Sharing the Mountain Experience

The Plateau’s natural bounty lies at the core of Carol Wilkes’ abiding passion.

When Carol Wilkes tells you to “take a hike,” it’s not meant to be pejorative, but rather commendatory. She literally wants you to get outside. She and her family have been giving people this instruction for 40 years as the owners of the Highland Hiker. As a retailer on the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau, Carol has not just outfitted customers for outdoor pursuits, she’s also influenced generations of adventurers.

to the Highland Hiker dedicated staff members who are also actively engaged in a variety of outdoor pursuits. Lec Hobbs, the store manager in Cashiers, says “Carol has created a uniquely local shopping experience based on excellent customer service and has been a mentor to many of those in her orbit.”

I was charmed with the idea of doing something different and being in such a beautiful place…

It all began when Carol and her husband, David, vacationed in Highlands in the late seventies. Around that same time Margaret Hoff opened the Happy Hiker on Chestnut Street to sell hiking gear, especially Swiss hiking boots.

Carol was raised in the retail furniture business.

“I was charmed with the idea of doing something different and being in such a beautiful place (as the Western North Carolina mountains),” she recalls, “So when Margaret Hoff put up the Happy Hiker for sale in 1982, we bought it.”

The store was located on Chestnut Street. “We were pretty much a destination store. Margaret Hoff had created an outdoor store in a log cabin, and we added fly fishing in addition to hiking, camping and other outdoor activities.” she adds.

They ran the store in that location for nearly a decade before closing and re-opening as the Highland Hiker in a historic Joe Webb cabin on Main Street in 1992. Since then, they have opened additional locations, including a store at the Cashiers crossroads, and expanded their merchandise. But, to this day, the Highland Hiker remains a destination store.

As the business grew, Carol and her family tried to find unusual items to combine with necessary outdoor apparel and gear. “We bought a lot locally like hiking sticks and we sold books and maps by local authors. Our Day Hike Guide was purchased from two forestry majors who moved out of the area.” The store appeals to fly fishermen, paddlers, climbers, hikers, and campers —customers who love outdoors. This extends

“Our clientele has grown and changed over the years,” Carol says. “We have new customers as well as longtime customers.” She observes that it is common to be fitting boots on the children of parents who were outfitted at the Highland Hiker when they were young. Carol comments that what she enjoys most are the stories their customers tell. “The most rewarding part of being in business is hearing how you have been part of peoples’ mountain experiences.”

The Highland Hiker has not only guided their patrons but has also served as a leader in giving back to the HighlandsCashiers community.

Carol credits Yvon Chouinard, the founder of the Patagonia Company, for inspiring their environmental endeavors in the area.

The most rewarding part of being in business is hearing how you have been part of peoples’ mountain experiences.

Carol says, “I have admired him and his wife Malinda greatly. Their environmental philanthropy and dedication made me realize that we have a duty to protect this beautiful land. They began 1% for the planet and we participated for several years and helped save Laurel Knob and helped numerous non-profit environmental groups in our area.”

Next time you find yourself in the Highland Hiker and she tells you to “take a hike,” ask her where you should go. Her favorite answer is always the same. “If you only have time for one hike…Whiteside Mountain.” If you find footprints on that trail, you can be sure that the imprint is a little bit deeper because of Carol Wilkes.

by Ann Self