Some folks, even avid hikers, have a knee-jerk reaction to backpacking. To the perceived discomfort, the perceived inconvenience, the perceived difficulty. Backpacking’s sometimes negative image is, in our opinion, a perception problem.

To put backcountry adventure in the proper perspective (meaning “our” perspective) we revisit a piece from 2019 that describes a trip some would, based on the start, view as a nightmare of a weekend. Or at lease a weekend filled with discomfort, inconvenience, difficulty. Stick with it though, and we think your perception might change. Or at least the way you view your fellow backpackers.

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We hiked in three miles in the cold (about 40 degrees), the rain (roughly two inches would fall over a 36-hour period), the dark. The one consolation? The frozen rain that was forecast failed to materialize.

In the end, our trip to the Birkhead Mountain Wilderness was the best trip in a year full of pretty great trips.

Why? Because backpackers are a little different. They start out as regular day hikers. Short, hour-long hikes at first. Then half days that become full days. Then one day the sun is setting and they aren’t ready to leave the trail. So they take the next logical step and make it so they don’t have to. They become backpackers.

If you haven’t made it to backpacking yet, you may be wondering how cold and rain and dark translate to a great weekend. Here’s how:

The forecast

Backpack enough and you learn to take the forecast into consideration, but you don’t take it as gospel. The forecast for our trip started out with a good chance of freezing rain. Then the rain window became a moving target: maybe it would begin Thursday and end Friday night, maybe it would begin in the wee hours of Friday and run through mid afternoon Saturday. Rain looked like a given, cold likewise. Consider those two factors as givens and it shouldn’t matter when they might occur.

Get a plan

Set up dry and you should stay dry. Since it looked like rain was a good possibility upon arriving at our campsite, we took an extra tarp, an 18’ x 18’ piece of super light polycro — that two of us could take turns holding while a third camper pitched his tent underneath. The weight and space investment was minimal in light of the benefit of setting up dry. A good bet, it turned out, since it was indeed raining when we set up camp Friday night around 8:30.

The plan also included making sure everyone came equipped with rain gear, either an adequate poncho or rain jacket and pants. It was a little over 3 miles to camp, about an hour and fifteen minutes of hiking in, yes, a steady rain. Again, good planning, a good investment of weight, that polycro.

The likelihood of rain also meant bringing extra clothes. Rain gear may keep out the rain, but even when the temperature’s a nippy 40, wearing it and hiking in full pack will build up some heat making sweating is inevitable, even with the best rain gear. Layers that get even a little moist stay that way unless the weather turns dry and sunny.

Always look on the bright side of life

Another consequence of hiking in the rain: crossing rain-swollen creeks.

In our case, the forecast did suggest the rain would end, anywhere from mid-morning Saturday to late in the day. Cloudless skies were forecast for Sunday. It was a forecast that made any inconvenience, any discomfort on the front end worth the trip if there was a chance of hiking a stark, winter forest under a bright sun.

Saturday, we set out about 9:30 a.m. for a 10-mile day-hike in the Birkheads. It was moody when we hit the trail, but not raining. We had a very light spritz around lunch. Around 3, the sun made its first appearance, breaking out for good around sunset.

Saturday sunset

Here’s where putting up with a rain early on started to pay off. As we were sitting around the fire having dinner, Aaron stopped. “Look at the sunset!” We all stopped and looked west and south, where the late-day sun was peeking over a lingering bank of low-level clouds. We readjusted to take in the sunset, which lingered for a good hour, switching from yellow to pink to orange to crimson to deep crimson. Our camp was atop one of the wilderness area’s rounded peaks: devoid of its canopy, we had a good view of the glowing Uwharrie Mountains to the south and west. Sunset held our attention until it was dark, the fire and its warmth for about an hour after that. When our supply of both was exhausted and we started to feel the temperature plunge into the 30s, we retired for the night.

Sunday sunrise breakfast

As promised, the day dawned with nary a cloud. We packed up, hiked out, then drove about 20 minutes to a trail leading less than a mile to the lone unobstructed view on the Uwharrie Trail, atop 922-foot Little Long Mountain.

Almost everyone loves a view. Not everyone is willing to work for it. When you do, though, it’s all-the-more special. It wasn’t the eight-tenths-of-a-mile hike up to Little Long Mountain that made the view so stellar. If that were all it took, the view would have simply been “nice.” But for us, the view was a full-circle, 180-degree, zero-to-60 special viewing. We’d begun the weekend in a drenching rain, set up camp wet, spent Saturday hiking under a threatening sky. Saturday evening’s sunset marked the turning point, the start of being well-rewarded for our patience and perseverance. The forecast had promised a carrot and we were gnawing at it like Bugs Bunny. It got better with Sunday’s magnificent sunrise, with the dry hike out from camp, with the summit of Little Long Mountain.

