3 Years Around North America, Plus a Few More
- Thread starter Umnak
- Start date
Umnak
Adventurer
New Brunswick - Bay of Fundy National Park
New Brunswick - Bay of Fundy National Park
Parkland protects the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick as well as Nova Scotia. The national park has few roads and a lot of trails, which we took advantage of during our stay. We also attended a “Kitchen Party” in Alma, the small town that serves as the center of the national park.
Two children, Sarah (9) and her brother James (7) provided musical entertainment while the adults told stories from the town’s past. The kids were remarkably comfortable in their performance, and were good musicians. I asked their mother for the back story, and she said that Sarah had attended an earlier presentation at the venue and came up with the idea on her own. She then convinced her little brother, who was 5 at the time, to learn the guitar and later he bought his own mandolin with proceeds from the first summer’s gig.
As many tourist towns, Alma comes awake for the summer and then gently falls back to a less than hectic pace come fall. Unlike our home in Juneau, most of the businesses seem to be locally owned, rather than the string of diamond shops that line our main street. There is a small fishing fleet whose boats hang dry from the pier at low tide. We ate lobster rolls for lunch at at restaurant/general store and were present for a song given by a woman who was “guiding” a group of people around town.
The camp ground has a nice view of town. We had seen our German neighbors’ Man Truck in Alberta earlier in the summer. They were finishing a two-year trip that had taken them into Mexico and throughout the US and Canada. Another German couple came through in an easily recognizable 1980s Mercedes Van painted lime green. We had seen that rig coming out of Yellow Knife in August. Both couples were on sabbaticals from their employers, which is a very progressive benefit allowing them to explore their interests, revive their curiosity while having the certainty of a job to which they can return.
New Brunswick - Bay of Fundy National Park
Parkland protects the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick as well as Nova Scotia. The national park has few roads and a lot of trails, which we took advantage of during our stay. We also attended a “Kitchen Party” in Alma, the small town that serves as the center of the national park.
Two children, Sarah (9) and her brother James (7) provided musical entertainment while the adults told stories from the town’s past. The kids were remarkably comfortable in their performance, and were good musicians. I asked their mother for the back story, and she said that Sarah had attended an earlier presentation at the venue and came up with the idea on her own. She then convinced her little brother, who was 5 at the time, to learn the guitar and later he bought his own mandolin with proceeds from the first summer’s gig.
As many tourist towns, Alma comes awake for the summer and then gently falls back to a less than hectic pace come fall. Unlike our home in Juneau, most of the businesses seem to be locally owned, rather than the string of diamond shops that line our main street. There is a small fishing fleet whose boats hang dry from the pier at low tide. We ate lobster rolls for lunch at at restaurant/general store and were present for a song given by a woman who was “guiding” a group of people around town.
The camp ground has a nice view of town. We had seen our German neighbors’ Man Truck in Alberta earlier in the summer. They were finishing a two-year trip that had taken them into Mexico and throughout the US and Canada. Another German couple came through in an easily recognizable 1980s Mercedes Van painted lime green. We had seen that rig coming out of Yellow Knife in August. Both couples were on sabbaticals from their employers, which is a very progressive benefit allowing them to explore their interests, revive their curiosity while having the certainty of a job to which they can return.
Attachments
Umnak
Adventurer
Fundy National Park - Tracey Lake Backpacking
Tracey Lake Backpacking
We woke to a mist covered lake on our 59th and final day in Canada. We had walked three miles through Acadian forest and along Tracey Lake Brook the previous afternoon and had found a beautiful spot for our tent and a welcoming campsite. There was no one else at the lake.
The temperature was warm for late September allowing Eve to splash around in the lake. We spent a lazy day walking around the camp and talking about the last three months living in the Sprinter.
The park supplied wood for a fire which we put to good use long into the night. My hatchet was sufficient to split the dry wood into smaller pieces for the Canada themed firebox. The sky was clear and full of stars. Coyotes barked during the night and were answered by an owl.
As was the case with our previous backpacking trips, we had to return to the park center and let staff know that we were alive and well. We stopped at one of the many red chairs placed along Canadian parkland for lunch and a final view of the Bay of Fundy. Then we headed south to the border.
Tracey Lake Backpacking
We woke to a mist covered lake on our 59th and final day in Canada. We had walked three miles through Acadian forest and along Tracey Lake Brook the previous afternoon and had found a beautiful spot for our tent and a welcoming campsite. There was no one else at the lake.
