Tag: north carolina

Backpacking Iron Mountain and Grayson Highlands: Horses and ponies

July 3, 2024By y2kemo

view of field from an outcropping with mountains in the background

The summertime is a great time to hit the trails. The best! Well, except for the heat, dried up water sources, things that bite, things that fly and bite, and the heat. Did I mention the heat? Man, I am not a fan of the heat. When my nephew, Joaquin, came to town I wanted to take him on his first backpacking trip and needed to find a location where the conditions were just right (i.e. the aforementioned exceptions could be managed). Enter the Iron Mountain Trail (IMT).

The yellow-blazed Iron Mountain Trail spans 47 miles from Highway 91 near Tennessee in the south to VA16 at Iron Mountain Gap in the north. Up until 1972, the IMT was part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) when it was relocated to the south to accommodate communication towers and power lines in order to maintain the secluded experience hikers have come to expect from the AT.

I hiked the IMT previously and figured its solitude, milder temperatures, and close proximity to Grayson Highlands made it the perfect place to take my nephew.

Backpacking Doughton Park: Moose tracks and rain

September 17, 2023By y2kemo

grassy trail with blue skies — Coming up the MST towards the Blue Ridge Parkway

Getting away for a weekend can sometimes be a challenge. Thankfully, there are a handful of places I can quickly access including Doughton Park; the largest recreation area the National Park Service manages on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Located just west of Stone Mountain between Wilkes and Alleghancy Counties in North Carolina, Doughton Park consists of incredible views, wide open meadows, and some really challenging inclines. Additionally, part of the iconic 1,175 mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST) passes through the park and passing by some breathtaking vistas. Having been to Doughton Park before, given the campsite at Basin Cove and the challenging trails, I opted to return to the area for a weekend solo trip.

Backpacking Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Stone Mountain to Doughton Lollipop

July 8, 2021By y2kemo

Summer is an interesting time to head into the backcountry. Finicky water sources, exhausting heat, pop-up thunderstorms, thirsty ticks, and relentlessly buzzing gnats, skeeters, and flies. But, even with all of its complications, summer is also an awesome time to get outdoors. To that end, my buddy, Coop, and I put together a list of options before agreeing on a section of the iconic Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST).

Stretching 1,175 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks, the MST includes some of the best of what North Carolina has to offer: mountain vistas, grassy meadows, coastal swamps, dense forests, and miles of shoreline. Currently, the MST is a mix of road and trail, but the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation intends to develop the MST into a 1,400 mile continuous, off-road trail.

With so much to offer, Coop further refined our chosen location and put together a lollipop route from Stone Mountain State Park to Doughton Park and back again.

Backpacking Uwharrie: Yates Place to Panther Branch

August 16, 2020By y2kemo

After being cooped up in my house for months I saw a break in the clouds and asked my better half for permission to leave our suburban landlocked ship and escape into the woods with my brother-in-law, Ken. Since neither he or I have interacted with humans outside of our own domiciles, I was granted 36-hour leave and began the planning process with a focus on the Uwharrie National Forest.

In the past few months, Uwharrie has been my go to spot for hiking and trail running so I thought I’d elevate its status as a go to backpacking destination. It’s close to home, has lots of nature, and I can sleep there.

Backpacking Linville Gorge: Get your feet wet

August 24, 2019By y2kemo

The Linville Gorge Wilderness (LGW) is located within the Pisgah National Forest in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of North Carolina”, it is formed by Jonas Ridge on the east and Linville Mountain on the west and is bisected by the Linville River which drops 2,000 feet into the valleys below. The nearly 12,000 acres of wilderness is unforgivingly steep, incredibly rugged, and is home to black bears, rattlesnakes, copperheads, and 80% of the world’s tick population.

Linville Gorge has been on my bucket list for years. This year, however, was going to be the year I actually went. In the springtime, I researched the area and decided to plan a May trip. As luck would have it, when I called the National Forest Service to secure a permit for my brother-in-law, Ken, and I, I was told there were no available permits. Undeterred, I called back two months later, and was able to reserve a permit for the second weekend in August.

Linville Gorge here we come!

Backpacking the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness: Gnats, gnats, and more gnats

March 18, 20192 commentsBy y2kemo

boy backpacks through woods — Hiking in the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness.

The Uwharrie National Forest was the destination for my son’s first two backpacking trips. It’s close to home, the trails are manageable for a young backpacker, and the chances of being eaten by a bear are next to zero. For his third trip, I was thinking of heading up north to Grayson Highlands or west towards Pisgah, but opted to suggest a return to Uwharrie via the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness as we were expecting a couple other people to join us.

Established by the 1984 North Carolina Wilderness Act, the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness includes 5,000+ acres at the northern end of the oldest mountains on the North American Continent, the Uwharrie Mountains. It was used by early Native Americans over 12,000 years ago, explored by Europeans in the late 1600s, settled in 1760, and expanded by John Watson, son of the Birkhead family, in the late 19th century. Today, the Birkhead Mountains Wilderness has over 16 miles of designated hiking trails (i.e. horses, motorized vehicles, and mountain bikes are prohibited) that are enjoyed by hikers, backpackers, and trail runners.

I shared what I knew about the area with my son, broke the news that our two friends had to back out, and let him rethink our destination. In the end he chose Birkhead.

Backpacking Uwharrie from Yates Place with LEGOs and an 8-year-old

January 23, 2019By y2kemo

father and son selfie in the woods — The journey begins!

Each year I try to work in a winter backpacking trip. This year, I waited up until the last minute to start asking around and couldn’t get any takers. Determined to still go, I looked into places for a solo overnight trip. To the north, near Mt. Rogers Nat’l Rec Area, the forecasts were calling for temps in the teens, winds between 20 and 30MPH, and 10+ inches of snow. To the south, in the Uwharrie National Forest, temps were forecasted between 50°F and 60°F and rain was a certainty. The latter got me thinking.

Since the weather to the south was forecasted to be mild, I thought maybe, just maybe, my wife would be OK with my son joining me on a winter trip. I asked. She agreed. I asked my son. He agreed. Thank you backpacking gods!

Race Report: 2018 Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock 50 Miler*

October 17, 2018By y2kemo

running shoes, backpack, hat, and race bib

Over the years I’ve spent a lot of time hiking, running, and camping at both Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock state parks in North Carolina. So when I learned about the Pilot Mountain to Hanging Rock (PM2HR) Ultra connecting to the two, I immediately added the race to my bucket list. Fast forward a couple of years to this past spring when my buddy, Coop, mentioned wanting to run his first ultra. I offered to run with him once he picked a race, and as luck would have it, he sent me a message a couple of months later that he had decided on running the PM2HR 50 miler.

After signing up, I prepared myself over the next four months by running a ton, working on my nutrition, and not sleeping in. By race week I was ready. I mean, I WAS READY! Better? Too much? OK, I was ready. Well, two days before the race, Hurricane Michael blew through the course with heavy rain and straight-line winds, swelling creeks and rivers, and knocking down hundreds of trees. The race directors, along with the folks at Pilot Mountain State Park, Hanging Rock State Park, and the Sauratown Trail Association, worked tirelessly to get the trails in shape for the race. Unfortunately, with one day to go, the race directors notified the 50 milers that the first 7 miles were simply too unsafe and they had to move the start line and re-route a bit of the course ultimately reducing the overall mileage by about 4 miles. A bummer? Totally. A deal breaker? No.

Backpacking Uwharrie National Forest: 10 miles with a 7-year-old

April 11, 2018By y2kemo

young hiker standing next to a cairn in Uwharrie National Forest — Backpacking rocks!

My seven-year-old son has been camping since he was 18 months and hiking since he was two years old. He spends a lot of time outdoors from fishing to geocaching to running to just playing in the dirt. For years, he’s been asking me when he’d be able to join me on an overnight backpacking adventure. This past weekend, he got his wish.

Backpacking Dutchman’s Creek Loop: Wherever you go, there Uwharrie

January 3, 201811 commentsBy y2kemo

Trail sign at the northern Dutchman-Uwharrie junction

The Uwharrie National Forest (UNF) is a 51,000 acre forest system spanning three counties in south central North Carolina. It is one of the smallest national forests in the United States, and having been established in 1961, it is also the youngest of the four national parks in North Carolina. It has mountains, but the peaks have been worn down from 20,000′ millions of years ago to no more than 1,000′ today.

The forest offers a number of trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and off-roading. There are lakes and rivers for fishing and water sports. Campgrounds for, uh, camping. What I’m trying to say is, there’s a lot of stuff to do there.

Well, for years my friends have talked about hiking in Uwharrie, but I’ve been wary to make the trip because 1) I tend to fancy the higher elevations, and 2) the forest is also a designated Game Land making it a popular destination for hunters and trappers. Well, I finally got over myself, and decided to give Uwharrie a chance.

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