I recently bit on a sponsored article on FB that purported to identify the best hikes in each state. I believe that Cumberland falls hike may have been one. When did you make your reservation for the lodge? That sounds like a good long weekend.
Hiking/Backpacking thread
- Thread starter WildcatfaninOhio
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The only thing salvageable in CA These days. The outdoors. Sierras, Tahoe, Coastal, Mt. Whitney, PC Trail, John Muir Trail, Shasta, Yosemite, Big Sur, LA area mtns...list goes on and on.
I booked a cabin Saturday night for a Sunday night and Monday night stay.
So our plan today was to get a lay of the land and find the trail heads we wanted to hike later today after the rain let up. First trailhead we wanted to locate was a 1-1/2 mile trail to Dog Slaughter Falls. Don’t you just love the crazy names of places and POIs in KY? The trail head turned out to be 3-1/2 miles down a gravel service road. Didn’t feel like taking that road again later so we hiked the trail in the pouring rain. Our rain gear helped for the first mile or so. We both wound up soaked thru to the skin, but it was a cool hike. Falls were impressive. And, of course, we didn’t see another soul out there on the trail.
We have a cabin booked for Tuesday night and Wednesday night in Burnsville. Our plan is to hike at both Grandfather Mountain and Mount Mitchell. We’ll have to add Linville Falls to the list.
Awesome! Make sure you dress for the conditions! It's always about 10 degress cooler up on the mountain. Linville falls is beautiful. one of our favorite places. But all those places in WNC are beautiful
Thanks for the tip. We planned on it being cooler up there. We’ll have long pants, long sleeve shirts and hooded sweatshirts. And windbreakers if need be. And will carry rain gear in our backpack.
You have a beautiful girlfriend. Congratulations. My girlfriend use to be beautiful and we hiked and did fun stuff like you guys are doing. Then we got married and now she’s a fat old bitch.
Our afternoon hike was to Yahoo Falls and Yahoo Arch. A fantastic hike. A loop trail took us along the rim above the falls. The highest falls in KY at 113 feet. It had rained all morning so the falls were flowing pretty good. We then went on to Yahoo Arch. Very cool! On the way back we took the lower loop which is to the bottom of the falls, and thru a recess cave behind the falls. So impressive. Loved it.
On the way back to our cabin we stopped at an overlook to see Natural Arch. Not to be confused with Natural Bridge. Holy crap! A massive arch in the middle of a rock wall, viewed from across a gorge. Amazing!
Just finished dinner. Ky hot brown from the lodge restaurant. Off to NC tomorrow for more hiking.
On the way back to our cabin we stopped at an overlook to see Natural Arch. Not to be confused with Natural Bridge. Holy crap! A massive arch in the middle of a rock wall, viewed from across a gorge. Amazing!
Just finished dinner. Ky hot brown from the lodge restaurant. Off to NC tomorrow for more hiking.
The only hikes I found in Bob Marshall were all in excess of 10 miles. Wife and I spent a couple of weeks hiking various spots from Seattle to Glacier. I would recommend Flathead just west of Glacier for great hikes outside the park. My favorite is Mt. Aeneas Trail, went there in early June, the lake was still frozen but the ridge above it had mountain goats you could hike close to. Also saw my first moose in that area on that hike walking a ridge parallel to ours. A handful of people but not crowded at all.
Another popular one is Cyclone Peak Lookout. Beautiful views on the valley below while you hike to a fire lookout post. The day we went we were the only people there.
I'd also recommend hiking in the panhandle of Idaho - driveable distance from Glacier, no shortage of amazing hikes, my preference is to a handful mountain top lakes. Couer D' Alene is nice, SandPoint is my preference as a launching point. We hiked to 4 gorgeous lakes just below the snow line in June, and we never saw another hiker until we were heading down. In August I'm sure its a different story.
Don't know if it will change any time soon but in the summer to get into Glacier, not only do you have to buy a park pass but you also have to buy a day ticket. The day tickets are limited to a certain number of visitors and they hold a lottery about 3 months before the date for 75% of the available tickets, then offer the remaining 25% a couple of days before give or take.
Lots of people planned a vacation thinking they could just go in buying the park pass like any other park and not knowing about the day pass. Its to limit the traffic on the main road. You could go into the park before 6am or after 5pm without a ticket or if you had a reservation at a lodge or event.