The temperature was warm for late September allowing Eve to splash around in the lake. We spent a lazy day walking around the camp and talking about the last three months living in the Sprinter.
The park supplied wood for a fire which we put to good use long into the night. My hatchet was sufficient to split the dry wood into smaller pieces for the Canada themed firebox. The sky was clear and full of stars. Coyotes barked during the night and were answered by an owl.
As was the case with our previous backpacking trips, we had to return to the park center and let staff know that we were alive and well. We stopped at one of the many red chairs placed along Canadian parkland for lunch and a final view of the Bay of Fundy. Then we headed south to the border.
Umnak
Adventurer
Back in the USA
Back in the US.
We arrived at the Maine border in late September after two months in Canada. Neither of us had lived in the continental US — much less the east coast — for a long time, and we were somewhat anxious about traffic, people and the general mood of the country. This turned out to be unfounded, except for the traffic, which is beyond anything I’ve seen on the west coast; yes even Route 5 through Seattle on a Friday afternoon.
But we were happy to be able to use our AT&T account with our phones as a wifi hotspot. We bought a 30 gig data plan (on a special for the cost of 15 gigs) earlier in the year and this was now put to hard use with the absence of wifi availability at the state park campgrounds. Even the most remote campgrounds in Canada have free wifi at the entrance or office, if not at the sites themselves. The comparisons between the US and Canada would continue for a few weeks as we eased back into America.
One of the most obvious is the US one cent piece, the lowly penny. Canada had discontinued its penny a few years ago, though the total price of items still shows that value. The solution, which never varied across Canada, was to round off the total. Sometimes we won a couple of cents, some times we lost the same amount. If the price of an item was $2.42, we would be charged $2.40, if $2.43, then our cost was $2.45. I started looking at my change more closely and found, to my surprise, that a new US penny had been minted since the time Canada had removed theirs from circulation. It costs the US more to make the penny at the mint than it is worth, and that figure doesn’t include the cost of the new coin’s development.
Another point of comparison was the national election that the then Prime Minister Harper had called earlier in the summer. It was the longest campaign in Canadian history at something around 4 months.
Canadians are known as being nice, with the most commonly used word being “sorry”. They are, almost to a fault. I was prepared to endure the rudeness of the east coast, but found that everyone we met were just as thoughtful and considerate as any Canadian. Even on the highways, though driving a 7500 lb van with Alaska license plates may have had some effect on how we were treated on the road. It’s surprising how many vehicles will get out of our way when the exit we need is on the left side of the highway and we are on the right.
We blew through Maine in two days, with most of one of those spent gawking at LL Bean. Our route was primarily on Route 1. Each town has a busy commercial center and handsome prospects form the high point of the approaching cove. We talked about spending a few months along the coast next fall, though that possibility has changed with our decision to stay in North Carolina for the winter, pushing a six month stay in New Mexico to next year, and perhaps Maine to 2017.
A meandering drive took us from from Freeport to New Hampshire for a visit with my aunt and uncle. She is the last of my father’s siblings, and is a great source of wisdom and humor. He is a former big city fire chief who still listens to the scanner and has joined the volunteer department in the small community where they now live. Their gardens were still plentiful and we enjoyed fresh tomatoes. We were joined one night for dinner by cousins, many of whom I had not seen in decades. I told them the story of Half River Nova Scotia, and we all were happy with our grandparents decision to leave the blueberries behind.
Visiting friends for lunch or a weekday overnight parked in their driveway, reminded us that we were no longer wedded to the work-a-day world. Eve had never been to New England, so we meandered along those states. And we made a pilgrimage to Campmor before finding a late season empty park in New Jersey.
After a few more stops we landed in Maryland and a week-long visit with family, where we ate a lot of blue crabs.
Eve was getting anxious to get back to work, so she initiated contact with her traveling therapy company for positions in North Carolina, where we hoped to spend a few months exploring either the beach or the mountains. And we also hoped to be able to listen to some bluegrass music.
Back in the US.
We arrived at the Maine border in late September after two months in Canada. Neither of us had lived in the continental US — much less the east coast — for a long time, and we were somewhat anxious about traffic, people and the general mood of the country. This turned out to be unfounded, except for the traffic, which is beyond anything I’ve seen on the west coast; yes even Route 5 through Seattle on a Friday afternoon.
