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Archive for the ‘Fitness’ Category

(Rock) Climb Your Way To Fitness

Posted in Fitness, tagged , , , on August 16, 2010| 1 Comment »

bouldering
Bouldering. Image via Wikipedia

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

I recently met a young man that told me about “bouldering.” I am not a rock climber myself so I hadn’t heard of the term before. He explained to me that it was a manner of climbing an indoor rock climbing wall, that requires more technical skill and agility to go from point to point along a lower wall than usually used for indoor climbing. Indoor rock climbing is a great full body workout. Lifting your body upwards by pulling with your arms and engaging your core as you lift your legs trying to suspend yourself above the ground via your harness…it can be a strenuous, but fun, workout.

• Primary Muscles used in climbing: Forearms, Abdominal muscles (especially Obliques), Shoulders, Arms

• Read a fantastic article covering just about everything you might want to know about rock climbing  by Marshall Brain is here.

• Tips for getting started in rock climbing here.

• Rock Climbing Equipment (Listed with photos of shoes and proper harness placement) here.

• Rock climbing destinations within 6 hours drive of Chicago. Link to Chicago Sun Times article here.

Bouldering in Chicago

Chicago Bouldering Gym: Hidden Peak inside Lake Shore Acadmeny on Chicago between Halsted and Ogden. Find more info on Hidden Peak  here.

Hidden Peak is a bouldering gym. Bouldering is un-roped climbing within a specified height limit, and requires no technical training or harness.  It’s a great way to get the “feel” of the sport, and to develop stronger movement skills.  Experienced climbers love to train this way because it’s social, develops excellent power, and emphasizes technique over distance.  Don’t worry; they have a great soft landing to jump down to!

Since bouldering is inherently a social form of climbing, whether you are a first timer, or throw down on V10, Hidden Peak is a great place in Chicago to meet other climbers and share a great training session.  It’s nothing fancy–just good music, excellent boulder problems of all grades (changed frequently usually 100-150 problems up), and a great community.

Hidden Peak also has a few top-ropes that go the full 20 feet, and a basic rope skills and movement course for those wanting a more technical introduction to the sport (by appointment).  This class is a great introduction to the skills and techniques necessary for climbing in a taller, rope-focused gym, or toward moving into the outdoors.

Read a great post on one man’s bouldering experience at Hidden Peak here.

Indoor Rock Climbing Walls in the Chicago Area

Illinois indoor climbing walls here. For those that are into rock climbing, bouldering or are looking for a more challenging sport, here is a list of articles about rock climbing and bouldering as well as addresses of Chicago area rock climbing locations.

  1. Broadway Armory
    5910 N Broadway
    Chicago, Illinois 60640
    (312) 742-7502
  2. Oldtown Fitplex
    1235 North LaSalle
    Chicago, Illinois 60610
    (312) 640-1235
    http://ffc.com
    > Climbing wall with 13 ropes, extensive padded bouldering, 100+ ever-changing routes and problems
  3. Hidden Peak Climbing Gym
    937 W. Chestnut
    Chicago, Illinois 60622
    (312) 563-9400
    http://www.lakeshoreacademy.com/
    > 2,000 sq. ft. bouldering climbing
  4. Lakeshore Athletic Club-Illinois Center
    211 N Stetson
    Chicago, Illinois 60601
    (312) 616-9000 ext.281
    http://www.lsac.com
    > 100-ft climbing wall with overhang, slab, vertical and arête features.
  5. Lakeview Athletic Club
    3212 North Broadway
    Chicago, Illinois 60657
    (773) 529-2024
    http://www.chicagoathleticclubs.com/
    > Approx. 50′ tall, 6 ropes.  Multiple crack, dihedrals and aretes.
  6. Lincoln Park Athletic Club
    1019 W. Diversey
    Chicago, Illinois 60614
    (773) 529-2022
    http://www.lpaconline.com
  7. University of Illinois at Chicago Climbing Wall
    Student Recreation Facility
    737 S. Halsted St.
    Chicago, Illinois 60607
    (312) 413-5150
    http://imweb.ops.uic.edu/
    > 42′ artificial rock climbing wall with 7 ropes
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No Wind, No Waves, No Worries–Stand Up and Paddle for a Full Body Workout

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , , on August 12, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

OK, Lake Michigan is NOT an ocean. But is is a big lake and so has…you guessed it, lots of water, a few waves, depending on the weather and a lot of people living or vacationing near the lake or on the lake. By now, most of you have heard of jet skis and wave runners. And many of you know about surfing, which is tough even in a lake as big as Lake Michigan. But now, I bring you a new(sih) sport, paddle boarding.