We did not get a ticket so we only spent 1 day in the park by going in early. Glacier is beautiful. Flathead is a nice second best option though
FWIW, I would rather stay in Kalispell than Whitefish. Its a taste thing, Whitefish is more boutique, Kalispell is more mainstream
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Truth! That’s not my gf. That pic is some smokeshow model I lifted off my Fitness Gurls FB feed. I was funnin’ whitchas! My gf is pretty cute and has a nice figure, but I like the anonymity of this board and would never post a real pic of her.
Did you happen to see a 60 looking years old man turning blue in the face and wobbling across the natural bridge? Or pissing his pants from the sky lift? Wasn’t me, but, I read about it.
Oh, I was showing that picture to my wife and saying “some dudes put pics of sexy girls they will never meet on their avatars, but this guy is dating this chick and she likes to hike! I wonder what her tattoo says.” She was thrilled. And, now …
Slick surface, uneven and bumpy footing, a little weak feeling in the knees... what's the worst that could happen?
I was able to check out Grayson Highlands in SW Virginia this weekend and get up to the top of Mt. Rogers, the highest point in the state. Absolutely awesome. One of those days that remind you of how cool this world is.
Today we checked out of our cabin at Cumberland Falls State Park. Took the morning to hike trail # 9 on the other side of Cumberland River. Trail 9 is a loop trail with plenty of elevation change. Also took a side trail which led down to Angel Falls. Great views, great hike. Jumped in the car and drove to Burnsville NC. Checked into our cabin and had a fantastic dinner at Hawtree’s Pub at the Mt Mitchell golf course. Tomorrow’s plan is to explore Mt Mitchell.
You are 100% right about the kids. My wife and I generally go to the Gorge once per year. We have 3 boys now and have been talking about taking our oldest who will be 9 soon. We definitely wouldn't take our soon to be 6 year old.
It blows my mind. Every time we go not only do we see kids sort of running around without parents near by, but also groups of kids running around without parents.
People don't realize how dangerous it is there. You have to be aware of what you are doing at almost all times.
Did anyone see this story? Crazy, dog survived a 170 foot drop at RRG and not only that, came out pretty much free on any injury.
www.wkyt.com
‘Unbelievable:’ Dog survives 170-foot fall in Red River Gorge
The Wolfe County Search and Rescue Team said it’s nothing short of a miracle after they got a call to rescue a dog that fell off a cliff in the Red River Gorge.
Another fantastic day of hiking. This morning we drove up to the peak of Mt Mitchell. Leaf color was at peak and we could not have custom-ordered better weather. 55 degrees and not a cloud to be seen anywhere. According to the folks behind the counter at the gift shop, today they experienced “inversion”. It was warmer at the peak than it was in the valley below. Quite unusual. We also heard that tomorrow they expect 100% chance of rain all day long, and possibly snow of Friday. We may have enjoyed the final nice day of the season up there.
After getting great views from the observation deck at Mt Mitchell we hiked along Deep Gap trail over to Mt Craig, and on to Big Tom Mountain. That trail was really half hike and half scramble across exposed rock. Fantastic views though. We then jumped back in the car and drove over to Linville Falls. That place was insanely crowded for a Wednesday. I’d hate to see it on a Saturday. The views were cool though, and we hiked to 5 of 6 overlooks. Skipped the gorge overlook since we were already kinda tired and didn’t want to do all those steps down to river level and then back up.
Lots of rain forecasted for tomorrow and Friday so we may just head back home tomorrow. I think we packed in about as much hiking in 4 days as possible, averaging about 9 miles per day.
After getting great views from the observation deck at Mt Mitchell we hiked along Deep Gap trail over to Mt Craig, and on to Big Tom Mountain. That trail was really half hike and half scramble across exposed rock. Fantastic views though. We then jumped back in the car and drove over to Linville Falls. That place was insanely crowded for a Wednesday. I’d hate to see it on a Saturday. The views were cool though, and we hiked to 5 of 6 overlooks. Skipped the gorge overlook since we were already kinda tired and didn’t want to do all those steps down to river level and then back up.
Lots of rain forecasted for tomorrow and Friday so we may just head back home tomorrow. I think we packed in about as much hiking in 4 days as possible, averaging about 9 miles per day.
How many people and what kind of temperatures/weather? But yes most likely REI unless you’re looking for something ultra light weight or geared for super gnarly conditions.
Check out tarps and hammock set ups when you’re looking. Way less weight and at least with hammocks way more comfortable.
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I would venture to say it was super crowded because everyone likes to see the changing leafs. Everywhere down here gets insane this time of year
Yeah, no doubt. I always tend to look at other hikers’ footwear to see how many I’m sure have hiked hundreds of times before, and how many are on the first or second hike of their lifetime. Based on the number of dress shoes, cowboy boots, flip flops, and women’s platform shoes I noticed, I’d say about 2/3 were in the second group. They were there to see the leaves.