To us, standing atop Little Long, taking in the sweeping view, soaking up the warming sun, basking in the quiet, the experience wasn’t just nice.

It was why we do this.

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Intro to Backpacking

While we won’t announce our full first-half 2022 lineup until next week, we are announcing that registration is open for our first GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking class of the year. This three-part class includes a 1.5-hour Gear session via Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 23; a 5-hour in-field training session at Morrow Mountain State Park on Saturday, March 5; and a weekend graduation trip to South Mountains State Park March 18-20. Some loaner gear is available. For a full rundown of the course and to register, go here.

The post Why we backpack appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Or this, from a more contemporary purveyor of percipient thought:

“It’s the first day of autumn! A time of hot chocolatey mornings, and toasty marshmallow evenings, and, best of all, leaping into leaves!”

— W. Pooh

But it’s writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, inspired by his New England home, that we think best captures the sentiment of the season: “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air.”

That’s pretty much how we approach fall, and why we, too, endeavor to spend so much of it “in the open air” — by backpacking. Warm days, cool nights, cloudless skies and lots of autumnal color make this the season to not just to explore the backcountry, but to live in it. And while that autumnal sunshine is indeed intoxicating, the shoulder periods of dawn and dusk, not to mention those brisk, brilliant night skies, make fall the true season of backpacking.

How are we planning to spend as much of this fall as possible outdoors? In a variety of ways. And ways that nearly every one of you can be a part of, regardless of your backpacking experience — if any.

For the more experienced

Got a bit of backpacking experience under your belt? We have two four-day trips on tap.

• Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock/Citico Creek Wilderness, Sept. 16-19. On this basecamp backpack trip we hike in 1.5 miles and establish camp, then spend three days day hiking these adjoining wilderness areas. $195. Learn more and sign up here.
• Appalachian Trail at Standing Indian, Oct. 28-31. We spend Thursday evening at the Standing Indian campground, then head out Friday morning for three days on the trail, mostly the AT as it follows a horseshoe-shaped ridge over Albert Mountain and Standing Indian Mountain. $195. Learn more and sign up here.

For those short on time

Fall rolls around, you’re out of vacation time. With our Weekend Quick Escapes, you don’t need any PTO; these trips are designed to let you work a full day, then, when the whistle blows at 5, hop into your loaded car and drive to a trailhead requiring a short hike in to basecamp and two days of hiking in daypacks. Our three destinations for fall:

• Doughton Park, Oct. 22-24.  $105. Learn more and sign up here.
• Rock Castle Gorge, Nov. 19-21. $105. Learn more and sign up here.
• Birkhead Mountain Wilderness in the Uwharrie National Forest, Dec. 10-1. $105. Learn more and sign up here.

Backpacking for Non Backpackers

You’re an avid hiker but, for whatever reason, have yet to try backpacking. With our Basecamp Backpack option you can enjoy the best of both worlds: the solitude of a backcountry campsite plus the ability to hike miles on end without 40 pounds on your back. We supply the basic backpacking gear — backpack, tent, sleeping pad, cook stove and cookset, plus guidance on how to use it all and be a backpacker. This option is available on our Basecamp Backpack trips that require a short hike — between a quarter mile and 3 miles — to camp in full pack. We provide a list of everything you’ll need to bring.

• Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock/Citico Creek Wilderness, Sept. 16-19. $295. Learn more and sign up here
• Weekend Quick Escape: Doughton Park, Oct. 22-24. $195. Learn more and sign up here
• Weekend Quick Escape: Rock Castle Gorge, Nov. 19-21. $195. Learn more and sign up here.
• Weekend Quick Escape: Birkhead Mountain Wilderness in the Uwharrie National Forest, Dec. 10-12. $195. Learn more and sign up here.

Backpacking for backpackers-to-be

Not a backpacker — yet? In just three sessions you can become a bonafide backpacker in time for the prime fall hiking season. We start with a gear session via Zoom, then meet for a 5-hour, in-field training session before our weekend graduation trip to South Mountains State Park. Some loaner gear is available on a first-requested basis. We have four sessions scheduled for the fall. Click the appropriate link for details and to sign up. $225.

• Intro to Backpacking: Charlotte. Sept. 8, 11, 24-26
• Intro to Backpacking: Triangle. Sept. 8, 11, 24-26
• Intro to Backpacking: Triad. Sept. 8, 11; Oct. 1-3
• Intro to Backpacking: Greenville. Sept. 23; Oct. 9, 22-24

Of all the seasons, fall is the last you can afford to waste. As noted horticulture writer Elizabeth Lawrence — the first woman, in 1932, to graduate with a degree in landscape architecture from N.C. State — put it, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

The post Backpacking squeezes the most out of fall appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

One thing we don’t do, though, is cite specific beginner trips we like. That is our goal here today.

