Last weekend, my friend N and I had planned to go on a backpacking adventure in western North Carolina, but the remnants of hurricane Sally pushed us north into Virginia instead. Thus I hiked my second loop of the summer around Mount Rogers in the Lewis Fork Wilderness Area.
Things I learned: spontaneously purchasing that 20oF-rated Marmot sleeping bag the day before we headed out was a smart move; a one-person bivy (or as E calls it, "coffin tent") that you can't sit up inside is not ideal when you wake up to subfreezing temps and frozen condensation on your rain fly; and the unblazed Cliffside Trail is just as beautiful as the Pine Trail and the Crest Trail. And word to the wise: starting the loop on a Saturday is a good idea only if you like sharing the most congested parts of the trail with a hundred or so other people. We were glad we chose to camp a mile or two past Rhododendron Gap.
No comments:
Post a Comment