Quote :

"You should really see that trail in either late June for all the flowers/rhodedendra/laurels or in late fall with the leaves...incredible"

I guess every season has its perks - the leaves being down made the stretch south of the BRP a lot more scenic than it presumably would have been otherwise. But yeah, the laurels and rhododendron were everywhere, so I can imagine.

Quote :

"What days were you up there? I was there Friday and Saturday but had to start at the Big East Fork trailhead due to the BRP; got a nice little snow Friday night too."

Wednesday through Saturday. I did meet some NCSU peeps out there, but that was Thursday on a different stretch of trail. Where'd you camp? Friday night was rain for us, lower elevation I guess. Broke up right at sunrise...perfect sleeping weather.

Also hit Sliding Rock on the way to pick up the drop car...COLD

[Edited on April 4, 2013 at 11:56 PM. Reason : a]

4/4/2013 11:46:28 PM

We set up camp at the junction with the Art Loeb trail, we were around 5700'. We ended up getting about 2-3" of snow, definitely was planning on having warmer weather for it being the last weekend of March.

4/5/2013 9:11:54 AM

Planning out my hiker season...I want to knock out another 200-300 miles this summer on the Appalachian Trail (section hiking for the last 3 years)....Anyone have any sections they think are great for a 8 day trip?

Sections I've done:
All of NC
All of Mass and Conn
1/2 of Pennsylvania
All of VA
All of WV
All of TN

4/17/2013 1:56:19 PM

doing roan mountain in june

tell me where i should go backpacking in the middle of may

willing to drive up to 5 hours from raleigh

[Edited on April 17, 2013 at 2:07 PM. Reason : .]

4/17/2013 2:06:59 PM

I freaking love Roan. You'll miss a lot of the thru-hikers in June. Say hey to the goats!


What about Grayson Highlands?

4/17/2013 2:10:16 PM

grayson is definitely an option...thinking about wilson creek, too

4/17/2013 2:20:35 PM

What about Art Loeb? Mountains to Sea trail overlaps, and Graveyard Fields is near there too.

4/17/2013 3:30:34 PM

We did a Graveyard fields to Black Balsam loop this past weekend. Weather was beautiful.

Also just picked up a Osprey 36 Stratos pack for a summer pack. Right inbetween my 25L day pack and 60L winter pack.

Was able to fit:

100L water reservoir
Sleeping bag
Pad
Hennessey Tent
Clothes
Food
Camp chair
Filter
Jetboil and random other things.

Think 36L is my new favorite size.

4/17/2013 3:34:21 PM

Has anyone done much of the NY section of the AT?

4/17/2013 3:43:00 PM

Yes. It's a forgettable state.

4/17/2013 3:55:59 PM

Quote :

"tell me where i should go backpacking in the middle of may willing to drive up to 5 hours from raleigh"

maybe something in Nantahala national forest? I haven't done much in that area personally, and it doesn't really seemed to get mentioned much on here, so I'm really just throwing it out there to see what others think.

Some spots I've been doing some lite google research on:

Panthertown Backcountry - check out Big Green Mountain
Fires Creek Backcountry - supposedly has a 25 mile loop trail
Bartram Trail - think I did some of this when I was a kid but don't remember, special signficance if you are a history/naturalist buff
Wallace Gap - should put you on AT? which then runs into Panthertown? could be cool





[Edited on April 17, 2013 at 4:01 PM. Reason : or even the very southwestern corner of Pisgah NF, never been in that area]

4/17/2013 3:59:26 PM

I'm not a big fan of Nantahala...cept for the AT, I didn't really find much I found worth looking at.

Pisgah has Shining Rock Wilderness, Turtle Back Falls, Mt. Mitchell, Linville Falls, Wilson Creek etc...

4/17/2013 4:23:28 PM

Yeah, I get that, but what specific areas were you at in Nantahala? What specifically didn't you like? I know these areas are a lot less rugged than a majority of Pisgah (they certainly don't have the elevation), and I think you have to deal with a lot more equestrian bullshit, but what else?

