Reddit: /r/Ultralight

For You

Where: Art Loeb Trail, hiking northbound through Pisgah National Forest in Western North Carolina. There were four of us so we left a vehicle at Davidson River Campground and shuttled ourselves to Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp where we embarked. When: 09/25/20-09/27/20 Distance: Approximately 31 miles. Maps and information seem to vary. Elevation gained 7,578. Elevation lost 6,409. Conditions: We started in steady rain Friday morning and it lasted the entire day, but it was almost 70 so it was not terrible. Slowed to a drizzle by the time we made camp then cleared up. Saturday was overcast and honestly perfect hiking weather in my opinion in the low 60's. It cooled down quite a bit overnight, and was chilly enough that I hiked most of the day Sunday in my fleece. Lighterpack: https://lighterpack.com/r/e0y84p Useful Pre-Trip Information or Overview: Navigation to the trailheads was relatively easy for me, but my friend Toes who I met on the AT last year struggled. Albeit he is from NYC and not used to windy country roads like I am, so YMMV. There was no service for me (Verizon) at either trail head. It took almost exactly an hour to get from one end of the trail to the other. You can obviously hike this trail in either direction, and there is dedicated parking for Art Loeb trail hikers at each end. You have to drive all the way past the Lodge and the Leadership Cabin at the Davidson River end. We turned around and thought we had missed the parking place because it seemed odd to be parking in the actual campground, but then we saw the signs. Additionally, while no permits are required, there is a bear canister requirement for the Shining Rock Wilderness area which a section of the trail goes through. This can be avoided by camping right before the entrance to the wilderness area. Photo Album: Imgur More photos and videos on my instagram. The Report: Friday: We started at 9 am on a very wet trail. We pretty much immediately started climbing, but the trail was gorgeous. It felt great to be in the woods. This section was very well maintained, complete with bridges for the small river crossings. Water was everywhere, but again it was raining and had been for a couple of days. The day consisted primarily of climbing up to Shut-In Ridge around 3,000ish feet which we followed for a few miles. Everything was still all green for this section. There are a couple of gaps and knobs and PUD's, then we found ourselves at Butter Gap Shelter. The shelter was a really interesting triangular structure, unlike anything I am familiar with from the AT. There is a gigantic rock ledge here that juts out from the ground and was almost too mind boggling to describe. I'm also not too sure what it is called, but if anyone knows I'd love to hear. If it had not been raining I would have climbed out on it some more, but even going up a few feet was sketchy. That thing was slick! I plan to go back soon specifically to see the view from the top of that ledge. We tarried here for a bit before heading on for our last climb of the day up Chestnut Mountain. We planned to go a bit farther, but there was a perfect little camping area that seemed too good to pass up so we stopped here for the day. The campsite was totally flat, and even though it had rained all day we teamed up to find enough twigs and dryish underbrush to get a fire going for a couple of hours before bed. Total mileage for the day was just short of 9. Saturday: It was an absolutely beautiful morning. The sunlight was cutting through the trees to rain down perfectly angled on our tidy little campsite. My hiking partners spent some time spreading things out to dry, but thankfully the only thing wet in my pack were my baby wipes. Thank you dyneema. I did some yoga and took a million pictures while waiting for them, then we set off at 8:15. We followed the ridge and some more PUD's before our first water source for the day at Gloucester Gap. It is about 150 yards down the forest service road from the trail intersection, to the right if you're hiking NOBO. Even though it was only a couple of miles in, it took a while at this water source. We also chose to start some extracurricular activities here. Due to this, the next several hours are a psychedelic blur to me. I remember stopping for what felt like a long time to observe a snail crawling across some moss. The four of us became spread out, and by the time I got to the Pilot Mountain peak (which was gorgeous) I was convinced I had unknowingly hiked way too far/fast and would never see them again. Thankfully this was not the case. After pilot mountain it was mostly descending to a gap where I contemplated life and took a nap on a comfy rock while waiting for my friends who were not too far behind after all. They, also, had expected to never see me again. I already hike fast, and with this new setup I felt like I was flying. Their packs were probably 25-30 lbs each. After a lunch break and a quick recap of how our mornings went for everyone, we started the climb up to the Blue Ridge Parkway crossing. We entered a spruce fir forest area which was absolutely the land of the fae. The climb to the parkway was possibly the most