| Date |
Distance |
Time |
Elevation Gain |
Average Moving Time |
Year to Date Miles |
| 3/26/2022 |
8.4 miles |
5 hours 2 minutes |
1,201' |
1.9 mph |
190.6 |
Parking:
Maps:
- Hike on the MST from Craven Gap to Rattlesnake Lodge. Hike up blue side trail to cistern. Return the same way.
Carolina Mountain Club Challenges:
- 100 Favorite Trails #85 (replacement hike)
Today's hike was originally 100 Favorite Trails Hike #85 from Balsam Gap to Graybeard Overlook. We have hiked part of that section before and loved it. However, today we couldn't access that section of the MST due to a rockslide on the parkway. So, this hike is a replacement hike to satisfy the 100 Favorite Trails Challenge hike. We've hiked this section before once, but it was nice to hike it again with Danny, as she provides a wealth of information about the area.
Since I'm going on a few backpacking trips this year, I decided I really need to do some training. I'm not concerned about the distances I'll be backpacking, but I'll be doing some trips with pretty big elevation gains and losses, so I need to get used to doing that with extra weight in my pack. I'm not sure how much weight I normally carry in my day pack, but today I switched to a larger backpack and ended up carrying 12 lbs. I didn't want to put in too much extra weight as I was hiking with a group and didn't want to drag behind too much. I found for most of the hike the extra weight wasn't a problem at all. It was only the short side trail to the cistern that was challenging because of the steep climb. Tomorrow we are hiking by ourselves, so I'll add some more weight.
We had a very windy day, and the temps were a bit chilly. I managed to have a cold face but a sweating body. I took my gloves on and off throughout the day, depending on how exposed we were to wind. We took some time during this hike to learn the names of some spring wildflowers.
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