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Grayson Highlands – April 2013


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Home Forums Campfire Member Trip Reports Grayson Highlands – April 2013

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  • #1303079
    Justin C
    BPL Member

    @paintballr4life

    Locale: East Coast

    A group of friends and I make our way down to Grayson Highlands in VA once a year. It is about an 8 hour drive for us, but it is well worth it. We had an awesome time like usual and only had about one day of rain which was a plus, considering they were calling for a chance of rain showers everyday we were there. We didn't have a large number of miles planned, so we could just take it easy (it is our vacation after all). I also got to test out some new gear, which is always a plus. We parked at Masseys Gap and started hiking.

    Parking Lot

    Me
    *Me with my new Laufbursche Huckepack.

    Woods

    We got to see some longhorn steer this time around. I had heard they were sometimes there, but I hadn't seen any there before. Honestly, I wish they weren't there because they tear up the terrain and you have to watch for the "cow pies".

    Longhorn

    Scenery

    We got to camp just in time before the rain started and it rained all night and until the next night. The next morning we basically got up and just hiked all day because all it did was rain.

    Needless to say we didn't get very many pictures during the day.

    Trailstar
    *My cousin and I shared our MLD trailstar.

    We altered our route so we could stay in a shelter for the night to help dry off our gear and just warm up.

    Shelter
    *Our little "hobo village".

    Exlight
    *Me warming up in my Ex-light and quilt.

    Night

    The next morning we awoke to the first real sunshine of the trip. Our group decided to split up for the day so some could lounge around in camp and the others could get started hiking (I was in this group). Both groups had maps and we knew where our next camping location was. My cousin, uncle, and I got packed up and started hiking.

    Me

    Water

    We ended up doing our toughest hike I have done in this area; the Cliffside trail is around 700 ft or so and it is straight up without any switchbacks. It was a ball-buster, but was nice since we didn't have alot of mileage on the agenda.

    Cam and I
    *My cousin and I, he was using his Zimmerbuilt pack which he loves.

    Me

    We got to our camp destination and setup and waited on the rest of the group to meet up with us.

    Storm

    Clouds
    *The clouds were reflecting the sun and made this awesome picture.

    Shoes
    *Here's a pic of my Inov 8s. They were brand new, definitely not anymore!

    Trailstar

    Alsek
    *Katabatic Gear Alsek quilt.

    The next morning we woke up to some fog, so we lounged in camp for a while. When the sun started coming through we got going.

    Pic

    Mountains

    Group

    It was our last day there, so we went to Wilburn Ridge which is my favorite area in the park.

    Group

    Cam

    Huckepack

    Me

    After we got off the ridge, we hiked back to the car for the journey home and Ruby Tuesdays!

    QUICK GEAR REVIEW:

    Laufbursche Huckepack – I really enjoyed this pack! The closure system is probably the best I

    have used. The shoulder straps are not anywhere near as comfy as my Zimmer packs though.

    Black Diamond Carbon Poles – I got fed up with my LT4s not always locking, so I figured I would

    give these a try. They worked flawlessly. They are heavier, but I think these will be going with

    me from now on.

    MLD Trailstar – My cousin and I went on this a few years back and I still really enjoy it. We

    were going to bring our MLD Patrol shelters, but we figured if it was going to be raining alot

    the extra space would be nice (and it was).

    Steripen Adventurer – Second time using it and I like the simplicity of it. Alittle heavier than

    my aquamira drops, but no funny taste either.

    Katabatic Alsek Quilt – I love this thing! I have used on multiple trips and it is very warm. The

    attachment system is great as well.

    Katabatic Bristlecone Bivy – Mostly just used it as a groundcloth on this trip, but I do like it.

    Goosefeet Booties – My all-time favorite piece of gear!

    Inov 8 Flyroc 310s – I had to buy a new pair for this trip as my others wore out. My favorite

    shoe, unfortunately they have discontinued them! That sucks!

    #1987450
    Luke Schmidt
    BPL Member

    @cameron

    Locale: Alaska

    Thanks for posting that, nice report. Looks like you did the loop counter clockwise? I think I've been to Grayson Highlands at least nine times, maybe more. The only other place in the southeast that I like as much would be Shining Rock Wilderness.

    #1987451
    Justin C
    BPL Member

    @paintballr4life

    Locale: East Coast

    This was out fifth trip and every time we are there is it different weather! I've heard good things about Shining Rock. I will get there eventually.

    #1987453
    Luke Schmidt
    BPL Member

    @cameron

    Locale: Alaska

    "different weather"

    Yeah I have noticed the weather up there can change fast. Once the weather forecast said 1 inch of snow had fallen. Also it had been warm for the week before so previous snow should have melted. Well when we got there we found 8 inches of snow up top. Either they got a lot more snow (and the weather was wrong) or snow from previous storms had never melted (and the weather was wrong).

    Another time we got rained on when we didn't expect it, and another time we had really, really hard wind.

    #1989723
    Tom Clark
    BPL Member

    @tomclark

    Locale: East Coast

    I always like to hear about Grayson Highland, which was one of my favorite places to hike when I living in TN. The weather does change up there, and usually for the worst.
    Tom

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