Toward the end of May, four of us—Zack B., Brian D., Matt M., and I—headed toward the Black Mountains. Mount Mitchell specifically. I’d never been there before; some of the other guys had, when they were younger, but none of us had ascended via the Mount Mitchell Trail. […] “Mount Mitchell—Highest peak east of the Mississippi (NC)”
North Carolina
Backpacking in the Shining Rock Wilderness & hiking a few miles of the Art Loeb Trail (NC)
July in central North Carolina is not really the time to go hiking at lower elevations. Not unless you get a charge out of sweating too much and sleeping too hot, all while feeding the biting insects with copious quantities of your sweet, sweet blood. […] “Backpacking in the Shining Rock Wilderness & hiking a few miles of the Art Loeb Trail (NC)”
Kayaking down the Deep River past Mermaid Point (NC)
After borrowing my sister’s kayak to paddle out to a tiny island in Lake Onawa (Maine), I got the bug to go kayaking down in North Carolina. I haven’t been able to get out on the water as often as I’d like, but hopefully I can fix that this coming summer. […] “Kayaking down the Deep River past Mermaid Point (NC)”
Hiking through (parts of) Uwharrie National Forest (NC)
We headed toward Lake Tillery for the weekend; there, we a) took advantage of Alan H.’s hospitality, and b) planned to hike a roughly 15 mi loop through the southern parts of Uwharrie National Forest. There were ten of us on this hike! […] “Hiking through (parts of) Uwharrie National Forest (NC)”
Hiking (most of) the Neusiok Trail (NC)
The Neusiok Trail, one of the last segments of North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail, runs through Croatan National Forest in southeastern North Carolina. It’s in the vicinity of the Weetock Trail we hiked the year before. (It’s the trail we wanted to hike then but got washed out.) […] “Hiking (most of) the Neusiok Trail (NC)”
Hiking the Profile and Grandfather Trails at Grandfather Mountain State Park (NC)
Grandfather Mountain is unique among North Carolina’s state parks: there’s the actual state park, but there’s also the privately owned and operated Grandfather Mountain attraction (that includes the Mile High Swinging Bridge). Five of us traveled to Watauga County for a three-day, two-night “base camping” adventure, splitting our time between the two. […] “Hiking the Profile and Grandfather Trails at Grandfather Mountain State Park (NC)”
Hiking (part of) the Weetock Trail in Croatan National Forest (NC)
We were supposed to hike the Neusiok Trail today. We set up a shuttle near Oyster Point Campground, then parked at the Pine Cliff Equestrian Trailhead. The rain was still pounding down, and within a few feet of trail, I stepped in puddles three to four inches deep. […] “Hiking (part of) the Weetock Trail in Croatan National Forest (NC)”