But we were happy to be able to use our AT&T account with our phones as a wifi hotspot. We bought a 30 gig data plan (on a special for the cost of 15 gigs) earlier in the year and this was now put to hard use with the absence of wifi availability at the state park campgrounds. Even the most remote campgrounds in Canada have free wifi at the entrance or office, if not at the sites themselves. The comparisons between the US and Canada would continue for a few weeks as we eased back into America.
One of the most obvious is the US one cent piece, the lowly penny. Canada had discontinued its penny a few years ago, though the total price of items still shows that value. The solution, which never varied across Canada, was to round off the total. Sometimes we won a couple of cents, some times we lost the same amount. If the price of an item was $2.42, we would be charged $2.40, if $2.43, then our cost was $2.45. I started looking at my change more closely and found, to my surprise, that a new US penny had been minted since the time Canada had removed theirs from circulation. It costs the US more to make the penny at the mint than it is worth, and that figure doesn’t include the cost of the new coin’s development.
Another point of comparison was the national election that the then Prime Minister Harper had called earlier in the summer. It was the longest campaign in Canadian history at something around 4 months.
Canadians are known as being nice, with the most commonly used word being “sorry”. They are, almost to a fault. I was prepared to endure the rudeness of the east coast, but found that everyone we met were just as thoughtful and considerate as any Canadian. Even on the highways, though driving a 7500 lb van with Alaska license plates may have had some effect on how we were treated on the road. It’s surprising how many vehicles will get out of our way when the exit we need is on the left side of the highway and we are on the right.
We blew through Maine in two days, with most of one of those spent gawking at LL Bean. Our route was primarily on Route 1. Each town has a busy commercial center and handsome prospects form the high point of the approaching cove. We talked about spending a few months along the coast next fall, though that possibility has changed with our decision to stay in North Carolina for the winter, pushing a six month stay in New Mexico to next year, and perhaps Maine to 2017.
A meandering drive took us from from Freeport to New Hampshire for a visit with my aunt and uncle. She is the last of my father’s siblings, and is a great source of wisdom and humor. He is a former big city fire chief who still listens to the scanner and has joined the volunteer department in the small community where they now live. Their gardens were still plentiful and we enjoyed fresh tomatoes. We were joined one night for dinner by cousins, many of whom I had not seen in decades. I told them the story of Half River Nova Scotia, and we all were happy with our grandparents decision to leave the blueberries behind.
Visiting friends for lunch or a weekday overnight parked in their driveway, reminded us that we were no longer wedded to the work-a-day world. Eve had never been to New England, so we meandered along those states. And we made a pilgrimage to Campmor before finding a late season empty park in New Jersey.
After a few more stops we landed in Maryland and a week-long visit with family, where we ate a lot of blue crabs.
Eve was getting anxious to get back to work, so she initiated contact with her traveling therapy company for positions in North Carolina, where we hoped to spend a few months exploring either the beach or the mountains. And we also hoped to be able to listen to some bluegrass music.
escadventure
Adventurer
Great thread. Thanks for sharing.
Umnak
Adventurer
Transitioning
Transitioning
Eve had a job commitment by the end of the first weekend of October, after doing a telephone interview in the back of the Sprinter while we were in a park in Virginia. With a little over week to get to Shelby, North Carolina we decided to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway from Monticello and arrive with enough time to find a place to live or park the van.
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles from Virginia though North Carolina, ending on the boundary between the Great Smokies National Park and the Cherokee Indian Reservation. It’s a great drive in a sports car or a motorcycle, and still amazing in the Sprinter. It isn’t the fastest way south, but it is certainly the most scenic.
We drove the speed limit, stopped to gawk at the mountains, and hiked a few miles each morning and evening; turning the more than 400 miles of road we traveled into a 3 night trip. The camp grounds were not full as the leaves were late in changing giving us a choice of sites each night. I’d not want to be along the road at the height of the fall colors.
Transitioning
Eve had a job commitment by the end of the first weekend of October, after doing a telephone interview in the back of the Sprinter while we were in a park in Virginia. With a little over week to get to Shelby, North Carolina we decided to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway from Monticello and arrive with enough time to find a place to live or park the van.
The Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles from Virginia though North Carolina, ending on the boundary between the Great Smokies National Park and the Cherokee Indian Reservation. It’s a great drive in a sports car or a motorcycle, and still amazing in the Sprinter. It isn’t the fastest way south, but it is certainly the most scenic.
