of the native plant species and habitats of these mountains. They hope to increase public awareness of this region’s unique botanical diversity by maintaining gardens for the enjoyment of the public and by providing educational programs and research resources for the community. The Cole Library of The Botanical Gardens at Asheville contains more than 1000 books relating to botany, horticulture, ecology, and ornithology. Visit their website: http://www.ashevillebotanicalgardens.org 12:00 check out of Assembly Inn (if returning for lunch -- box lunches are available for those who choose to leave from the Botanical Gardens). 12:15 - 12:30 closing program

Lunch: 12:30 - 1:30 lunch

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch