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Fall in Shining Rock Wilderness, NC 10/22
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Nov 1, 2010 at 4:04 pm #1265028
Fall was just beginning to creep into Atlanta, so my friends E and M and I decided to head North (west) and hit some prime-time foliage. We had time for a 3/2 and wanted to hit Shining Rock Wilderness, North Carolina; our first day would be from Black Balsam to Cold Mountain (yes, that cold mountain). We drove the 3.5 hours from Atlanta and arrived at the Black Balsam Parking lot at 10am. From our first steps on the trail, we knew that we had timed it right and that the foliage was going to be spectacular. Temps were high 60’s and windy on the balds/knobs during the day, dipping into the mid 30’s and even windier at night. Although certainly not as “sharp” as anything in West, the worn-down Blue Ridge Mountains have their own unique appeal. Their undulating peacefulness coupled with brilliant, colorful explosions was a real treat this time. My base weight was 12 lbs, and that included a Large Neo Air (18oz), a Hex crazy creek chair (20oz), and a modified Osprey Talon 44 (32oz). I will go into some gear standouts (as most of my gear was based on BPL recommendations) at the end of the pictorial, but first, here are some moments of grandeur that I tried to capture on film:
(above) the trail heading north over the balds after Tennent mtn
Picking blueberries before sunset
our harvest of apples and blueberries cooked up for dessert.
our site on cold mountain sans tent
our second night site
at sunrise
Gear Review:
GG LT4’s —MVP of the trip. The handle with its corkish grip and ergonomic form seems to be a gift from outer space. Freakishly light. For the first time ever, I went sans-straps and liberated my wrists in the process. As the trail dictated, I alternated through a hand-full of positions on the pole, something I could not do when strapped in. They also served double duty as feather light poles for my Shangri La 1. Loved every minute of em.
Hex Crazy Creek Chair —their “lightest” chair at 20oz. I strapped it to the top of my pack after a long, internal debate in the parking lot…and couldn’t have been happier with my decision. For me, it’s about light weight COMFORT…and it takes the stress off my lower back. At the very least, it gives me piece of mind that I have something good and insulated to sit in and that my neoair is still protected in my pack.
Rail Rider’s Eco Mesh Pants – these could be the perfect pair of pants. They were warm and wind resistant over a baselayer when the sun was setting, and when fully vented while hiking, I felt cool breezes across my lower half. Insect shield made it so I didn’t even apply (or bring) bug protection. As far as durability, these pants clean up like new after an overgrown trail and bushwhacking across blueberry fields
Ex officio (boxer briefs)—I could actually feel the sweat evaporate off these while wearing my eco mesh pants. I don’t think they ever even had a chance to wet out.
Patagonia Houdini—Awesome over my cap 1 on the ridges. Best hood I’ve ever synched down. Using that and a visor was much better than taking a hat.
The North Face Triumph Anorak –wore this over my FA Down Sweater in the AM to watch the sunrise and was toasty the whole time without a warm drink.
Wild Things Happy Feet –cordura bottoms are great, did a lot of walking around camp in these and they kept feet warm down to 35 with med weight smartwool socks underneath.
EB FA Down Sweater –kept me warm at 35 degrees with cap 1 underneath. I can’t believe I picked one of these up for $41 bucks.
SD Nitro 30 –slept open to the elements at 35 degrees and windy on cold mountain and flower knob…only wore a cap1 top, r1 bottom, medium smartwool socks, NO hat… (gotta love that hood design) and was warm all night.
Neo air Long –incredible, I felt like I had my own inflatable mattress, and was safe if we had any flash floods…the long makes me less dependent on a larger ground cloth because I’m 3 inches above the ground!
Golite Shangri La 1 —didn’t sleep in it, but set it up. looked huge compared to E’s Gatewood Cape. He kept calling it a two/three man shelter in jest. Took me 5 min to set up taught.
Gatewood cape — E never slept in it, but set it up. What a great, well thought-out minimalist shelter. We pitched it with trekking pole tie out on the head and it looked perfect for E but would be a bit tighter for me at 6’0 . Took him 5 min to set up taught.
Steri pen –worked like a charm and was easy to use. Felt like a wizard using it. Wizards are cool.