If you flip back through this thread you see the same suggestions over and over - the ones you mentioned + grayson highlands/Mt. Rogers (to a lesser extent maybe shenadoah?). I realize there's a reason for that, these places are badass, we know they are badass, and its not a terribly long drive from Raleigh. In some cases a lot of these places we have down like clockwork, right down to where our favorite campsites are. Of course you also have to consider everyone in the triangle, the triad, charlotte, and boone are pretty much thinking the same thing about where they are headed this weekend, I really think, in some cases, Pisgah has some crowding issues

They are all great suggestions but I was just trying to include some diversity, see something new while maybe avoiding some crowds?

4/17/2013 5:46:15 PM

Quote :

"100L water reservoir"

respect.

4/17/2013 9:03:01 PM

Woops. oz* got so caught up in l's.

4/18/2013 12:50:51 AM

4/18/2013 7:09:21 AM

I was mostly near Fontana area in Natahala. I just think Natahala is more targeting for day hiking and weekend hiking for car campers...I prefer more back country, but it's all preference. For instance, I HATE Shenandoah, HATE it. I did a week on it to finish off my AT section, and I disliked every moment. Hated crossing Skyline, hated always hearing cars, got mad at other hikers/walker for feeding the bears...I will NEVER go back. I joked with a friend that if I thru hike, I'm skipping Shenandoah.

John Muir trail (TN) I heard is pretty rugged, (Cherokee National Forest) and only about 20 miles so you could knock it out in a weekend.

Any part of the Mountains to Sea I think would be an adventure.

Sections of the AT are ALWAYS a treat

Foothills Trail of NC/SC

Do you like beaches? There are some really fun islands and Cape Lookout which are a blast to explore.

[Edited on April 18, 2013 at 10:21 AM. Reason : ....]

4/18/2013 10:18:59 AM

Headed to linville gorge in the morning, going from Conley cove to pinch in.

Looking at the map it looks like you can get off I40, cut through lake James state park and the after taking a few more turns eventually end up on kistler memorial. Seems like this would take 30 or 45 mins off my travel time. The problem is I've never been that far south on kistler memorial but I do know the road starts to get shitty past wiseman's view and I've read it gets worse the further south you go (I have a 2wd truck and am worried about road conditions in light of all the rain). Anybody have experience with this section of road?




^agree on all counts about Shenandoah and that's a good point about nantahala

[Edited on April 19, 2013 at 5:49 PM. Reason : ^]

4/19/2013 5:47:13 PM

Anyone know of any good trails close to Raleigh that are on the steep side? I need to ramp up my conditioning for Rainier later this spring.

4/20/2013 4:45:21 PM

North Turkey Loop in Umstead. You can make it 8 miles and it is some BRUTAL hill work. I try to run that route forwards and then backwards to get all the hills and it leaves me dying on the side of the trail.

4/22/2013 11:18:24 AM

^^^Conley cove to pinch-in is a beautiful hike. I have been on that section many times and I am jealous right now. I could really go for a cold swim in the hole at the foot of conley cove. Hope your trip goes well.

4/24/2013 12:20:51 AM

^yea it went awesome.

On Kistler Memorial Road I was so worried about:
I basically drove the entire length of Kistler Memorial and it seems like the worst part is between Conley cove and Pinch in. To the south of Pinch-in the trail actually improves. I saw a guy take the worst parts of the road in a VW golf and my truck was able to climb the steepest parts of the road no problem (with a little momentum). It was reasonably dry despite the previous rain.

Quote :

"Anyone know of any good trails close to Raleigh that are on the steep side?"

The stairs in DH Hill

4/24/2013 8:58:36 AM

Camped at Jordan Lake this weekend (Friday - Sunday). It was awesome. The trail was closed due to a bridge being out, although we walked it anyways and did the "balance beam" walk across a fallen tree to get across the creek.

Basic camping gear:
-REI Kingdom 6 Tent with Garage
-ENO DoubleNest Hammock
-Suisse Sport Adventurer Mummy Ultra-Compactable Sleeping Bag

Overall, it was an awesome trip and a good "starter" trip for my wife. Lit some good fires (magnesium fire stick + lint / petroleum jelly packs + dead wood on the ground) and had a blast overall.

4/29/2013 10:31:58 AM

I won't be able to get out until late May I have shows and 2nd job stuff...BOOOOOOOO

4/30/2013 4:29:55 PM

So who here lives in Colorado/been backpacking in Colorado? I'll be in Denver over memorial day weekend for a backpacking trip. Still researching places to hike. Would like to do a fourteener. I've been hiking here before but would like some on advice on 1-2 night trips to do.