We drove the speed limit, stopped to gawk at the mountains, and hiked a few miles each morning and evening; turning the more than 400 miles of road we traveled into a 3 night trip. The camp grounds were not full as the leaves were late in changing giving us a choice of sites each night. I’d not want to be along the road at the height of the fall colors.
Umnak
Adventurer
Transitioning out of the Van
Transitioning from traveling in a van to working and living in a community all seemed to make a lot of sense earlier in the year from the comfort of our home in Juneau. It even sounded pretty good as we were moving across Canada and down the east coast. Once we got closer to Shelby, the question of where to live became a little more difficult to answer.
One thing that we have learned from our past lives, and confirmed on this trip, is that planning helps. Everything we’ve planned has worked out. And if one has a plan, then it’s easier to be spontaneous and accept what falls at your feet.
We pulled off the Blue Ridge Parkway just before Asheville, North Carolina and headed toward Shelby with less than 4 days before Eve was to begin work.
We entered Shelby with some concerns. Highway 74 leading into town is crowded with fast food, cheap hotels and tired looking storefronts. Then we saw the sign for Uptown, the Earl Scruggs Center and the Don Gibson Theater. The Uptown Historic District is an amazing place, with great shops, restaurants and a vibrant music scene. The early 20th century brick buildings have been restored and well maintained. Most prominent among these is the domed old county courthouse, which sits on a full block surrounded by grass and trees. It is now the home of the Earl Scruggs Center. Across the street to the east are a handsome brick church and a former post office now the county arts council headquarters. A full block of shops flanks the square to the south and includes Lilly Bean Coffee Roasters -- where I spend an hour each morning over coffee and internet -- , Dragon Fly Wine Bar and Newts Restaurant. Shops, banks and restaurants fill in the west and north side of the courthouse square. And around the corner are the Shelby Cafe, Joe’s and, what has become our haunt, the Newgrass Brewhouse. We decided we had to live within walking distance of all of this.
Living in the Sprinter for three months — which has now stretched to 5 months — was out of the question. First, we looked at VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner), which in the past we have used to rent houses in Joshua Tree, San Francisco and Tucson. There were only two places, both far from Uptown. I wasn’t impressed with the apartments that showed a possible month to month lease, and those that didn’t never returned my calls.
We found temporary lodging at the Moss Lake Municipal Campground, which is a small park on a large reservoir. A connection made at the campground got us a meeting with a couple who were leaving their lake front house for a few months. The house was very nice, but seemed so close to what we had been living in Juneau, so we asked for a weekend to check for other options. A couple of additional false starts led me to the idea of calling the Shelby Chamber of Commerce located Uptown. I explained our dilemma and our time frame and was given the name of a local businessman who had renovated a number of building in the Uptown area. We looked at an apartment across from the newly built Farmers Market and signed lease. Not for the first time, our story and the Sprinter — and those Alaska plates — sealed the deal.
Transitioning from traveling in a van to working and living in a community all seemed to make a lot of sense earlier in the year from the comfort of our home in Juneau. It even sounded pretty good as we were moving across Canada and down the east coast. Once we got closer to Shelby, the question of where to live became a little more difficult to answer.
One thing that we have learned from our past lives, and confirmed on this trip, is that planning helps. Everything we’ve planned has worked out. And if one has a plan, then it’s easier to be spontaneous and accept what falls at your feet.
We pulled off the Blue Ridge Parkway just before Asheville, North Carolina and headed toward Shelby with less than 4 days before Eve was to begin work.
We entered Shelby with some concerns. Highway 74 leading into town is crowded with fast food, cheap hotels and tired looking storefronts. Then we saw the sign for Uptown, the Earl Scruggs Center and the Don Gibson Theater. The Uptown Historic District is an amazing place, with great shops, restaurants and a vibrant music scene. The early 20th century brick buildings have been restored and well maintained. Most prominent among these is the domed old county courthouse, which sits on a full block surrounded by grass and trees. It is now the home of the Earl Scruggs Center. Across the street to the east are a handsome brick church and a former post office now the county arts council headquarters. A full block of shops flanks the square to the south and includes Lilly Bean Coffee Roasters -- where I spend an hour each morning over coffee and internet -- , Dragon Fly Wine Bar and Newts Restaurant. Shops, banks and restaurants fill in the west and north side of the courthouse square. And around the corner are the Shelby Cafe, Joe’s and, what has become our haunt, the Newgrass Brewhouse. We decided we had to live within walking distance of all of this.
