Slick Rock Falls
Slick Rock Falls is a 35-foot plunge waterfall below the south face of Looking Glass Rock on FS 475B, also known as Headwaters Road. You can see the falls from the gravel road, but you’ll need to walk up the … Continued
Gear—Hiking with flat feet
I have very flat feet. If you read through some of my older posts, you’ll see me talking about my feet hurting and sometimes even going numb on bumpy ground. Over the years, I’ve tried several shoes and orthotics and … Continued
Black Mountain Crest Trail to Mt Mitchell (10.8 miles)
Mt Mitchell is the highest summit east of the Mississippi River. The area offers the standard features of a state park (stores, restrooms, picnic tables, campsites, restaurant, etc). Like Clingman’s Dome, the vast majority of visitors drive to a parking … Continued
Trail Pizzas
Read more about my approach to cooking on backpacking trips, including meal prep, nutrition, gear, and post-hike impressions. I get a lot of questions about what I eat and when/how I cook on the trail. I’ve already detailed my cook … Continued
JMT—Travel logistics
Read about my complete John Muir Trail experience, including prep, gear, logistics, and post-hike impressions. The most frustrating thing (I hope) about hiking the John Muir Trail involves getting to and from the trail. I’m flying into San Francisco because … Continued
JMT—Campsite schedule and meal planning
Read about my complete John Muir Trail experience, including prep, gear, logistics, and post-hike impressions. I’ve already explained some of the ways I dress up cheap, processed meals for trail cooking. Now I want to break down the logistics of … Continued
JMT—Meal prep
Read about my complete John Muir Trail experience, including prep, gear, logistics, and post-hike impressions. Meal prep is more challenging for me than for most people. It’s not that I have a special diet—I just don’t like sweets. To be … Continued
Table Rock Summit
I’ve hiked most of the trails in Table Rock State Park, but I somehow managed to avoid climbing to the 3124-foot summit of the mountain. I think it was always too crowded compared to neighboring Pinnacle Mountain and Caesars Head. … Continued
A Shining Rock Wilderness experience
Most posts to this site involve the travelog, but some simpler experiences demand be shared as well. As I’ve said before, Black Balsam Knob is one of my favorite places. I’m in the Shining Rock Wilderness often because of all … Continued
Caesars Head Loop
I think the hiking trails in the Mountain Bridge Wilderness compose the best trail system in all of South Carolina. There are many connectors allowing you to piece together loops of varying sizes. It’s my goal to hike every foot … Continued