Stand up paddle boarding is a great workout for your legs, buttocks, back, shoulders and arms and it’s low impact so it doesn’t destroy your joints in the process. A stand up paddle board tends to be wider than a traditional surfboard: 32 inches wide to a traditional board at 20 inches wide. You start by kneeling on the board and then you slowly stand up and can begin paddling. According to experienced paddle boarders, if the lake is calm, it’s not much harder to stand up and paddle than it would be to stand on dry land and paddle. And, unless you get hit by a tsunami (which is highly unlikely in Lake Michigan), few stand up paddle boarders actually fall into the lake or even get wet. (A big plus when the weather gets a little colder.)

The sport is attracting women and yoga devotees alike, however, many men, especially triathletes like it, too.

Where can you paddle board near Chicago?

• In New Buffalo at Third Coast Surf Spot. They offer lessons and boards for rent. Check out their web page here.

THIRD COAST SURF SHOP
22 S. SMITH ST.
NEW BUFFALO, MICHIGAN
USA 49117
PHONE: 269-932-4575

• Great Lakes Board Company has two beach locations in the Chicago area: Glencoe Beach here and North Avenue Beach here.

Great Lakes Board Company 312-622-0121

$ 25.00 / hour / person – RENTAL

$ 50.00 / hour / person – LESSON includes 30-minute personal instruction

A great post at paddleboardinglessons.com gives you all the particulars stand up paddle boarding: Surf’s Up: The Rise of the Stand Up Paddle Boards.

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An Easy To Use Body Ball Workout…on a Poster

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , on August 10, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Productive Fitness Body Ball Poster

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

My favorite personal training poster-making company, Productive Fitness,  just added a new poster on using the body ball!  The body ball (also known as the Swiss ball) has become a great all around exercise tool in many gyms and homes. I started using mine years ago when I got into yoga and was trying to stretch my back. I have also used these balls to support my low back when I do crunches and it’s a wonderful tool for many types of abdominal work. The only downside to the body ball is storage. Storing a large round rubber ball in the closet takes up a lot of space! But having an exercise ball handy at all times makes for a quicker and easier workout.

Check out the new fitness poster at the productive fitness website here. The paper version of this poster is $9.95. The laminated version is $19.95.

Productive Fitness also sells Body Balls online. But you can get these exercise balls at Target, most sporting goods stores and of course, Amazon.com here: Thera-Band Exercise Balls – Green – 65 cm (26″) – For Body Height 5′ 6″ – 6′ 1″ or, for shorties like me (at 5′-2″), try the GoFit 55cm Professional Stability Ball.

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Forget the Stairmaster–Climb a Waterslide

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , , , on July 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Last week I was fortunate enough to be able to take an entire day off work to visit Deep River Water Park in Indiana. Four of us traveled to this outdoor water park and we spent a good 5 hours climbing up the stairs to different water slides and then swooshing down on inner tubes into the cool refreshing water.

Tuesday the park was fairly crowded so the cardiovascular benefit of climbing up and down the stairs to the Storm Tube Ride over and over was reduced since we had to stand in line quite a bit. However, the act of climbing the stairs is a great way to work out some of the stress from sitting at a computer. And riding down an inner tube with friends (also known as having fun and laughing) is also great stress relief!

When the park is not as crowded (and it wasn’t when I visited last year towards the end of the season and shared my favorite water slide ride, the Double Dueling Cannon Bowl, with a handful of teens) you can get great cardio and stress relief by climbing the stairs, sliding down the ride and then climbing the stairs over and over until you are waterlogged!

One of the other nice benefits of visiting this particular water park is that they allow you to bring in your own coolers and lockers. So you can bring in healthy food and beverages. They do provide snack shops, but the food is not that healthy (nachos, dipping dot ice cream and hot dogs).

Deep River Water Park has a large wave pool which gives you a chance to swim against a man-made”current” and float among your fellow waterparkers. They boost two lazy rivers in which you can float along on one of their comfy inner tubes.

Deep River also has a few “splash zones’ for young children and the wave pool has a gentle wadding area for toddlers.

