Thru hike training, Shining Rock Wilderness, first weekend March

[Earl Grey]

As part of the preparations for the thru hike I plan to go to Shining Rock to do some more of the strenuous hikes. If youve never been this is the land of the 6000 foot peaks and balds and is very beautiful. There is a possibility of bad winter weather around then but as long as its not below +10F it shouldnt be that bad. I plan to park at the Black Balsam parking lot thats off the BRP and do some of the Art Loeb up to Cold Mountain then back down to another loop TBD. If anyone wants to go let me know.

http://webcam.srs.fs.fed.us/

That link shows a current view as well as meteorlogical data.

[Ramble~On]

Black Balsam parking lot is off the Blue Ridge Parkway..and the Parkway usually isn't open during the first week of March.
Camp Daniel Boone offers two trailheads and parking.
The Big East Fork Trailhead on 276 has parking.
There is easy access and parking on 215 for the Flat Laurel Creek Trail and for the Mountains to Sea.

[Earl Grey]

I am always looking at this page to see where it is closed.

http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm

[Chris_Asheville]

Blackmath, when are you hiking Shining Rock?

[RockyBob]

If you have never hike Shining Rock be carefull. Trails are not maintained, and not marked. Have a good map, and know how to use a compass with it.

[Earl Grey]

I plan on going up there Thursday or Friday and staying until Monday. I want to be on a clear bald/summit on Saturday Night for the eclipse. Which either means camping on top of Cold Mountain or another bald in Shining Rock that night.

[ed bell]

I plan on going up there Thursday or Friday and staying until Monday. I want to be on a clear bald/summit on Saturday Night for the eclipse. Which either means camping on top of Cold Mountain or another bald in Shining Rock that night.

Cold Mountain has some open sky views, but they are more limited than other mountains in the chain. Most of the best campsites are near the saddle between the two high points. Not many views from there, but walk 200 yards toward the summit and there is a great S-W-N view.

[Ramble~On]

Agreed. Cold Mountain isn't bald or near so.
Black Balsam, Sam Knob, Grassy Cove Top, Tenant or Flower Knob would all be good choices. The top of Shining Rock has a pretty nice campsite with open sky. The Parkway won't be open.
http://www.findlocalweather.com/fore...lderness%2C+NC
The above link is a pretty decent idea of the weather in the area but does not account for elevation. Enjoy your hike.

[Earl Grey]

Nice thanks for the tips on locations to see it.

I have decided to go up there on Friday because well look at this forecast for Thursday/night.

Thursday: Periods of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. High near 53. Windy, with a south wind between 37 and 39 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm before 1am, then a chance of showers. Low around 38. Very windy, with a south wind 37 to 45 mph becoming west. Winds could gust as high as 65 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between one and two inches possible.

50-65mph gusts is something you will NOT encounter on the AT(hurricane could be exception) so I decided not to venture out in that. Friday looks alot better.

Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 45. Windy, with a west wind 31 to 34 mph decreasing to between 20 and 23 mph. Winds could gust as high as 46 mph.

Sunny with some breeze is more like it. Although a 46mph gust on a ledge could be bad.

[ed bell]

Forcasts usually don't project weather for that 6000 foot level. I would say that even on Friday and Friday night you will get absolutly thrashed on those balds. Sounds like 4 season tent conditions if you want to hang it all out and attempt to camp on the balds. I wouldn't be quick to dismiss the possibility of high wind warning conditions on the AT as well. I'll see if I can dig up some more weather info for this week up there.

[ed bell]

Well, blackmath, you were right on top of it with your forcast. Here is the link:Black Balsam forcast Even though the low is only 24 on Friday night, that wind is gonna be quite brisk.

[Earl Grey]

I just wonder with it being that gusty would camping in the woods be safe? Trees/limbs could fall on my tent. Also you wouldnt be able to hear bears coming. I hate wind.

Would it be safe not camping at the balds/summits and just visit them during the day? Getting blown off a mountain in a tent doesnt sound like fun.

[ed bell]

I just wonder with it being that gusty would camping in the woods be safe? Trees/limbs could fall on my tent. Also you wouldnt be able to hear bears coming. I hate wind.