5/9/2013 3:33:47 PM

3 day / 2 night trip in the Lost Creek Wilderness area southwest of Denver this weekend. Fit everything plus 4 liters of water in my 36L Osprey pack. Including winter coat and rain coat. I think I've halved my pack size in the last 4 years.

5/19/2013 10:40:38 PM

I'm not sure if anyone saw on the major news networks about the old guy plowing into the hikers during the parade at Trail Days. The tl;dr version is that the guy is 87, likely a part of the parade as it was said he thru-hiked some years ago. He just blanked out and drove into the crowd. Only about a dozen tops were injured, not the 50-60 everyone is reporting. Four people were airlifted out, and one girl was pinned under the car, and the hikers did simply lift the car off of her. She came back the next day with only a broken toe. I put forth that she should change her trail name to Road Kill.

5/20/2013 10:22:31 AM

Boo...was going to head to Brevard and do some Art Loeb/MTS...but it looks like I'm going to get rained out...

5/22/2013 4:04:46 PM

Anybody been to linville gorge on Memorial Day weekend before? How crowded was it? Will I have a problem picking up a permit if I don't have one yet?

5/22/2013 4:18:57 PM

Had a great time over memorial day weekend doing a ~30 mile loop in the Lost Creek Wilderness area in Pike National Forest southwest of Denver. Gorgeous weather and beautiful scenery. Made it up to the summit of McCurdy mountain ~12,300 ft.

I was amazed at how large every ones packs were for 1-2 night trips. I only saw maybe 1 or 2 sub 40L packs. Most people were rocking 50-70L packs. We weighed our packs with four liters of water and food for three days and they came in right under 30 pounds. Without food and water we were probably hitting 18-20 pounds with winter gear (jacket, rain coat, gaiters, micro spikes). I'm thinking over the summer I can get that down to 12-14 pounds.

5/27/2013 10:48:51 PM

I just recently moved to New Orleans. Does anyone know a place to go camping / hiking anywhere in the Mississippi, Louisiana, East Texas area? I dont think my wife is down for canoe camping in the swamp.

5/29/2013 1:01:45 AM

^^ awesome

5/29/2013 8:46:21 AM

Camped out at Hanging Rock State Park in Danbury, NC for Memorial Day weekend. Was AWESOME!!! The hikes are great (hiked around 11 miles) and there was lots to see.



[Edited on May 29, 2013 at 1:59 PM. Reason : ]

5/29/2013 1:59:08 PM

^How crowded was it over a weekend

5/30/2013 12:47:03 PM

It really wasn't bad at all. Got there Saturday and stayed till Monday. The campgrounds were full for the weekend, but it didn't feel like people were crowding your campsite and noise wasn't an issue when sleeping at night. Seemed like everyone turned in around 10. Also, there were enough hiking trails and things to do (kayak, swim, hike, bike, camp, rock climbing, fishing, etc.) that it wasn't overcrowded...especially if you did the trails that required some level of fitness. Overall, A++++ experience.

5/30/2013 4:34:49 PM

Doing Four Pass Loop July 15th-18th. Can't wait!!!

http://www.mountainphotographer.com/maroon-bells-four-pass-loop/

http://www.summitpost.org/four-pass-loop-in-pictures/599623

6/4/2013 4:32:56 PM

Giving Away for FREE two brand new, unused Jetboil stove fuels with attached Crunchit. We're moving at the end of the month and don't want to transport them. They are the smaller 100g ones, but are the same as the link below. Send me a PM!
http://www.amazon.com/Jetboil-Jetpower-4-Season-Fuel-Blend/dp/B001GCVJ4M/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1370534248&sr=8-7&keywords=jetboil

6/6/2013 12:03:52 PM

Yeah you can't fly with those so I always end up buying one then tossing it prior to boarding.

6/6/2013 12:20:34 PM

^^ PM sent

6/6/2013 12:51:32 PM

^^^Colorado is the SHIT in the July for backpacking! JEALOUS!

6/7/2013 12:15:34 PM

Just reached the summit of Mt. Rainier on Sunday morning. It was a pretty epic time with extremely high winds. Took quite the beating from ice and pumice above 12,500'. Had to perform a few arrests due to winds blowing myself or another team member off our feet.


