The photo was taken last August on a GetBackpacking! trip into Linville Gorge. It was a three-day, 22-mile trip that involved two crossings of the Linville River, a knee-busting descent into Chimney Gap followed by a calf-burning ascent out, navigating a river section that had little interest in being navigated, and this drop into the gorge on the Leadmine Trail—a path that looked relatively innocuous on the topo map. In reality, it’s a path best tackled by tossing your pack down the mountain first, then scooting down after it. You know how trails rarely look as steep in photos? Not this one.

The weekend was filled with moments like this—moments, when, had a plank been handy in this raucous assemblage of rock, rhododendron and roiling water, I might have been asked to take a walk.

Yet late Sunday afternoon, when we returned to the trailhead, the requests began: We gotta do this again! (Perhaps not immediately, but within a couple days.)

We gotta do this again!

Was it because we had great weather?

A month later at Wilson Creek, it rained most of the weekend. We saw the sun when we met at the Visitor Center, but it had disappeared by the time we reached the trailhead 20 minutes later, never to return. Yet same thing: We gotta come back.

Part of what draws us back is the promise of the truly memorable. On a trip earlier this year in the Uwharries, we camped in the clearing atop Little Long Mountain and watched day ever-so-slowly fade to night, then sat star-struck beneath a brilliant winter sky devoid of clouds and much light pollution. Likewise, a trip on the AT in February found us crossing Max Patch on a cloudless day, the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia sleepily rippling into the distance. If you’ve ever done the 14-mile stretch of AT between Carver’s Gap and US 19E on a sunny day, you know all about the truly memorable.

The evening campfire, the electronic detachment, the dehydrated meals that are the best ever, and the simplicity — wake, eat, walk, make camp, eat, sleep — make things like daylong rain and a sketchy trail seem a small price to pay. 

Here on the cusp of the 2018 backpacking season, we are especially excited about the adventures ahead, which include:

• Return to Linville Gorge
• Return to Wilson Creek
• Five-day trip to the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness / Citico Creek Wilderness on the North Carolina / Tennessee line.
• A weekend trip on the aforementioned AT from Roan Mountain/Carver’s Gap to US 19E
• A series of summer weekend trips on the AT in Virginia, from roughly Peaks of Otter north to the Crabtree Falls area.
• Backpackers’ choice. Got a trip you want to do in the Southeast? Nominate it, we’ll put it to a vote and make it happen.

Maybe you’re not a backpacker, but would like to be. Our GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking class includes a 2-hour gear and packing session, a 5-hour field-training session (covering, among other things, setting up and breaking down camp, and food and the cooking thereof), followed by a weekend graduation trip to South Mountains State Park.

Or maybe you’re not quite sure you want to be a backpacker, but you’re intrigued. We have a new GetBackpacking! Overnight Sampler that serves as an introduction to staying overnight in the outdoors and hiking with a loaded backpack. Minimal commitment: we provide packs, tents, cooking gear and food on an overnight trip.

Backpacking isn’t for everyone. But if you’ve ever felt that a day on the trail ended too soon, and only because the sun was going down, then you’re a candidate for an extended backcountry stay. Give it a try. 

Our GetBackpacking! team looks forward to exploring with you this year.

Happy trails,

Joe

Get out!

Not all of the trips mentioned above have been scheduled; when they are, you can learn about them through our weekly GetHiking! enewsletter and our monthly GetBackpacking! enewsletter.  Sign up here for our GetHiking! enewsletter, and here for our GetBackpacking! enewsletter.

Our next GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking class begins the first week of May, with local gear clinics, followed by a field-training session at Morrow Mountain State Park on May 5, and graduation weekend May 25-27 at South Mountains State Park. Learn more and sign up here.

Our next GetBackpacking! Overnight Sampler is Saturday, June 9 at Eno River State Park in Durham. Learn more and sign up here.

The post Get Out and Backpack appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

I’ve been spending a lot of time along the Blue Ridge Parkway of late, exploring the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. I’d be spending even more time if the Parkway facilities, specifically the campgrounds, were open. Which they soon will be.

The National Park Service has announced 2012 opening dates for their seasonal facilities along the Parkway. I’m finding them useful for trip planning, figured you might, too. Here are some key locations for the pedestrian explorer, when they open and some thoughts for how these locations might play into your plans. For locations, go here for a Parkway map.