Avoid Injuries and Concussions

The only down side to our water park adventure was my last trip down the Double Dueling Cannon Bowl ride. I love this ride because you get to ride down two slides and spin around in a big twirling bowl AND you have to climb about 4 flights of stairs to reach the top. However, the slide can be dangerous, as I can now attest. On our last run down the slide, we ended up flipping our tube and I fell on my head before I slide down the last portion of the slide. I don’t recommend this as a way to build cardio fitness or manage your stress! After my fall, I took it easy and didn’t go on any more rides as I could have had (and likely did have) a minor concussion.

Based on my experience, I say, stay on the tube! And don’t try to force your way out of the bowl, let the ride spin you round naturally. Call for help if you do get stuck on a ride and the lifeguards can shut it down to assist you.

Water Park Safety Tips

• Wear sunscreen. Even if it’s waterproof, apply after every 2 hours in the outdoors. Water park water is heavily chlorinated!

• Don’t swim or slide if you feel nauseated or dizzy.

• Do not drink the water in the pools or water attractions.

• When riding on inner tubes, make sure you keep your hands and feet inside the tube.

• When sliding down a ride with inner tubes, make sure you stay on the tube!

• Obey lifeguards and posted signs.

• If you do injure yourself on  a ride and have an open cut or sore, seek medical attention and do not get into a pool or continue to ride.

• Drink plenty of clean water as the sun and activity can dehydrate you.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions  has more safety tips here.

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Find Hiking Trails Near You…By Zip Code!

Posted in Fitness, Nature and Stress, tagged , , , , on July 29, 2010| 2 Comments »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

 

Back in 2010, Backpacker Magazine had a feature that is fantastic for my clients and readers that are in a new town or traveling to a new locale. It was a trip search feature that lets you find hiking trails near you by zip code.

EDIT as of 5-25-17, this feature no longer works. Instead, Backpacker, com allows you to search for trips by state. It is only available for some states, however. Check the link here.

For trails in the Chicago area specifically, Backpacker now this this link available here.

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Have a Summer Adventure in Wisconsin at Wildman Ranch

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Nature and Stress, tagged , , , , , on July 25, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

When I talk to clients with children looking for a place to take them for a summer vacation and when I talk to young clients looking for a challenging way to spend a few days, I know there are a lot of options for travel this summer. Wisconsin may not stand out as a big destination, especially for those born or raised in the West Coast. But fear not, the Midwest is not all flat and boring.  Aside from Starved Rock and Devil’s Lake, Northern Wisconsin has a lot to offer the outdoor enthusiast.

This past Spring when I attended the Adventure Travel Expo, I stopped by the  booth of Wildman Ranch.  The representatives there were super friendly and a little…wild. They had a white water raft in their booth and one of the gentleman agreed to pose in their raft!

Wildman Ranch Booth at Adventure Travel Expo. Image by Sue Shekut

What can you do at Wilman Ranch?

Be a wild man or wild woman. Or even a wild family!

• Wildman Whitewater Ranch is an outdoor adventure resort and whitewater rafting center in the Midwest.

• The ranch offers whitewater rafting trips down the scenic Peshtigo and Menominee Rivers in Wisconsin near the Michigan border.

• Challenge yourself on their 60-ft tall High Ropes Course and adrenalin-pumping Giant Swing.

• Explore the Northwoods wilderness on an ATV Trail Tours and, in the winter, on a Snowmobile Tours.

• Scale the terrain of the Rock Dam Gorge with a supervised Rock Climbing and Rappelling adventures.

• Team up with your friends or family in an exciting afternoon of Wildman Paintball Pursuit.

If you are feeling mellow, try out the “Lazy River” Tubing, Lake Touring in a Sea Kayak, or a round of golf on the Wildman USGA Golf Course.

Wildman ranch also provides campsites and cabins nestled among towering hemlock trees along the river’s edge just beneath the famous Horse Race Rapid of the Peshtigo River, the longest stretch of whitewater on the entire river.

Rates for rafting run from $32 for an adult up to $54 depending on the rafting course you select. Children rates run less. Click here for rates on all Wildman activities.

Wild Man Ranch is located just north of Door County,  4.5 hours from Chicago.