Living in the Sprinter for three months — which has now stretched to 5 months — was out of the question. First, we looked at VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner), which in the past we have used to rent houses in Joshua Tree, San Francisco and Tucson. There were only two places, both far from Uptown. I wasn’t impressed with the apartments that showed a possible month to month lease, and those that didn’t never returned my calls.
We found temporary lodging at the Moss Lake Municipal Campground, which is a small park on a large reservoir. A connection made at the campground got us a meeting with a couple who were leaving their lake front house for a few months. The house was very nice, but seemed so close to what we had been living in Juneau, so we asked for a weekend to check for other options. A couple of additional false starts led me to the idea of calling the Shelby Chamber of Commerce located Uptown. I explained our dilemma and our time frame and was given the name of a local businessman who had renovated a number of building in the Uptown area. We looked at an apartment across from the newly built Farmers Market and signed lease. Not for the first time, our story and the Sprinter — and those Alaska plates — sealed the deal.
Umnak
Adventurer
From Van to Apartment
A goal for the unfurnished apartment, was to keep our acquisitions to a minimum, with each purchase made with the understanding that it would be useful in the van as well. That worked for everything except a bed. Inflatable mattresses are technical marvels. The Queen sized Coleman model we purchased is more comfortable than many standard mattresses I’ve slept on in a career full of travel, and actually as good as the one we gave to the movers in Juneau. And, it can be packed — Eve can take anything back to factory fold — in the back of the van, taking up about less space as a load of wood. We’ve offset the common complaint of it being cold to sleep on, by using our inflated Thermarest pads under the base sheet. The double down quilt we used in the van and for backpacking is more than sufficient as a comforter. Two of the four plastic baskets we carried in the van serve as night tables finishing off the bedroom.
A hand knotted Turkish rug and two cushions were purchased in Asheville, NC and serve as our living room. The rug will cover the platform bed, and the cushions will take the place of the back rests for the rear seats when we head out again. We also added a low REI picnic table for the living room. It works well as a platform for eating on the platform portion of the bed in the van. I had hoped to get a snow peak low table, but as usual they were out of stock. The other two baskets serve as end tables in the living room.
The second bedroom is now the gear room holding the gear box, tent, tarps and sleeping bags.
The kitchen table and chairs consists of our GCI Outdoor folding chairs — the lightest I could find last year, and sadly no longer offered — and the base of the folding table from the van. The table’s plastic top having been replaced with a larger wooden top made by the local cabinet maker. I had visited the hardware/lumber yard/cabinet shop in search of some scraps to use in our snow peak fireplace, and was shown the cabinet shop’s large bins of scrap wood. The owner told me to take what I needed. I came back a couple of days later with a can of our sport caught smoked salmon as a thank you and that led to the conversation about a new table top. I imagined it would take most of the week, and was surprised to get a call later that afternoon saying it was ready and the cost would be just $60. Shelby was looking even better the more people we met.
The c-clamps and magnets used for attaching tarps to the van now hold coats off of the I beams in the apartment. I have traded out a couple of pots for better versions found in the local Hospice store, and am on a quest to purchase/replace our plastic cooking tools with wooden versions.
All things considered, the transition from van to apartment has been simple and relatively easy.
A goal for the unfurnished apartment, was to keep our acquisitions to a minimum, with each purchase made with the understanding that it would be useful in the van as well. That worked for everything except a bed. Inflatable mattresses are technical marvels. The Queen sized Coleman model we purchased is more comfortable than many standard mattresses I’ve slept on in a career full of travel, and actually as good as the one we gave to the movers in Juneau. And, it can be packed — Eve can take anything back to factory fold — in the back of the van, taking up about less space as a load of wood. We’ve offset the common complaint of it being cold to sleep on, by using our inflated Thermarest pads under the base sheet. The double down quilt we used in the van and for backpacking is more than sufficient as a comforter. Two of the four plastic baskets we carried in the van serve as night tables finishing off the bedroom.
A hand knotted Turkish rug and two cushions were purchased in Asheville, NC and serve as our living room. The rug will cover the platform bed, and the cushions will take the place of the back rests for the rear seats when we head out again. We also added a low REI picnic table for the living room. It works well as a platform for eating on the platform portion of the bed in the van. I had hoped to get a snow peak low table, but as usual they were out of stock. The other two baskets serve as end tables in the living room.