Fortunately, I didn’t need to look far to find beginner-friendly hikes. More than half the hikes in my guidebook, “Backpacking North Carolina: 43 Can’t-Miss Trips,” fall into the good-for-beginners category. Which doesn’t mean they aren’t great adventures for more experienced backpackers; they just happen to meet the criteria for a good beginner trip, which includes:

• Moderate distances between camps (5-7 miles, tops)
• Obvious, flat campsites
• Easy access to reliable water
• Easy-to-follow trails

There’s more — you’ll just need to listen to the podcast to learn them. Now, on to our 5 favorite beginner backpack trips in North Carolina.

Neusiok Trail

Croatan National Forest, Havelock

20.1 miles

2-3 days

If you’re looking to bust out some miles on your first weekend, here’s your hike. There are three shelters along the way, letting you break down the hike into manageable days of roughly 4, 7 1/2, and 9 miles. But because this is likely the flattest 20.1 miles in the state, a two-nighter is easily doable. There’s water at the shelters, the trail is well maintained by the Carteret County Wildlife Club, and it’s perhaps the best winter hike in the state (winter being the only time you’ll want to hike through this otherwise buggy, steamy coastal forest).

Trip No. 42, “Backpacking North Carolina”

More info here.

Hunt-fish Falls

Wilson Creek area, Pisgah National Forest, Mortimer

2.8 miles in full pack, 13.6 miles in day pack

2-3 days

While we are big fans of backcountry camping, we aren’t quite as keen on putting in big miles with 30 pounds on our back. Thus, we gravitate to basecamp trips: hike in a short distance in full pack, establish basecamp, hike in a day pack from there. This hike is one of our favorite basecamp options, with a 1.4-mile hike to camp, an expansive, flat area along Lost Cove Creek. We like to spend one day on a roughly 6-mile hike along the creek and on the Timber Ridge Trail, a more casual day hiking about 3 miles up Gragg Prong and lolling in the numerous pools at the base of numerous falls. A good summer trip.

Trip No. 8, “Backpacking North Carolina.”

More info here.

Birkhead Wilderness

Uwharrie National Forest, Asheboro

7.4 miles

2 days

The quintessential one-night trip, used as both a first-time outing and to try out new gear. One reason the trip is so popular is its proximity to the state’s three prime population centers: Charlotte, the Triangle, the Triad. This 5,160-acre northern tip of the Uwharrie National Forest also carries the cachet of being a wilderness area — a wilderness area much of the state can reach within two hours. Camp 5 makes for a campsite capturing the morning and evening sun, Camp 3 is on water. This relic range in the heart of the Piedmont gives a sense of the mountains minus the extreme elevation.

Trip No. 35, “Backpacking North Carolina”

More info here.

Panthertown Valley

Cashiers

1 mile backpack in, 30 miles of day hiking

2-5 days

Pantherton is base camping taken to extreme. An easy hike in, a shelter, campsites on the water — and then the day hiking. There are multiple waterfalls (Schoolhouse, Frolictown and Granny Burrell are musts), there are views (Little Green Mountain is a good lunch spot because of the sweeping views). And then the miles and miles of trail, none of which will disappoint. Its appellation as “the Yosemite of the East” is a bit hyperbolic, but you’ll definitely see the resemblance.

Trip No. 28, “Backpacking North Carolina”

More info here.

Sam Knob Loop

Shining Rock area of the Pisgah National Forest, Waynesville

8.2 miles

2-days

Shining Rock is one of those bucket list backpacking areas in the Southeast, but the fact that much of it is a designated wilderness may deter the novice. That and the lack of reliable water and bear activity. But there is a way to ease yourself into Shining Rock, and that’s with the 8.2-mile Sam Knob Loop. You start from the same trailhead, Black Balsam off the Blue Ridge Parkway, but instead of heading north, hike west, toward 6.050-foot Sam Knob. Great views from both Sam and Little Sam, an abundance of water, and passage through a black balsam forest. And with surprisingly little elevation gain.

Trip No. 14, “Backpacking North Carolina” 

More info here.

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GetHiking! Southeast Podcast

What makes for a good first-time backpack trip? We tell you, on this week’s podcast. Give a listen here.

Backpacking North Carolina

Today’s recommended backpack trips for beginners were but 5 of 25 included in “Backpacking! North Carolina: The Definitive Guide to 43 Can’t-Miss Trips from Mountains to Sea.” Learn more here.

The post 5 trips made for the first-time backpacker appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

Why backpack?