If you, or anyone you know, wants to see the woods during the changing leaves and see gorgeous mountain views, but can’t hike or won’t hike, I’d have to recommend driving the Blue Ridge Parkway in the last week of October. Jaw-dropping! We drove about 100 miles of it today and stopped at half a dozen overlooks. Absolutely incredible!!
So true. Words can’t describe how beautiful and colorful it is. I have seen it a hundred times and it still never ceases to amaze me
I wouldn't spend the money on REI.
do some research on google. If you want to spend high dollar and quality there are several to choose from. Eureka has been a brand name that was solid but I haven't really been into camping for several years.
buying a $7 bottle of waterproofer and a good tarp for $10 will go a long ways in making a cheaper tent meet your needs.
just my .02
do some research on google. If you want to spend high dollar and quality there are several to choose from. Eureka has been a brand name that was solid but I haven't really been into camping for several years.
buying a $7 bottle of waterproofer and a good tarp for $10 will go a long ways in making a cheaper tent meet your needs.
just my .02
I’d do some research. Things have changed a lot and the new stuff is way better. Maybe not more durable but great it well and it lasts and it weighs 1/3 of what the old stuff did. My entire kit weighs one more pound than my first backpack from the 90s.
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So as a novice hiker how do you handle potential interactions with wildlife like snakes and other animals?
I saw a big snake last year on a trail and my wife and I turned around and went back to entrance lol yes I am a coward. I guess I could invest in a machete.
I saw a big snake last year on a trail and my wife and I turned around and went back to entrance lol yes I am a coward. I guess I could invest in a machete.
The locals say the prettiest sunset in the US can be seen at one destination. We go there every few years. Have not been in the fall.
We were hiking the base of Ranier on a day when a hiker in the Olympic Peninsula was killed by a mountain goat. The ranger told us, never turn your back on the animal (the goat was following them, which he said was odd). We were later talking to an engineer who was coming down from an overnight. He said he was a regular on the mountain and has yet to see a mountain lion, but has seen many goats. In Colorado, I have turned a corner to see an elk cow eating about four feet from me. Glad it was not a bull. The elk were bugling when I was there last. That is a cool scene, but you don’t want to get close. We are novice hikers who have hiked a lot of miles.
I remember talking to a ranger at Pine Mountain. She was telling me that she tells everyone to move slowly and look big (arms up) when you come across a bear. She then admitted that she was heading out for a jog, rounded a corner and saw a bear right there. She turned and ran back to her place. Bear can out run, out climb and out swim.
I am not sure if it would be worse to get bitten by a copperhead and die of poison in the wilderness or get thrown off a mountain by taking it up the behind from a mountain goat. I guess the view would be nicer on the latter until the dramatic finale lol.
two adult sized people with two tents to utilize
i’m sure some materials are better than. others as well -
incidentally- are any of you seeing restrictions at federal parks as far as accessing trails or overnight camping?
maybe not ?
no covid related restrictions?
This is similar to what I use. I use the Sub 7 which is no longer in production. It's stripped down as hell but my goal is always to cover lots of ground and be as light as possible. I use an inflatable pad (Thermarest Neo Air Xtherm) instead of an under quilt to save weight and for flexibility. If there are trees, hammocks are the way to go. No need to find level ground, no sticks, less bugs... it's better.
Hammock: https://www.rei.com/product/170036/eno-onelink-hammock-shelter-system
If there is no where to hang or you don't dig the hammock set ups this is consistently rated one of the best tents: https://www.rei.com/product/164194/big-agnes-copper-spur-hv-ul3-tent
If you're on a budget, look at Kelty. Heavier but holds up ok with care.
If you want pimped out ultralight check out https://zpacks.com/products/duplex-tent
I haven't heard of any COVID restrictions at any parks but I believe you have to wear masks at all of the gift/concession shops. Always good to call the ranger station and make sure conditions are good and all that.
My favorite way to start the new year is with a hike. Yesterday was a total rainout so we went today and hiked 4+ miles in the slop. It was awesome.
Week before Christmas I hiked about 50 yards three different days carrying a cooler to three different beaches on Vieques, PR Island. And then I rested.
My winter time hiking consists of walking to the woodpile about three times a day and back. Like you, about 50 yards.
Yahoo is a cool place. Great summer hike in Southwest Virginia is to the Devil’s Bathtub. It’s a short, easy hike with other trails around. Great swimming hole. https://gohikevirginia.com/devils-bathtub-hike/