Ingraham Flats


View from Camp Muir




Sunrise at high break


The only summit pic I could get before my phone died. Fortunately, another guy had his camera but I'm still waiting on him to email it to me.

6/12/2013 4:22:13 PM

Awesome! I want to do Mt Rainier one day.

Hitting up Wilson Creek this weekend. Going to take some backpacking newbs on their first trip and hopefully not get them completely lost. We're going to try out the Lost Cove Loop.

6/13/2013 12:26:02 PM

^^ very cool!

some friends an i are doing roan this weekend...not a very long trek, but the rhododendron should be blooming and the views should be nice

i'm doing two things i've never done before: hiking in VFFs and hiking in a kilt



seems like the vast majority of folks who do it love it...i'll probably wear my usual sports boxer briefs underneath instead of going commando since this will be my first time

6/13/2013 12:36:05 PM

I hike in VFFs sometimes. I'd be very careful especially if you have a heavier pack. Humans aren't necessarily designed to carry that much weight and it's much easier to roll your ankle with a heavy pack and you're likely to do more damage. The reason backpacking boots are so high is to prevent rolling your ankle. With VFFs you have zero support so just watch where you step!

I've always wanted to try hiking in a kilt.

6/13/2013 1:05:41 PM

^ thanks for the warnings...it's because of the risks that i'm starting with a relatively short trip (2 nights, 10 miles round-trip)...we'll be doing some day hikes, but i won't have my large pack on, then

also, i'm bringing my lightest pair of chacos (i swear, the yampas feel half the weight of the unaweeps) as a backup

i don't even own a pair of high boots...i have a pair of low boots i wear in the winter, but i've always hated wearing boots with ankle support...i realize that's generally a bad idea

so stoked about the kilt...it was delivered today

[Edited on June 13, 2013 at 1:27 PM. Reason : kilt]

6/13/2013 1:26:58 PM

dis one?

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Men's-Elkommando%E2%84%A2-Kilt/OM3417,default,pd.html

I might be tempted to give one a shot. I would think guys would have an issue with support...

6/13/2013 1:34:29 PM

Can someone recommend a good hammock.
I see the ENO ones frequently, but don't know what they run, or if they are that good.

Thanks.

6/13/2013 1:35:25 PM

^^ yep, that's the one

i usually wear compression boxer briefs when backpacking, so i'm going to wear them this time, too...but teh intarwebs are full of folks who go commando and say it's great

^ what's your budget? eno hammocks are solid, though i purchased a grand trunk on sale for half the price and i think it's just as good

if you want to spend $130+, the hennesseys are great

[Edited on June 13, 2013 at 1:38 PM. Reason : .]

6/13/2013 1:37:00 PM

For actual backpacking/sleeping in or just hanging out in? The Eno's are great for just hanging out but I wouldn't necessarily sleep in one.

I have one of these and LOVE it:

http://www.rei.com/product/814263/hennessy-hammock-ultralite-backpacker-asym-zip-hammock

There's a "hyperlite" version that I tried but it was too thin and only a few ounces lighter.

The bug net and rain fly are key and it all comes included in one package.

To start off you can use a camping pad but most people recommend an under quilt. They're more comfortable and keep you warmer. Even if it's summer you'll get cold if it drops below like 60 without a pad or under quilt.

^haha

Quote :

"internal snap closure for modesty"

[Edited on June 13, 2013 at 1:43 PM. Reason : s]

6/13/2013 1:38:35 PM

^^^I've actually looked into hammocking quite a bit lately myself after a buddy brought one on a recent trip to grandfather mountain. He had an ENO singlenest which felt really nice and was super easy for him to setup.

Problem is, you are looking at $100+ for an ENO when you by suspension straps, bugnet, etc. That's a little too rich for my blood especially when I have gear that works already but its something I just want to try.

I ran across http://tinyurl.com/k3avpng

from http://www.reddit.com/r/hammocks and I think I will probably end up getting it based on the reviews I have seen. Seems to be a good value for an entry level kit. May even make my own bugnet rather than buying.

^^Do you have the ultralight?





[Edited on June 13, 2013 at 1:53 PM. Reason : d]

6/13/2013 1:46:03 PM