The second bedroom is now the gear room holding the gear box, tent, tarps and sleeping bags.
The kitchen table and chairs consists of our GCI Outdoor folding chairs — the lightest I could find last year, and sadly no longer offered — and the base of the folding table from the van. The table’s plastic top having been replaced with a larger wooden top made by the local cabinet maker. I had visited the hardware/lumber yard/cabinet shop in search of some scraps to use in our snow peak fireplace, and was shown the cabinet shop’s large bins of scrap wood. The owner told me to take what I needed. I came back a couple of days later with a can of our sport caught smoked salmon as a thank you and that led to the conversation about a new table top. I imagined it would take most of the week, and was surprised to get a call later that afternoon saying it was ready and the cost would be just $60. Shelby was looking even better the more people we met.
The c-clamps and magnets used for attaching tarps to the van now hold coats off of the I beams in the apartment. I have traded out a couple of pots for better versions found in the local Hospice store, and am on a quest to purchase/replace our plastic cooking tools with wooden versions.
All things considered, the transition from van to apartment has been simple and relatively easy.
trailsurfer
Explorer
So much fun to follow along on your adventures. Thanks for the updates.
jlutzcurtis
New member
2, 3 years for a road trip, it's highly adventurous. What can I say things become fun to enjoy such long time as a road trip. Although I've never tried such long trip so far, but looking forward to make a memorable one with my cousins, as you guys are doing.
Umnak
Adventurer
Thanks for reading. We've been exploring this part of the country for the past few months and will have some observations to post over the next few weeks.
Umnak
Adventurer
Exploring North and South Carolina - Hiking
Exploring Western North Carolina
Juneau, Alaska is a wonderful place to play outside — see https://www.flickr.com/photos/umnak/ for a sample of our kayaking and backpacking trips in Southeast Alaska. So, it seems, is Western North Carolina and “Upstate” South Carolina. There are, of course, differences. There is no ocean here — or at least not within a 15 minute drive to a put-in — and you have to get permits to backpack or light a fire. On the other hand, there are roads that can take you places to explore, and that is what we have been doing since we arrived.
There are a number of decent trails in South Mountain State Park, which is about 25 miles north of Shelby. The park also offers the opportunity to backpack and camp with permits. Our first hikes took us to the waterfalls, for which the park and western North Carolina are well known. The trail was packed with families and couples, but that there were far fewer once we had walked past the first set of falls and had made the long ascent to the ridge line. We saw two people the rest of the afternoon. Like so many other places, the 2 mile rule prevails.
We’ve explored most of the trail system and have spent one night (Halloween) out in a designated “back country” camp site. Fortunately, fires are allowed in these camps, and the taking of downed limbs is permitted. We took the horse trail ( 2-track) into the camp and the steep foot trail out the next day. The latter trail offered great views, but was very slippery with rain on the fallen leaves. There are two stream crossings, one of which wet our shoes. While I’m not fond of having to camp in specific places, I was pleased with the location and, to be honest, having a picnic table and pit toilet is a plus.
We had a tarp, which we used for a kitchen in the morning when it started to rain, and slept in our Big Agnes tent. A fist sized spider startled Eve when she went to the tent at dusk. A woman, who was setting up camp across the field, said later that she knew it must have been a spider when she heard Eve’s scream. We got the tent because of the bugs, which really are not that great a problem in Southeast Alaska. I’d rather have to worry about bears than spiders.
We’ve also found a few smaller trails closer to Shelby, one which is part of a larger system that will eventually connect two parts of the many named Broad Rivers. Really, there is the Broad River, French Broad River, 1st Broad River and 2nd Broad River. That trail includes a nice bridge over the 2nd Broad River and passes by Sarah’s Falls.
We’ve not fully explored the Broad River Greenway south of Shelby, but have found a nice isolated horse/foot trail that follows a tributary and has some interesting cliffs and old camps to explore. The low land near the rivers are often soaked and always muddy. The red earth clay here is impressive..
King Mountain National Battlefield in South Carolina has trails that link with an adjoining state park, which also is connected to a park in North Carolina. We’ve hiked both of the parks in South Carolina. Camping there has been with our van, but we do intend to do a backpacking trip there in the next month. The battle of Kings Mountain was a turning point in the American Revolution and worth a visit.