Would it be safe not camping at the balds/summits and just visit them during the day? Getting blown off a mountain in a tent doesnt sound like fun.

You'll be fine, just try to find an east facing slope and you can get some protection from that west wind. Bears are a non-factor. I love the feeling of the wind blasting over the balds, but trying to hold down camp can be a bit tedious.

[Ramble~On]

One nice thing about Shining Rock is that once you get up on "the ledge"
meaning at elevation ridgetop the Art Loeb and Ivestor Gap Trails offer some great campsites the entire hike between Black Balsam parking lot and the top of Cold Mountain. The BRP is closed so driving to BB parking lot isn't an option in early March. A quick, easy entry point is the Flat Laurel Creek Trail off 215. Pretty much the entire trail follows old railroad grade and gently winds it's way right into Black Balsam parking lot...or you can cut the hike short and cross at the obvious stream crossing and take the Sam Knob Trail up to the parking lot. Either way from 215 to the parking lot is only a couple miles. There is a really nice piped spring about 100 yards past the gate on the Ivestor Gap Trail...the spring is on the right. There isn't water on top of Black Balsam or Tenent. Black Balsam I think is 6,214 ft and most of the ledge between it and Cold Mountain stays close to 6,000.
Wind...and Rhine Ice...ah the beauty. There are plenty of excellent, protected campsites where you can get out of the wind.
I once hammock camped with a friend smack dab on top of the ridge during a night of high winds...protected only by some laurel and pines...
Some of the gusts sounded like freight trains and the wind rocked my hammock like a craddle. The next morning everything was covered in a thick layer of rhine ice.
No doubt you'll enjoy your hike.
Bear....bears are smarter than humans and stay off the 6,000' ridges in early March
There are plenty of coyote and bobcat though but they usually don't start feeding on humans until mid June.

[SteveJ]

There are plenty of coyote and bobcat though but they usually don't start feeding on humans until mid June.

chuckle... I was on the ridgeline outside the trees behind the BB parking lot a few years ago on the weekend after Christmas. I was hanging in my hammock, and there was snow on the ground. After getting up the next morning, I walked out of camp for my 'morning constitutional' (aren't 'snow wipes' refreshing!), and noticed what i thought to be fresh bobcat tracks in the snow...hadn't heard a howl out of my siberian husky, who had been asleep on my butt pad under my hammock all night! It was a neat trip - we had hiked a few miles in on the Flat Laurel Creek trail from 215 on Friday night, setting up by the creek. Saturday we hiked over to Tennant Mtn, then to Ivestor Gap, and back to the BB parking lot, camping on the ridgeline facing Sam Knob on Saturday night. At dusk on Saturday night, several coyote were howling in the meadow at the base of Sam Knob....I've never seen my husky so still and attentive. She sat straight up for an hour or so, with ears perked, and didn't move and didn't make a sound.... the next day, there was still snow on the ground, but temps shot up to the high 50's, low 60's. I was hiking in shorts and a t-shirt, occassionally through ankle deep snow! A big deal for this Georgia boy!

[Chris_Asheville]

Blackmath, where are you starting the hike? I am planning on the same triip this weekend, I think. I was going to start down at the Art Loeb Trailhead off 276 in Pisgah and head North. I was thinking about sometime mid-Friday.

[Chris_Asheville]

Is it true that fires are not allowed along the trail?

[ed bell]

Is it true that fires are not allowed along the trail?

No fires inside the Wilderness Area boundry. There is a good bit of area around the Black Balsam area that is outside the Shining Rock Wilderness. I believe the boundry is at Ivestor Gap. Most of the Art Loeb is outside the boundry.

[SteveJ]

Is it true that fires are not allowed along the trail?

Fires are explicitly not allowed within the Shining Rock or Middle Prong Wilderness Areas. Some of the trails in the Pisgah National Forest (Flat Laurel Creek, Mtns to the Sea, the Art Loeb Trail enters the wilderness area going north at Ivestor Gap, for ex) are not within the wilderness areas. Be aware of where you are before deciding to build a fire, as there are fire rings within the wilderness areas. Don't assume that it's ok because a fire ring is already there....

Steve

[SteveJ]

just found this:

http://www.cs.unca.edu/nfsnc/recreat...ections_06.pdf

fires are discussed on page 11.