Gettin Somewhere - TRIP REPORT
Part 1: In this episode of Mountain State Overland, the team travels deeper into the Appalachian Mountains in search of some truly unique destinations and epic terrain within Tennessee and North Carolina.
Part 2: In this second half of our trip through Asheville, the team at Mountain State Overland samples some suds and explores more of western North Carolina's wild landscapes.
THE GIST by Jamie and Jason
Hey EXPO! Wow, its been a few weeks since our last post; hope everyone has enjoyed another fantastic summer your own backyard!
"Gettin Somewhere" took us deeper into Tennessee and the heart of North Carolina. It was looking like it was just the 4 core members of MSO on this adventure. We had hopes to include a writer for Roads and Kingdoms online magazine but plans feel through the night before we left; things don't always work out the way they are intended but we make due. After all, we were off on another adventure!
We started in Del Rio, TN. We'd be heading back toward Boone, NC where we ended the 4 States 4 Days expedition. We planned a few truly unique stops in NC and aimed at hunting down some local folklore. "Epic off road" made the storyboard for this trip as well. With a little hope, a few of the trails might give the trucks a bit of a workout.
The team rendezvoused in Wytheville, VA and logged a few hours on tarmac before we hit gravel and left the painted lines behind. I-81 was far from uneventful however. The havoc from heavy rains resulted in a string of accidents including one truck flipped over on its roof. Thankfully it appeared that nobody was injured and we kept moving. This definitely left us setting "safety" at top priority for the long weekend ahead.
HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights? Hmmmm. Having the whole team back together again was by far a highlight for me. Gaby wasn't able to go on the first trip and season opener but he was back again with his equipment for this run at Appalachia.
Another highlight - Pounding Mill Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway; wow! Add this to your "must see" list.
Oh! Day 2 camp was epic! We hoped to witness the infamous "Brown Mountain Lights" after the fireworks settled in the valley below, but the only light we saw were our drone hovering above camp. I wonder if anyone saw those LEDs in the distance ;-)
And another - Brown Mountain OHV Area. There are few publicly owned (NFS) trail systems that include designated “Jeep trails” on the East Coast and Brown Mountain is one of them. Overall, there's nothing super technical, but you can certainly test your skill set in this NC trail system. We hit Brown Mountain on the Monday after July 4 so we didn't see a lick of traffic (except a couple dirt bikes). This trail system certainly offers more for two wheels and ATV/UTV riders, but the Jeep trails are certainly wide enough to accommodate most mid-size rigs.
LESSONS LEARNED
Practice flying a drone before you fly it in the woods. After its third wreck, Gaby's drone got shipped back to DJI for repairs; $600 later, its a worthy bird again!
Hammocks. I don't know how to sum it up other than, "some good tunes and bourbon on ice." Hammocks are your friends folks. At the end of a hard day on the trail there's nothing like kicking off your shoes and swaying under the trees.
Eat good. Enough said.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In planning for these types of trips it's good to be flexible and to really try and keep the true meaning of what you are doing in mind. In our case we wanted to get deeper into Appalachia, see some cool sights along the way and capture film for you guys to enjoy when you can't hit the road. My advice to all is simple - get out there! Find a place where the pavement ends, the trails begin and make some memories of your own.
