Trip leaders Rick Hoffman and Dan Whitten recently led a small group into the forests of the Blue Ridge in Western North Carolina. Although we all had rain jackets due to the threat of misting rain, it proved to be a glorious day. We reached the gorgeous Wildcat Falls pretty quickly and decided to continue on to see the incredible high mountain river where we stopped for lunch. The six mile round trip was easy to moderate and although the falls, the river and the views were excellent, it was the incredible native plant diversity that topped the perks of the hike. The high point was a multi-stemmed (trunk) Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) tree that may well be a national champion. Checking after the trip the American Forest National Database of Champion trees and the NC Forest Service Champion Trees, and although we didn’t measure this tree, it seemed a likely candidate to be a contender. It would certainly make a worthwhile project for someone. The SC Champion Tree database was down for updating.