VIDEO: Appalachian Trail Section Hike NC - Pisgah National Forest - 4-day Group Backpacking Trip

[Layne]

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

[jtdums]

Great video and thanks for posting. Nice to have a little inspiration in this "no hike" period. Hope to make it there soon.

[mcpuddleglum]

Thanks for the report and videos. Really enjoyed the views and bits of historical context along the way.


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[Clisbyclark]

Always enjoy your videos. Looks like you snuck that one in just before they closed the trail.

[Layne]

Great video and thanks for posting. Nice to have a little inspiration in this "no hike" period. Hope to make it there soon.

Thanks jt, I am struggling during this no hike period as well. Hopefully things lift soon and we can safely get back out there

[Layne]

Thanks for the report and videos. Really enjoyed the views and bits of historical context along the way.


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Glad you enjoyed the historical bits! Those are among my favorite aspects to put into the videos as well. Helps me feel more connected to the area to know a bit about its past

[Layne]

Always enjoy your videos. Looks like you snuck that one in just before they closed the trail.

We sure did, this trip was right at the beginning of March. Barely over a month ago but how quickly things have changed . . .

[mcpuddleglum]

Glad you enjoyed the historical bits! Those are among my favorite aspects to put into the videos as well. Helps me feel more connected to the area to know a bit about its past

Yes, I agree. It is fascinating to understand the context of the locale and scenery. Where do you find your info? I have a little over 200 miles of the AT under my belt and hope to continue section hiking it. One of my next trips will be Devil's Fork Gap into Hot Springs. Do you know of a good book(s) on the history/geopgraphy/plant life of AT and it's various cities?

[Layne]

Yes, I agree. It is fascinating to understand the context of the locale and scenery. Where do you find your info? I have a little over 200 miles of the AT under my belt and hope to continue section hiking it. One of my next trips will be Devil's Fork Gap into Hot Springs. Do you know of a good book(s) on the history/geopgraphy/plant life of AT and it's various cities?

200 miles, nice! A lot of info is freely available online that I just run across while researching the routes. The AT Thru-Hikers Companion has some interesting tidbits, although usually pretty short.

For the NC section, which is what I am most familiar with, some other good books are "Backpacking North Carolina" by Joe Miller, "Hiking Trails of the Smokies" and "Highroad Guide to the North Carolina Mountains". The latter can be found online (https://www.sherpaguides.com/north_carolina/mountains/) but I found it worth the couple dollars to buy a used copy and read in print form.

Hope this helps get you started! I'm sure there are some good AT-specific resources out there as well.

[mcpuddleglum]

200 miles, nice! A lot of info is freely available online that I just run across while researching the routes. The AT Thru-Hikers Companion has some interesting tidbits, although usually pretty short.

For the NC section, which is what I am most familiar with, some other good books are "Backpacking North Carolina" by Joe Miller, "Hiking Trails of the Smokies" and "Highroad Guide to the North Carolina Mountains". The latter can be found online (https://www.sherpaguides.com/north_carolina/mountains/) but I found it worth the couple dollars to buy a used copy and read in print form.

Hope this helps get you started! I'm sure there are some good AT-specific resources out there as well.

Thanks for the links and resources! I have never bought one of those trail specific hiking books before, but will have to give it a try sometime. I use AWOL's guide and Guthook for my AT adventures. Just dreaming, but wouldn't it be cool to have guided commentary (state and local history, geology, geography, plant life, etc.) while you walk? Kind of like when you go through a museum with a guide or some kind of headset that conveys all the info? Maybe it could be a feature of Guthook since the app is tracking you through gps already?