GSI Minimalist Cookset –loved taking a mug/pot combo. Coosie worked well also and kept drinks hot for 20 min or so with temps below 40. Lid was hard to get off when engaged, but called gsi and they are sending me a replacement top that is supposed to be easier. Sweet.
Thanks to all those who gave advice and swapped gear!
Nov 1, 2010 at 4:45 pm #1660149Great trip report. The terrain looks beautiful and I appreciate the details about your gear. Fall is definitely here. Andrew.
Nov 1, 2010 at 4:54 pm #1660156Nice trip. Leaves look awesome. I liked the book and movie Cold Mountain quite a bit, might have to check out the area some time.
sigh.. the EB Downlight doesn't fit me. It's just this one darn stitch across the chest. Otherwise, pretty much perfect for $42. Good fit for 6 of my other no-good friends though…that I bought, shipped, picked up and delivered to their living rooms.
Thanks for sharing.
Nov 1, 2010 at 5:34 pm #1660172Good trip report. I was there for a few days and left the day before. I keep missing other BPLers on the trail.
I love that area and its becoming one of my favorites rather fast. You should've seen the blueberries in early September!
Nov 1, 2010 at 5:36 pm #1660173Thanks for sharing the words and images, the colors in the trees are amazing. Pretty soon they'll be gone until spring. Any winter trip plans? I'd have to disagree with the 2-3 man comment on the Shangri-La 1, after owning one and using it on a few trips I found it adequate for one to lay down in and nestle your gear beside you, but the 2 pole setup really takes up too much usable space for me in that shelter which is too bad cause I really wanted to keep it. It's a fairly bomber setup, but the Shangri-La 2 or 3 is worth the extra weight IMO.
Nov 1, 2010 at 7:11 pm #1660203I was just up there about a week ago too man. Great pics.
Nov 2, 2010 at 4:29 am #1660284Great pics, thanks for sharing. You certainly had better weather than I had when I did the Art Loeb trail a few years ago, I couldn't see 20 feet in front of me!
Nov 2, 2010 at 8:16 am #1660333Thanks for the trip report – I enjoyed every minute of hiking this trip! I might add that I SHOULD HAVE slept in the gatewood cape the 2nd night as the wind really picked up in the wee hours and I would have benefitted from the extra wind protection of the shelter.
My 2 MVP's of the trip, gear wise:
1) The EB Igniter Jacket (20.29 oz size M)- I was initially worried that the jacket did not have enough insulation loft for temps in the low 30s and below. Boy was I wrong! I wore the Igniter over a patagonia cap 1 long-sleeve baselayer, and was completely toasty. The turtleing collar + hood really works wonders. I did throw a driducks jacket over as a shell one morning to help cut the wind a little more, but overall I was amazed at how great the Igniter was. At 20oz, quite a bit heavier than a down puffy, but an awesome jacket nonetheless.
2) The other MVP of the trip were the GooseFeet down socks (~2oz w/o stuff sack). I've never worn down bootie insulation in my sleeping bag before, and I can say it was AWESOME – feet were never once cold whatsoever.
3) Honorable Mention: Gossamer Gear Murmur pack (8.08oz w/o foam shoulder pads). This was the 3rd multi-day trip for my GG Murmer, and I am officially in love with this pack! So comfy and so light. NO issues with reliability or durability thus far, though I am mindful to take care of it. This trip had me bushwhacking through pretty sharp bramble, which worried me, but the very narrow construction of the pack left it unscathed though the bushwhacking, protected behind my back. The only VERY minor gripe I have about the Murmur is that the pass-through hole for your hydration tube is very small, causing a bit of frustration to get the hose through – fix: remove the bite valve, then pass through the hole, then put the bite valve back on. Not a big deal at all.
Thanks again for the great trip report and photos, Adam. Looking fwd to another outstanding trip this winter!
"E"Nov 6, 2010 at 8:44 pm #1661791(Hi Guys I'm New to the forum, was surprised there was such a big ultralight community out there when I first found this)
Yeah man, That was a fun little hike. Did you go to the bear cave that was a few miles after the Art Loeb memorium?
(I always thought those were huckleberries on that stretch of Blue Ridge)
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