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  1. #1
    Member Sintax77's Avatar
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    VIDEO: Standing Indian Loop - Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina

    Hi, everybody. Here's a little 3 day, 2 night trip I did on the Standing Indian Loop down in North Carolina's Nanatahala National Forest earlier this month.



    Route Overview:

    The Standing Indian Loop is a 24 mile loop with a total elevation gain of 4,672′. The loop is made using a portion of the white blazed Appalachian Trail along with the blue blazed Lower Ridge Trail and Long Branch Trail. Campsites and water sources are plentiful on this loop, although many of the campsites are not located along water, so plan accordingly. In my case, I chose two campsites that did have nearby water sources, for added convenience. (For more details, check out the full video description).

    Hammock camping kit used for this trip:

    Dutchware Half-Wit Hammock
    Dutchware Whoopie Hooks with Kevlar Tree Straps
    Hammock Gear Burrow 40 Top Quilt
    Hammock Gear Phoenix 30 Under Quilt
    Dutchware Folding Sit Pad
    Hammock Gear Dyneema Fiber Hex Tarp (Cuben Fiber) with Zing-It guy lines
    I'm that guy from YouTube that likes to walk around in the woods and talk to a camera... Check me out on Youtube, Sintax77.com, Twitter or Facebook

  2. #2
    Senior Member KSC's Avatar
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    I finally finished watching this one. Very good video.

    Thanks for sharing.

  3. #3
    Senior Member TrailSlug's Avatar
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    Excellent video. I added this loop to my todo list. Thanks for sharing and great video quality and editing.

  4. #4
    Member Gustavus's Avatar
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    AWESOME VIDEO AND I LIVE CLOSE BY.

  5. #5
    Member Sintax77's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TrailSlug View Post
    Excellent video. I added this loop to my todo list. Thanks for sharing and great video quality and editing.
    Thanks, TrailSlug. You'll probably discover this after a some cursory research, but I should point out that the more popular / traditional choice to approach Standing Indian Mountain is via the Kimsey Creek trail, not the Lower Ridge trail like I did. It's apparently a very pretty trail and a great hike. It does meander a bit compared to the steeper, more direct Lower Ridge Trail, so it adds couple miles or so. In my case, I still found the Lower Ridge trail to be quite enjoyable and it got me to camp in only 5 miles / 2ish hours, which was pretty welcome after my drive down. Plus, it's where I had my bear sighting, so I wouldn't change a thing.

    Just thought I'd give a heads up on the alternate option for anyone planning to do this hike in the future.
    I'm that guy from YouTube that likes to walk around in the woods and talk to a camera... Check me out on Youtube, Sintax77.com, Twitter or Facebook

  6. #6
    Senior Member johnspenn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sintax77 View Post
    Thanks, TrailSlug. You'll probably discover this after a some cursory research, but I should point out that the more popular / traditional choice to approach Standing Indian Mountain is via the Kimsey Creek trail, not the Lower Ridge trail like I did. It's apparently a very pretty trail and a great hike. It does meander a bit compared to the steeper, more direct Lower Ridge Trail, so it adds couple miles or so. In my case, I still found the Lower Ridge trail to be quite enjoyable and it got me to camp in only 5 miles / 2ish hours, which was pretty welcome after my drive down. Plus, it's where I had my bear sighting, so I wouldn't change a thing.

    Just thought I'd give a heads up on the alternate option for anyone planning to do this hike in the future.
    My wife and I hiked the Kimsey Creek Trail from the campground to Deep Gap earlier this month on our adventure in the area. It is a beautiful trail and follows along the creek for a lot of the way. It was pouring down rain on us most of the way though.

  7. #7
    New Member Aerialtraveler's Avatar
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    Well done sintax77. Always a pleasure to sit down and view one of your videos.

    Those coffee pods looked cool. And that new backpack looked like a winner. Great video of the bear coming down that tree.

  8. #8
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    Superb video, thanks for sharing it. My buddy and I hiked in near the Albert Mtn fire tower to see the total solar eclipse last year. The fire tower area was packed, but we were able to hike a bit further on and find a nice spot. In retrospect, we should have done the loop and made it an enjoyable two-night affair. We hiked back to the truck right after the eclipse and then spent ~13 hours in traffic trying to get back to Raleigh, typically a 5.5hr drive from there. Ouch.
    Caminante, son tus huellas el camino y nada más... - Antonio Machado

  9. #9
    Senior Member OneClick's Avatar
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    Thanks for the report! The takeaway here, for me, is pounding out big miles in the car to simply DO IT! Too often people seem to make a huge deal over drive time. Or on the other side of the coin, the fact that they "live right next to the forest/trail/whatever". It doesn't matter either way. You either do the same crap over and over, travel, or sit on the couch. In 20 years will you worry about the gas money and time you spent, or cherish the memories and the awesome footage you now have from a great trip?

    Some people spend 12 hours at work. I'd rather do that in a car any day with a huge reward at the end.

    Fantastic video. And that pack looks nice...nearly identical to my previous version Osprey Atmos 50 but without the two external zip pockets.

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