challenging for me, and my friends with much more weight on them struggled here. At the parkway crossing we were intimidated to see the line of cars parked on the side of the road stretching into oblivion on either side, but we trudged on. Black Balsam Knob is a day hikers dream. There were people in flip flops everywhere, and a lady flying a drone (illegally) to take obnoxious engagement photos. I'm sure the photos were gorgeous, but it was slightly annoying to have the piercing sound of the drone constant in the background. It's whine carried all across the ridge. Balsam Knob was moody. It seemed as if we were socked in, but there were shifting pockets of visibility way into the mountainous distance that only added more depth to the scenery. Here, we saw fall. The autumn golds and reds are starting here at over 6,000 feet. The Art Loeb follows this ridge for a couple of miles, then enters into the Shining Rock Wilderness area, where fires are not allowed and bear canisters are required. Pooh. There are, however, plenty of flat field areas right before the wilderness area in which to camp. Unfortunately, seeing as how it was Saturday night, these places were all dominated by huge groups of people with massive bonfires and very loud speakers. We chose to keep going. There was a campsite right below Shining Rock Ledge where we found a more peaceful place to drink our own whiskey without the blaring music. Full disclosure, there were no bears. Or scat. Or tracks. Total Mileage is approximately 10. We got turned around at a trail intersection at the beginning of Shining Rock and walked on another trail that ran parallel to art loeb for a bit before rejoining it. Even with a digital GPS map, this section of the trail is confusing. Sunday: Due to the whiskey and the coziness of our campsite on Sunday morning, we didn't get started until almost 9:30. However, this last bit of the Art Loeb was much easier than the first two days. We continued to hike along quart lined ridge lines for honestly much longer than I thought we would. After you reach elevation, you stay up there for a while! We descended through another smaller spruce fir forest and there was quartz everywhere. It was stunning. While there were a few small openings in the trees, much of the trail was a green tunnel after leaving the ridge. The Art Loeb passes the base of the Cold Mountain trailhead, but does not go across the peak. I had intended to break camp early and hike up Cold Mountain, but even the best laid plans go awry when you drink a pint of whiskey. Alas, but Cold Mountain is not going anywhere. I will return. After this, it was a steady plod down switchbacks with some gorgeous springs and small waterfalls to the car. While we hiked the most miles this day, it was the easiest. Total miles, approximately 12. Gear Notes: My Tarptent Notch Li is amazing. I love the versatility and ease of setup. While everyone else had to spread their gear out to dry at some point, the morning sun before breaking down was always enough to completely dry my tarp. 10/10. This was my first trip of anything more than an overnight with a true ultralight setup, and I loved it. My yar.gear 38l was perfect. I loved having the bottom pocket for easier access to snacks. The same can be said for my LiteAf fanny pack. It was also incredibly useful because most of my hiking clothes do not have reliable pockets, so I wore the fanny even around camp. I brought the umbrella, just because I haven't really gotten a chance to use it. It worked well, but was honestly overkill. I am not comfortable enough to leave a rain jacket and bring only the umbrella, and having both just seemed redundant. Additionally, it was awkward in some of the tight green tunnel sections. I only used it for a couple of miles before stashing it, and it was dead weight for the rest of the trip. When I do the CDT I think it will be a useful tool. I was also very happy to have my melly. I slept in it Saturday night, and hiked most of the day Sunday in it. Overall, I am super happy with my UL setup and honestly can not think of many things I want to immediately change. I do wish my tarptent was able to be packed horizontally, but I was able to squeeze it in the front of my pack with no issue so I'm not sure why I want it to pack horizontally so badly. I enjoyed having the packing cube as well. My quilt and my extra layers (other than melly and frogtoggs) fit in it nicely tucked into the bottom of my pack. Everything else free floated on top, with my sleeping pad folded as a semi-frame against my back, and the tent on the other side stuffed down vertically in the center. My little groudtarp I kept tucked in one of the outside pockets, with water bottles and filter in the other. Snacks for the day fit perfectly in my bottom pocket, and everything else in the outside mesh. All in all, I loved the Art Loeb trail, and my only complaint is that it is not longer. Thruhiking has ruined me, and while I love being out there for any time at all, three days is just enough time to make me "trailsick" for more. If you have any suggestions or comments about the gear I'd love to hear them. Likewise about any questions covering something I may have missed. EDIT: Fixed Imgur link.