Here’s why, as documented in this three-and-a-half-minute video we shot during our June 24-27 GetBackpacking! trip exploring Virginia’s Triple Crown. Four days, three nights, 35 miles, three major climbs, three iconic views and great scenery throughout. Challenging? Yup. But oh so worth it.

We’ll let the video make our case. Then, when you’re done and you’re thinking, How come I’m not a backpacker? check the links below for descriptions of our upcoming classes in September and to sign up. Each class consists of an introductory gear session, a five-hour in-field training session and a two-night weekend graduation trip to South Mountains State Park. 

• GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking! (Charlotte and Triad)
• GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking! (Triangle)

Already a backpacker? Then join us on one of our upcoming trips:

• Appalachian Trail: Carvers Gap to US 19E, July 16-18
• Wilson Creek area of the Pisgah National Forest (basecamp trip), Aug. 6-8
• Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Creek/Citico Creek Wilderness (basecamp trip), Sept. 16-19

The post GetBackpacking! Let the adventure begin appeared first on GetGoing NC!.

OK, technically summer doesn’t begin until the summer solstice on June 20. But culturally in the U.S. summer always commences Memorial Day weekend and ends Labor Day weekend. (And yes, technically summer doesn’t officially end until the summer equinox, this year on September 22).

Traditionally, summer has been in the season of play in this country. It’s when we take our vacations, it’s when we’re least surprised to find people we need out of the office, it’s when we leave early on Friday — often with the boss’s permission — to jump-start the weekend. There are so many ways to play over the summer. And our goal is to provide you with a variety of options. Among them:

Become a backpacker. Why wait when you can start today! Well, next Wednesday actually, when our summer GetBackpacking! Intro to Backpacking session kicks off. We begin with a virtual gear session on June 9, we proceed to a 5-hour, in-field training session at Morrow Mountain State Park on Saturday, June 12; we conclude with a weekend graduation trip to South Mountains State Park the weekend of June 18-20. Everything you need to know to become a bonafide backpacker by month’s end. Learn more and sign up here.

Go backpacking. If you’re already a backpacker (or once you become one with our Intro class!), we take regular backpack trips, at least once a month, throughout the year. Our next trips include:

• Virginia Triple Crown: a 4-day, 3-night, 35-mile exploration of Virginia’s Triple Crown, taking in Dragon’s Tooth, Tinker Cliffs and McAfee Knob. For experienced backpackers. That trip is June 24-27; learn more and sign up here.
• Appalachian Trail: Carvers Gap to US 19E, July 16-19. 3-day, 2-nights, 14 miles. Beginner/intermediate. We take time to savor this iconic stretch of the AT along the North Carolina/Tennessee line. Three balds at the start, more fabulous views from Little Hump and Hump mountains near the end, great Southern Appalachian forest along the way. Learn more and sign up here.
• Wilson Creek. There is no better place in the summer than Wilson Creek and its preponderance of pools collecting cold runoff from Grandfather Mountain above. We hike 7 miles in day packs both days, allowing plenty of time for water play along the way. Learn more and sign up here.

Learn to navigate the wild. Our GetOriented! Finding your Way in the Woods classes are back after a pandemic-induced hiatus. We spend the first 20 minutes or so of this 3-hour class getting familiar with basic map and compass skills, then head down the trail — and off — to put this skills to use and to become comfortable navigating the woods. We have two classes in June, at Eno River State Park and at Umstead State Park. Click the links for more info and to sign up.

Mountain hiking/camping weekends.  Also back this year are our basecamp hiking weekends! We set up camp Friday afternoon/evening, then do day hikes Saturday and Sunday. Our first trip of the year is to the oldest tract of land in the Pisgah National Forest, the Curtis Creek area outside of Old Fort. Both hikes take in old-growth forest, both originate from the campground: park your car Friday, forget about it until Sunday afternoon. Learn more and sign up here.

Weekly summer hikes. Interested in keeping up your hiking over the summer, but need a little incentive to do so? We have two weekly hike programs that are just the thing!

• Tuesday Evening Hike Series. Every Tuesday evening at 6:30 we hike 3-4 miles on a different local trail. We take advantage of the late-day light and retreating temperatures for a mid-week after-work escape. Learn more and sign up here.
• Sunday Summer Hike Series. Every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. we meet at a different trail in the Triangle to hike 3-5 miles before the heat sets in. This hike series runs through August 22. Learn more and sign up here for single hikers, here for couples and families.

Discover camping. You’ve been telling yourself for a while that you’d like to give camping a try. The only thing keeping you? No gear. Our Let’s GetCamping! program takes care of that, providing key camping gear — including a spacious tent, rockin’ camp chairs, a hammock, camp stove and more — and providing direction on what you need to bring for a great introduction to camping. Learn more and sign up here.

It’s summer, it’s time to play! Let’s play together.

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