On Saturday, April 30, 2011, I went up to Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina and hiked anywhere from 8-10 miles on the Art Loeb with my friend, Charles. We hiked out and back from Black Balsam Road to Shining Rock and back. I considered this a training hike. I'm going to hike this entire trail in one day come September! (30.1 miles)
Traveling mainly along peaks and ridges rather than in the valleys, this trail is long and strenuous. This trail houses some of the finest scenery to be found in Pisgah.
Charles knows this trail like the back of his hand. He showed me the tricky sections, and I learned a lot thanks to him. There's a lot to know about the balds up there, especially the weather patterns.
I was quite satisfied with myself too (my body). It hurt, so I know I've got some training to do. But I did find that I was actually in better shape than I thought.
The trail was gorgeous! You hike and hike over hills, hills and more hills and then look back on where you were before and think, "Wow, I can't believe we've already come this far." Yes, it is THAT beautiful. You kind of forget that your hip flexors are getting tighter.
The balds were amazing! I was hoping for some blooms, but there were none. Not yet anyway...AND we got really lucky too...no bad weather for us whatsoever!
This trail did indeed remind me a bit of the Kalalau Trail in Kauai, Hawaii, except that there was no ocean involved!!!
It ascends to over 6000' above the Blue Ridge Parkway at Black Balsam Knob. At Black Balsam, the trail's high point, is a plaque commemorating Art Loeb himself and the Trail. (the picture of me at beginning of this blog post)
This is the most famous and most popular section of the trail, for good reason. The views and uniqueness of this section of trail are unsurpassed in the region. Finally, it travels across several more mountain balds and through the Shining Rock Wilderness past Shining Rock itself, then up Cold Mountain, before descending steeply to end near the Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp on the Little East Fork Pigeon River. A spur leads to the summit of Cold Mountain.
When we hike in September, we will start at the Boy Scout Camp portion. I would rather ascend something steep than descend it. Mainly, because of my knees!!!
It ascends to over 6000' above the Blue Ridge Parkway at Black Balsam Knob. At Black Balsam, the trail's high point, is a plaque commemorating Art Loeb himself and the Trail. (the picture of me at beginning of this blog post)
This is the most famous and most popular section of the trail, for good reason. The views and uniqueness of this section of trail are unsurpassed in the region. Finally, it travels across several more mountain balds and through the Shining Rock Wilderness past Shining Rock itself, then up Cold Mountain, before descending steeply to end near the Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp on the Little East Fork Pigeon River. A spur leads to the summit of Cold Mountain.
When we hike in September, we will start at the Boy Scout Camp portion. I would rather ascend something steep than descend it. Mainly, because of my knees!!!
My friend, Charles:
The trail is very rugged in many parts. But then you get a break...it becomes very flat and sandy. It is uphill and downhill. I would definitely say that this is a difficult trail, but it is very forgiving though on the body more so than the Kalalau Trail was.
If you look closely, you can see Looking Glass Rock in the distance on the left. This is one of our crags where we rock climb in western North Carolina. This was the view from the top of Tennent Mtn.
I can't wait to get back there. I'm going to do a few more training hikes there before the big day.
I would also love to backpack here.
Shining Rock Wilderness area:
Charles:
The view from Shining Rock:
Charles at The Art Loeb plaque:
What a gorgeous day!!!
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