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Golf For A Lifetime of Good Health

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , on July 19, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Today I have a guest post about golf from, you guessed it, an actual golfer. I am not a golfer, but many of my clients and friends golf. Today’s post is about the health benefits of the game. Read on…. Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Article By Brian Bujdos – Editorial Manager of accessrx.com

Image by Wikipedia

Golf is not only enjoyable for many people–it’s also intensely healthy. It provides sustained exercise for the body and focus to strengthen the mind, helps develop the muscles of the back and upper body, and—best of all—can still be played into your sixties, seventies, and even eighties in some cases.

Walking

The trick to getting the most out of golf for your health is to walk the links. The United States Golf Association argues that golf can offer major health benefits, but that these are greatly diminished with the use of a golf cart.

On the other hand, by walking all eighteen links, you will have the benefit of getting through several miles of good solid walking. However, since these miles are walked with leisure, and in between strokes, they will not feel like as much work. This makes golfing a very healthy addiction. By golfing every weekend—and walking the links—you can lose weight, improve your heart health, and develop an overall healthier stamina.

Burning Calories

Studies have shown that golfing burns calories. However, you will burn the most calories if you walk the links yourself, and even more if you carry your own bag rather than if you use a caddy. You could burn as many as 700 calories in a nine-hole course.  If you find walking every hole to be a bit strenuous, get a cart and take turns walking every other hole with your golfing partner. You’ll still get a great work out! Don’t forget to drink plenty of water so that you stay hydrated and your muscles don’t begin to cramp up and get strained.

Cardiovascular Workout

Both the energetic use of long distance strokes and the long walking distances will benefit your cardiovascular health. Also, the more calories you burn every week, the lower your chances of developing heart problems later on in life. In fact, it is said that burning around 2,500 calories each week can heavily reduce your risk of developing heart problems. By playing just one eighteen hole course and carrying your own bag every week, you can get more than half way to this goal.

Sunshine

Getting a workout outdoors is far more beneficial than working out in a gym, simply because this allows you to get access to the sunlight, and therefore your body’s own stores of vitamin D. And this means strong bones and healthy blood and skin. Of course, always wear proper protection against the sun, which usually entails an SPF of at least 30.

What better way to get in shape and stay healthy into your later years than by playing a sport that is so easy to love and enjoy?

Who is Brian Bujdos and Why Should We Listen to Him?

Brian Bujdos is a professional writer with 15 years of experience in newspaper and magazine journalism, public relations and marketing. He is a former award-winning sports reporter, has worked for professional sports teams and also served as a public relations professional in the tourism industry for five years. His latest duties include serving as the lead contributor and editor of medical-related content for numerous websites. Brian is a native of Pittsburgh, Penn., a graduate of Syracuse University and a resident of Scottsdale, Ariz. He is a former staff writer for the Albuquerque Tribune, Phoenix Suns, and Arizona Diamondbacks. He has written freelance golf articles and course reviews for numerous publications. He professes to be familiar with every player who has a PGA Tour card, yet his swing resembles none of them.

Brain works for the eDrugstore.MD writing team. They write and blogs hundreds of articles published online and in print, covering everything from sexual health to parenting to beauty, fashion, entertainment and more. eDrugstore.MD, provides safe medications online, prescribing medications such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra.

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Runners, Save Your Joints!

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , on July 13, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

Knee Joint Xray. Image from rbatina's photostream on Flickr

Summer is here and many of my clients are preparing for the Half Marathon September 12, 2010 and the Chicago Marathon, October 10, 2010. Training is a good time to think about proper joint care. Recent research indicates that running can help maintain the health of your joints by providing your body with proper blood flow, oxygen and stimulation of healthy bone and connective tissue. However, over the years, many runners sustain injuries that can lead to arthritis. And if a runner has poor form or a gait imbalance (runs on a pronated foot, for example) this can also lead to uneven wear and tear on joints.

Tips for Runners to Help Avoid Excessive Joint Wear

• Limit your running to soft surfaces like grass, cinder and sand. Running on concrete and asphalt is a great way to wear down your joints. The pounding can help accelerate the degenerative process. It always amazes me that Marathons are run on concrete and asphalt.  Sure running is great cardiovascular workout and many people love to run. But running pounds your joints much like the ocean wears away rock by pounding over and over as waves hit the shoreline.