Campgrounds

Doughton Park, MP 240. May 11-Oct. 28. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs through Doughton Park as well, piggybacking on the Bluff Mountain Trail.

For the most part, this trail explores high mountain meadows offering great views. A spur trail to Wildcat Rock offers a great view way down into Basin Cove and a tiny, one-room cabin where the Caudill clan once lived. Four trails provide access to Basin Cove: Cedar Ridge, Bluff Mountain Primitive Trail (the shortest and steepest), Grassy Gap (the most mellow) and Flat Top Ridge. Several days of great hiking.

Julian Price Park, MP 297. May 11-Oct. 28. The Mountains-to-Sea Trail runs through the park. Take it south for hikes through mountain meadows past Holloway Mountain Road, go north for rugged hiking along (and in) Bee Creek and the larger Boone Fork. Also a nice loop trail around Price Lake and boat rentals weekends starting April 7 and 8, then daily May 1-Sept. 30, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Linville Falls, MP 316. Opens April 2, closes Oct. 28. Great base camp for exploring nearby Linville Gorge. Short trails out of the Linville Falls Visitor

Center (open April 27-Nov. 4) explore towering hemlock forests and the impressive Linville Falls, various trails off the Kistler Memorial Highway drop into the rugged gorge where you can hike the 13-mile Linville Gorge Trail and take the footbridge across the river to Table Mountain, The Chimney and Shortoff Mountain. This is a Wilderness Area; advanced wayfinding skills required.

Crabtree Meadows, MP 340. May 11-Oct. 28. The Crabtree Falls Trail is a nice hike, especially for a family (not too long at 2.5 miles and a great waterfall as a carrot). Plus, the campground is a 15-minute drive from Mountain Mitchell State Park and the Black Mountains. The crest of the Blacks, part of which is in the park, is the highest hiking on the East Coast with elevations generally above 6,000 feet, topping out at 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell. Hiking here is alpine and rocky, a much different experience than you’ll find elsewhere in the South.

Mt. Pisgah, MP 408. At nearly 5,000 feet, this is the highest campground along the Parkway. (Biggest benefit: Cool nights for sleeping are almost assured.) Again, the Mountains-to-Sea Trail comes through Pisgah and continues west along the Parkway, where you’ll find some of the best hiking in the state at Graveyard Fields and the Shining Rock and Middle Prong wildernesses. Also some of the most exposed hiking in the state.

Campsites are $16 a night, reservations can be made at RECREATION.gov or by calling 877.444.6777.

Note to cyclists: Note the spacing of Doughton Park, Julian Price, Linville Falls and Crabtree Meadows: respectively, they are 57, 19, and 24 miles apart. Their proximity could make for a good self-supported bike trip, especially for the newby. That first day, from Doughton Park to Julian Price Park, is long, but doesn’t have the climbing you’ll find farther south. Plus, if you’re of a mind you can supplement days two and three with side trips off the Parkway.

Other key facilities

These facilities can offer shelter, sustenance and diversion along the way.

Visitor centers

Linn Cove, MP 304. April 27-May 26, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.; May 27-Nov. 4, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Linville Falls, MP 316. April 27-May 26, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m.; May 27-Nov. 4, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Gateway to Linville Gorge, with good selection of maps and guide books.

Craggy Gardens, MP 364.5. Weekends starting April 7 and 8, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; daily April 23-Nov. 4.

Folk Art Center, MP 382, open year-round. Featuring work from artisans and craftfolk from throughout the region. Plan to spend some time.

Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, MP 384. Open year-round.

Waterrock Knob, MP 451. April 27-Nov. 4, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Concessions

Northwest Trading Post Gift and Craft Shop, MP 258.8. May 1-Oct. 31, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Crabtree Falls, MP 339, May 1–Oct. 31, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Wifi!

Pisgah Inn, Restaurant, Gift Shop & Country Store, MP 408.6. Open through Nov. 4.

Note: The Bluffs Restaurant and Coffee Shop in Doughton Park is closed for 2012.

More info

For additional insight on exploring the areas and trails mentioned, check out “100 Classic Hikes in North Carolina” and “Backpacking North Carolina.”

The post Blue Ridge Parkway: Opening for business appeared first on GetGoing NC!.