Exploring Western North Carolina
Juneau, Alaska is a wonderful place to play outside — see https://www.flickr.com/photos/umnak/ for a sample of our kayaking and backpacking trips in Southeast Alaska. So, it seems, is Western North Carolina and “Upstate” South Carolina. There are, of course, differences. There is no ocean here — or at least not within a 15 minute drive to a put-in — and you have to get permits to backpack or light a fire. On the other hand, there are roads that can take you places to explore, and that is what we have been doing since we arrived.
There are a number of decent trails in South Mountain State Park, which is about 25 miles north of Shelby. The park also offers the opportunity to backpack and camp with permits. Our first hikes took us to the waterfalls, for which the park and western North Carolina are well known. The trail was packed with families and couples, but that there were far fewer once we had walked past the first set of falls and had made the long ascent to the ridge line. We saw two people the rest of the afternoon. Like so many other places, the 2 mile rule prevails.
We’ve explored most of the trail system and have spent one night (Halloween) out in a designated “back country” camp site. Fortunately, fires are allowed in these camps, and the taking of downed limbs is permitted. We took the horse trail ( 2-track) into the camp and the steep foot trail out the next day. The latter trail offered great views, but was very slippery with rain on the fallen leaves. There are two stream crossings, one of which wet our shoes. While I’m not fond of having to camp in specific places, I was pleased with the location and, to be honest, having a picnic table and pit toilet is a plus.
We had a tarp, which we used for a kitchen in the morning when it started to rain, and slept in our Big Agnes tent. A fist sized spider startled Eve when she went to the tent at dusk. A woman, who was setting up camp across the field, said later that she knew it must have been a spider when she heard Eve’s scream. We got the tent because of the bugs, which really are not that great a problem in Southeast Alaska. I’d rather have to worry about bears than spiders.
We’ve also found a few smaller trails closer to Shelby, one which is part of a larger system that will eventually connect two parts of the many named Broad Rivers. Really, there is the Broad River, French Broad River, 1st Broad River and 2nd Broad River. That trail includes a nice bridge over the 2nd Broad River and passes by Sarah’s Falls.
We’ve not fully explored the Broad River Greenway south of Shelby, but have found a nice isolated horse/foot trail that follows a tributary and has some interesting cliffs and old camps to explore. The low land near the rivers are often soaked and always muddy. The red earth clay here is impressive..
King Mountain National Battlefield in South Carolina has trails that link with an adjoining state park, which also is connected to a park in North Carolina. We’ve hiked both of the parks in South Carolina. Camping there has been with our van, but we do intend to do a backpacking trip there in the next month. The battle of Kings Mountain was a turning point in the American Revolution and worth a visit.
Umnak
Adventurer
Linville Gorge
Linville Gorge
A couple of hours north of Shelby and just on the edge of the Blue Ridge Parkway lies an impressive canyon known as the Linville Gorge. A good portion of it is designated wilderness, and is accessible along a trail that follows the west bank of the river. The ridges also have hiking trails that connect with the Sea to Mountain trail and other routes into the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I’m told it is well used spring through fall, with reservations required — and limits on length of stay enforced — for the unimproved camp sites. And I assume that is the case for just about everything here, there are so many people who enjoy playing outside.
On an initial visit the sun was shining and the views were spectacular.
The second visit was with a friend from Juneau, and another who had moved from there to Asheville North Carolina a couple of years ago. We spent two days hiking in the rain, which is very serious stuff in North Carolina. Juneau rain is most often light, it lasts for weeks, but is seldom a deluge. Here, it is the opposite, with the rain dumping a couple of inches in just a half a day, then clearing, although it didn’t clear for us those two nights.
The rain was so heavy that we gave up on attempting the river trail as even the paths along the ridges were covered in ankle deep water. We did manage to see the river from the bottom of the gorge, and again, were impressed.
Our first camp was off the eastern road by just a couple of 100 meters. The rock overhang provided some protection for the fire, though my small Snow Peak fireplace was used for cooking soup, and the next evening’s dinner of local bratwurst and asparagus. My friends slept under tarps near the fire, while I was pulled to the Sprinter with the promise of a soft, dry bed.
A thick fog and low clouds blocked any views we were to enjoy the second day, so we reorganized and headed along the Blue Ridge Parkway and then down into the Davidson River. The rain increased over the course of the day and by evening was of storm quality. We camped one last night, with only one person outside this time, and that was due to the lack of space for three men in the van.