• Cross train. Fitness experts don’t tell you to cross train simply to sell new Balance Cross Trainers. Cross training gives your body the chance to work muscles differently and wear your body in different areas. For example, if you run and swim, running pounds on your hip, ankle and knee joints (and yes it can also tighten your low back). But running does little for your upper body. Swimming, on the other hand, allows you to get great cardio, work your upper body and core muscles differently and take some of the strain off your joints. BY alternating between the two, you get better recovery from one exercise and less wear on your joints A the same time, if you swim all the time, you may be more prone to rotator cuff and shoulder injuries. So alternating between the two (and throwing in some bicycling) can help extend the life of your joints.

* Wear proper footwear! Wear Proper Footwear! I am going to say it one more time: Wear Proper footwear. If your shoes are old or they give you blisters or your knees hurt after you run in a new pair of shoes, go get fitted for a better pair of new shoes. You should not have to “break in” a pair of shoes. They should fit properly and be comfortable from day 1.

• Do NOT run when you are injured. If you feel a sharp pain in your knee, ankle, hip or muscle when you run, stop and rest.  And get it checked out by your doctor to avoid further injury or complications.

See Running Times Magazine for joint care tips for runners here.

Check out the book “The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook”, here for tips on self-treatment of trigger points that cause pain in joints.

MSN has a great article here on running and your joints.

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Work Lower Leg Muscles You Forgot You Had With Toning Shoes

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, tagged , , , , , , , on June 29, 2010| 5 Comments »

Reebok EASY TONE(2009)
Bottom of Reebok Easy Tone Shows. Image via Wikipedia

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Certified Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

While on our recent trip, we stopped in Tennessee at an outlet mall. I shopped at a Reebok store and bought a pair of the new “toning shoes” that are supposed to work your gluts, hamstrings and lower legs to help better tone your muscles and help improve your fitness levels.

Conceptually I applaud the new trend in walking shoes. Why? Because nowadays too many people walk on concrete-a flat unyielding surface that does not give or provide any instability for your lower legs and feet.  What’s so great about instability? It allows your lower leg muscles to work harder and get stronger. This in turn can help your feet grow stronger, prevent potential lower leg/foot issues like sore heels or heel spurs and also gives your muscles a new way to work. Walking barefoot in sand or grass is also great but impractical in our times for many people.

Note: As usual I am going to post my derriere-covering disclaimer here: I am not a doctor. Any info I post is either my own opinion or a summary of other articles written by medical personal with a link to the original article.

WebMD weighs in on the toner shoes here. From a podiatrist point of view, the new shoes take pressure off the heel and give better support to the ankle. A Chicago doc says the shoes are not great for arthritis sufferers (which makes sense because arthritis is about joint inflammation, not about muscle tone). And most experts agree that the shoes should be broken in slowly. As in, don’t wear them for a 4 mile walk the first day you try them out!

My Reebok Easy Tone shoes are super comfortable. They felt great from the moment I put them on until the moment I took them off. The Reebok brand is not as rounded and high as the other toner type shoes I’ve seen which was a plus to me. From afar they look like regular running or walking shoes. It’s only when you turn them over that you see the round “balls” underneath the pad of the foot and heel. These balls cause your foot to be slightly unstable. (Not “I am going to fall off my shoes” unstable, but more “I feel myself rocking a slight bit as I walk” unstable.) After a day of walking int he Easy Tones on concrete, my legs do feel different and I do feel more muscle “soreness” (slight) in my hams and gluts but also my lower legs. To me, this is  a good sign of the shoes making me use my leg muscles differently!

My Easy Tone Shoes by Reebok. Image by Sue Shekut

There’s an excellent You Tube video segment of the Today Show that shows three woman trying out the MBT’s, Skechers and Reebok versions of the shoes with a great explanation of how the shoes work along with a short segment on the former NASA engineer at Reebok that created their version of the shoe based on how a Bosu ball works. Check it out here.

CNN’s experts don’t think much of the manufacturer’s claims that the shoes will be a substitute for the gym or regular workouts. on this I agree. Like any other immediate gratification fix, such claims are too good to be true. Plus you would likely have to significantly increase your walking time to get a real benefit from the shoes. For me, though, having the shoes in my “fitness arsenal” aka my shoe rack, gives me a way to work my lower legs and gluts as I walk around the city.

The Associated Press gives a short rundown on the top toner shoes by brand here. The article is short but gives the basics abotu the top five selling brands of toning shoes.

HubPages gives us this article about how Dr. Scholl got the toner idea first with his wooden sandals. I don’t know about you, but I had a few pair and I loved them way back when.

