I had a great time backpacking Linville Gorge once again!
This was my second time visiting Linville Gorge but this time we weren’t doing a loop. We were doing two out-and-back hikes.
The first leg of our journey began at Sitting Bear Trailhead which is a little further North than my previous trip that started at Wolf Pit which is at the Southern base of Shortoff Mountain. Sitting Bear is the first trailhead just off FS210 which is just off 181. We arrived at the Sitting Bear trailhead at around 3:00PM and hiked up to the Sitting Bear intersection where there is a large campsite that is big enough for several tents. We then took a right from there and headed down a short trail to an open pine forest campsite that was incredible. I really want to head back and camp there sometime in the future because it was gorgeous and reminded me very much of the pine forest plantation in Dolly Sods. Once we reached this campsite we turned left and in slightly hidden area we came upon the sign for Devils Hole. We took that trail down to the river bank and pitched our tents. Another 80 to 100 feet down the river bank and you would be at the river’s edge, where there is a cairn that marks the crossing. Now let me say that a) the river would have required wading at the current level it was at and b) the cairn was a little hard to see due to the fact that it was rocks on top of boulders so it all looked alike. We also wondered if the cairn was above the highest river level or would just get washed away periodically. Either way, we found the route we would need to take when we did the full loop to take us from rim to rim.
I tried out my new Kenyon Polarskins Lightweight Baselayer Top that I had just purchased on sale from Sierra Trading Post and and was quite pleased with its performance because it’s super lightweight, warm, comfortable and low on stink factor, lol!
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| Gear | BRAND / MODEL |
| TENT | BIG AGNES LONE SPRING 1 |
| SLEEPING BAG | Snugpak Chrysalis 2 Sleeping Bag, Chestnut Red |
| BACKPACK | MOUNTAINSMITH LOOKOUT 45+ (NO LONGER AVAILABLE) They sell a LOOKOUT 50 NOW. |
| SLEEPING PAD | THERMAREST NEOAIR TREKKER SLEEPING PAD |
| CLOSED CELL PAD | GOSSAMER GEAR THINLIGHT INSULATION PAD 3/8 |
| FOOTPRINT | BIG AGNES LONE SPRING 1 FOOTPRINT |
| COOKSET | SNOWPEAK TITANIUM MINI SOLO COOKSET |
| STOVE | MSR POCKET ROCKET STOVE |
| BACKPACKS AND CONTENTS | WEIGHT OUNCES |
| BACKPACKS | |
| MOUNTAINSMITH LOOKOUT 45 BACKPACK (NOW LOOKOUT 50) | 66.00 |
| TENTS | |
BIG AGNES LONE SPRING 1 TENT W/FOOTPRINT Outdoor Research Lightweight Dry Sack, 5-Liter |
72.00 |
| SLEEPING BAGS | |
| SNUGPAK CHRYSALIS 2 SLEEPING BAG IN SEA TO SUMMIT EVENT COMPRESSION SACK SMALL  |
50.00 |
| SLEEPING PADS | |
| GOSSAMER GEAR THINLIGHT 3/8 PAD | 8.00 |
| THERMAREST NEOAIR TREKKER LARGE | 26.00 |
| TREKKING POLES | |
EASTON TREKKING POLES |
20.00 |
| TARPS | |
| SEA TO SUMMIT SILNYLON PONCHO TARP | 12.90 |
| FOOD | |
| WINE IN PLATYPUS PLATYPRESERVE WINE PRESERVATION SYSTEM | 27.00 |
| FOOD – ALOKSAK – ZPACKS ROLL TOP BLAST FOOD BAG | 53.00 |
| BASICS | |
| BODY GLIDE-BEN’S INSECT REPELLENT-SUNTAN LOTION IN CUBEN FIBER BAG | 2.90 |
| BEAR BAG KIT | 4.50 |
| CORD BAG | 3.60 |
| MINI COMPASS AND TEMP GAUGE | 0.70 |
| CUBEN FIBER ZIP WALLET W/ID | 2.00 |
| SAWYER FILTER MINI(2OZ)/ONE SQUEEZE BAG(1.5OZ)/SCOOP CUP(2OZ)/MESH BAG | 5.50 |
| SAFETY LANYARD WITH KNIFE/WHISTLE/FLASHLIGHT | 2.80 |
| TOILETRY KIT – MEDICINE – TOOTHBRUSH – TOOTHPASTE ETC | 10.40 |
| FIRE KIT-DRYER LINT/FIRE STARTER/LIGHTER IN DOUBLE ZIPLOC BAG | 2.80 |
| POTTY KIT – DEUCE OF SPADES/TOILET PAPER/NYLON SACK/HAND CLEANER | 4.30 |
| CLOTHING | |
| MARMOT CALEN PULLOVER | 12.00 |
| MARMOT DRICLIME WINDSHIRT JACKET | 12.00 |
FALL & SPRING CLOTHING BAG 2 NIGHT: WOOL SOCKS/Under Armour Men’s ColdGear® Infrared Leggings |
11.00 |
VIVOBAREFOOT ULTRA MENS |
6.00 |
| NIKE RAIN PANTS | 12.40 |
| OUTDOOR RESEARCH ROCKY MOUNTAIN LOW GAITERS | 4.80 |
| COOKING | |
| MSR POCKET ROCKET STOVE/SNOWPEAK MINI SOLO COOKSET/PIEZO IGNITER/GAS | 20.00 |
| WATER BOTTLES – BLADDERS | |