Linville Gorge
A couple of hours north of Shelby and just on the edge of the Blue Ridge Parkway lies an impressive canyon known as the Linville Gorge. A good portion of it is designated wilderness, and is accessible along a trail that follows the west bank of the river. The ridges also have hiking trails that connect with the Sea to Mountain trail and other routes into the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I’m told it is well used spring through fall, with reservations required — and limits on length of stay enforced — for the unimproved camp sites. And I assume that is the case for just about everything here, there are so many people who enjoy playing outside.
On an initial visit the sun was shining and the views were spectacular.
The second visit was with a friend from Juneau, and another who had moved from there to Asheville North Carolina a couple of years ago. We spent two days hiking in the rain, which is very serious stuff in North Carolina. Juneau rain is most often light, it lasts for weeks, but is seldom a deluge. Here, it is the opposite, with the rain dumping a couple of inches in just a half a day, then clearing, although it didn’t clear for us those two nights.
The rain was so heavy that we gave up on attempting the river trail as even the paths along the ridges were covered in ankle deep water. We did manage to see the river from the bottom of the gorge, and again, were impressed.
Our first camp was off the eastern road by just a couple of 100 meters. The rock overhang provided some protection for the fire, though my small Snow Peak fireplace was used for cooking soup, and the next evening’s dinner of local bratwurst and asparagus. My friends slept under tarps near the fire, while I was pulled to the Sprinter with the promise of a soft, dry bed.
A thick fog and low clouds blocked any views we were to enjoy the second day, so we reorganized and headed along the Blue Ridge Parkway and then down into the Davidson River. The rain increased over the course of the day and by evening was of storm quality. We camped one last night, with only one person outside this time, and that was due to the lack of space for three men in the van.
Wilderness, backpacking, waterfalls
With your affinity for all 3, have a look at the Lost Cove area within the Wilson Creek National Wild and Scenic River area of the Pisgah NF. It's north of Lenoir and on the southern slopes of Grandfather Mountain. The upper and especially the lower falls of Little Lost Cove Creek are gems. They're a bit difficult to get to, so most often you'll have them to yourselves. At this time of year, with the leaves down, you can see the lower falls from Lost Cove Creek, perhaps 100-150 yards up Little Lost Cove Creek from its mouth at Lost Cove Creek. There are many fine campsites along Lost Cove Creek. The US Forest services sells a nice water-resistant folding topo map of the area and it shows the falls and the trail network in the vicinity, including the Big Lost Cove Cliffs and the Little Lost Cove Cliffs, Harper Creek, its falls, and a number of other sights.
The "backcountry" within Grandfather Mountain State Park, accessed from the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Boone Fork Trailhead, or from US 221 just below there when the Parkway is closed by snow, is a fine backpacking destination or a day hiking destination. Plan your trip for a clear day so when you summit Calloway Peak you'll have the killer views. The easy access and short distance to the summit (less than 4 miles but 2,000' elevation gained) tends to draw crowds on fair weather weekends, but if you can get up there on a Friday, you won't have much company.
I'm very much enjoying your trip. Thanks for sharing and enjoy western NC!
Foy
With your affinity for all 3, have a look at the Lost Cove area within the Wilson Creek National Wild and Scenic River area of the Pisgah NF. It's north of Lenoir and on the southern slopes of Grandfather Mountain. The upper and especially the lower falls of Little Lost Cove Creek are gems. They're a bit difficult to get to, so most often you'll have them to yourselves. At this time of year, with the leaves down, you can see the lower falls from Lost Cove Creek, perhaps 100-150 yards up Little Lost Cove Creek from its mouth at Lost Cove Creek. There are many fine campsites along Lost Cove Creek. The US Forest services sells a nice water-resistant folding topo map of the area and it shows the falls and the trail network in the vicinity, including the Big Lost Cove Cliffs and the Little Lost Cove Cliffs, Harper Creek, its falls, and a number of other sights.
The "backcountry" within Grandfather Mountain State Park, accessed from the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Boone Fork Trailhead, or from US 221 just below there when the Parkway is closed by snow, is a fine backpacking destination or a day hiking destination. Plan your trip for a clear day so when you summit Calloway Peak you'll have the killer views. The easy access and short distance to the summit (less than 4 miles but 2,000' elevation gained) tends to draw crowds on fair weather weekends, but if you can get up there on a Friday, you won't have much company.
I'm very much enjoying your trip. Thanks for sharing and enjoy western NC!
Foy