The only way to lose weight is to exercise and reduce your caloric intake. But if wearing these shoes makes you walk more, then it’s a great tool in your fitness toolbox. If wearing these shoes makes you fall and twist your ankle or lose balance and fall or causes any foot or ankle pain, then don’t wear them!

Do you have a pair of toning shoes? Tell us about your experience in the comment section!

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Cash In on Great Hiking, Golfing, Water Recreation in Cashiers, NC

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Massage Research, Nature and Stress, Stress Management, tagged , , , , , , on June 24, 2010| Leave a Comment »

By Sue Shekut, Owner, Working Well Massage, Licensed Massage Therapist, Wellness Coach, ACSM Personal Trainer

This May we traveled to Cashiers, North Carolina to scout for locations for future seminars and group trips. One of my clients had told me to travel to Cashiers versus Asheville, NC for great hiking and a more outdoorsy experience. He was absolutely right! I found a great Inn on Trip Advisor. (My favorite travel site. If you don’t know about it, check it out! Similar to Yelp, but for travel, Trip Advisor provides user-generated reviews of hotels, cities, attractions, national parks, etc.)

View from top of Glen Falls, one of 17 area waterfalls near Cashiers, NC. Image by Sue Shekut

We stayed at the Laurelwood Mountain Inn, which is a sweet hotel sitting in the middle of beautiful downtown Cashiers!  “Downtown” Cashiers consists of the Inn, a gas station, a number of restaurants (from the BBQ at the farmers market store to the high-end Italian Restaurant, Horacio’s, to Bucks Coffee House with free WI-FI). There are also some antique shops and other small businesses but it’s mainly a two street town (at the junction of highways 64 and 107).

Farmer's Market in Beautiful Downtown Cashiers, NC, Image by Sue Shekut

The biggest find and a great surprise to us, was that there is a hiking store, Highland Hiker, just 1 block away from Laurelwood Mountain Inn. For a small “town” in the middle of the mountains, it was a shock to find such a large well equipped hiking store. The shop keepers we met were all avid hikers and gave us great service in helping us find new camel backs and hiking gear for our day hikes in the area.

Laurelwood Mountain Inn was a fantastic find. We stayed in one of their “suites” which is really a duplex condo, 2 bedroom, 2 bath with a two-person hot tub in the master bath. (A well deserved treat after hiking all day.) The condo had all the amenities of home with cable TV, a small kitchen (with mini-fridge versus a full size fridge) and was built by the current owner.

Laurelwood Mountain Inn Condo Staircase. Quality craftsmanship throughout. Image by Sue Shekut

The owner of the Inn built a waterfall right outside the door of our cabin (long before we came to stay, of course) along with a  gazebo. Eric, the Innkeeper, told us that the owner’s waterfalls were so popular he got busy building waterfalls for area residents. Now the owner is too busy to run the Inn so he hired the Innkeeper and his wife. After spending time in Cashiers, I could see why people would want to leave the big city and live up in the mountains!

Waterfall outside our suite at Laurelwood Mountain Inn. Image by Sue Shekut

Note: There are a number of vacation rentals in the area for large families and groups. Check out VBRO (Vacation rental by Owner), Trip Advisor or the GoCashiers site here for pics of great homes to rent on nearby Lake Glenville. Cashiers Chamber of Commerce also has a listing for accommodations here. There is also a higher end hotel with a golf course and tennis courts, High Hampton Inn & Country Club.

And, yes, the waterfalls at the Laurelwood Mountain Inn are a lovely but a small replica of the actual waterfalls to be found all around the Cashiers area. There are about 17 waterfalls near Cashiers. We did a day hike to Glen Falls and were not disappointed! It was a very active hike with a fair amount of climbing and many many photo opportunities like this one below!

Glen Falls, Cashiers, NC area. Image by Sue Shekut

Descending to the next level of the Falls we were glad to have brought our hiking poles!

Hiking Glen Falls, NC. Image by Sue Shekut

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is only an hour away from Cashiers so we were able to take another day hike to see the actual “Smoke” from along the Great Smoky Mountains. (The “smoke” in the Great Smoky Mountains comes from the mystical blue mist (from water vapors) shrouding its peaks.)

View from Newfoundland Gap Trail in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Image by Sue Shekut

Our last view of the Great Smoky Mountains from Jump Off Point.

Great Smoky Mountains Jump off Point. image by Sue Shekut

Would we go back? As often as we can!

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