On this trip Max, Joey and I spent 4 days backpacking along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest. We covered about 34 miles at the beginning of March and experienced nearly every form of weather imaginable.
Our first day immediately took us to the top of Max Patch after being dropped off by our shuttle driver Bill, we were worried that the view was going to be obscured by rain but the precipitation held off for us (so far . . . ). We then continued on the AT for a couple miles before finding a nice spot to camp for the night. I set up my SLD hammock & tarp while both Max & Joey were in t*nts on this trip.
On day 2 the snow started. We honestly didn't have any problems dealing with the snow, but the 40+ mph winds combined with <40 degree temps tore us up all day long. No matter which side of the mountains we walked on the wind still managed to find us. I usually avoid shelters on the AT but we were very happy to set up inside Deer Park Mountain shelter to get away from the biting, unrelenting wind.
Day 3 was both the most scenic and the most physically difficult day of the trip. We had great views of the French Broad, the town of Hot Springs, the mill pond along the AT and Rich Mountain Fire Tower at the end of our day. We definitely worked for those views with around 4000 feet of elevation gain.
We finished up our final day by getting off the AT and taking Roundtop Ridge trail back down into the town of Hot Springs. This day was by far the nicest weather of the trip, we enjoyed the shining sun and relatively warm temperatures. We had a great time on this beautiful stretch of the Appalachian Trail!
Shorter highlight video for anyone who wants to see the scenery without the trip details:
https://youtu.be/EFlw9gdCSWI
Layne
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