| CAMELBAK BETTER BOTTLE 16 OZ FULL | 22.60 |
| PLATYPUS 1 LITER SOFT BOTTLE | 1.50 |
| SMARTWATER 33.8 OZ LARGE BOTTLE FULL | 37.40 |
| LIGHTING | |
| PRINCETON TECH REMIX HEADLAMP IN SMALL BAG | 3.00 |
| TOOLS | |
| UDAP 7.9 OZ BEAR SPRAY | 12.10 |
| LEATHERMAN TOOL | 5.30 |
| MIRROR / COMPASS | 1.50 |
| EXTRAS | |
| SUNGLASSES | 1.40 |
| MP3 PLAYER; EARPHONES; BATTERY | 5.30 |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT OUNCES | 536.00 |
| TOTAL SUM OF WEIGHT POUNDS | 33.50 |
We pitched camp here for the night and were lulled to sleep by the rushing river. The next morning we left camp and headed back up the Devils Hole Trail to Sitting Bear and then on up to Hawksbill Mountain. Jonas Ridge Trail up to Hawksbill Mountain isn’t quite as steep as Devils Hole Trail but it will give you a good workout getting up to the top. The last one hundred feet are the steepest but once you get up there you have a panorama view of your surroundings. Once we got to the top we dropped our packs and ate lunch before heading back to the vehicle and our second leg of the journey.
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The second leg of our journey was Table Rock – we drove another mile and a half and stopped and filtered some water from a small creek on the uphill side of the FS210 and then headed on to the Table Rock parking lot. It just so happens they were doing road work so everyone had to park about a mile away from the Table Rock parking lot and walk up on foot. That was quite a nice little hike uphill in the noon day sun!
We arrived at the Table Rock parking lot and immediately headed Southwest on the Shortoff Mountain Trail to the Table Rock campground and pitched camp. There are several very nice campsites here that are large and flat, and because of the road work the campground was practically empty so we had our pick of the litter. Any one of them would have worked so we just picked one and set up our tents; collected some firewood; and relaxed for a bit. Then we gathered up a stove, headlamps and our meals and made our way to the top of Table Rock.
We were surprised to encounter a few people camping at the Southern end of Table Rock when we first got up there. They were sleeping under the stars and curled up next to a fire and readying themselves for the chilly night ahead. There were a few people at the Northern end of Table Rock as well but I don’t think they were camping. We scoped out the area for a bit to locate a good place to prepare our meals and found the perfect spot. It was a sunken area located about halfway between the Northern and Southern edges of Table Rock. It was perfect because it was about five feet lower than the surrounding rock and somewhat protected.
Once we finished our meal we made our way down from Table Rock and back up to our campsite for our time around the fire. As with the other time I camped on the Eastern rim of Linville Gorge the wind picked up and blew all night but all was still by morning.
That morning we packed up and headed back down to our vehicle for the long ride home.
I’m already looking forward to going back to Linville Gorge and exploring some more. We are looking to create a large loop that will take us up one rim cross then down the other rim cross then back up the rim to our vehicle.
I tested out my New Big Agnes Lone Spring 1 Tent and Footprint on this trip and found the tent to be quite roomy and very durable. This is a Big Agnes entry level tent so don’t expect it to be ultra light but it’s very durable and the price is right. I bought this tent because I wanted something that was tough and inexpensive Big Agnes tent for winter camping trips and this tent fit the bill. Although this is a very tough tent I went ahead and got the Big Agnes footprint too because I like to protect all of my investments.
http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/linville_gorge.htm
http://www.hikingthecarolinas.com/linnville_gorge.php
http://www.ncnatural.com/Resources/Adventure/Gorge/Linville-Gorge.html
Cincinnati
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