MST: Asheville to Black Mountain Campground at the South Toe River

Since the last outing my knee has been doing fine.  Although I still haven't gotten out to walk as much as I would like, I have been carrying my smallest kid around in a pack when out on bike rides with the older boys.  Although the mileage and overall difficulty of these trips is low, the knee has done well.  So, I guess that means it's time to give it a test.  My wife is going to tape my knee prior to heading out to see if that will help.  My goal is to make it 47.2 miles to the end of segment 3.

Day 9 October 22

Miles:  5.6 mi MST 0.3mi extra

Weather:  Clear skies and warm for October

Camping:  Staying with family in Asheville

I had the kids ready and the car loaded when my wife got off work so we could hit the road.  My plan was to try and knock out the 5.6 miles from Hendersonville Rd to the NPS Visitor Center this evening.  This would give my knee a small test, serve as a little warm up and make Friday and easier distance to cover to reach legal camping areas.  On the way up the mountain I was thinking about logistics and ultimately came to the conclusion that going the wrong way would be best.  We were going to be driving right by the Visitor Center so due to the time of day it just made sense to get out and start hiking "westbound" on the MST.  It was close to 6:00 when I started and it was pretty uneventful.  I passed one family who alerted me to a small bear ahead but I never did see anything.  At 7:15 it was finally dark enough to need a headlamp.  When I was about 0.5 mile away I called my wife to let them know I would be ready for a pickup.  By 7:45 I had reached my destination with my ride arriving just a minute later.  

The section right around Asheville is really not hard to hike, so for those planning to do the whole trail I feel like it provides a good opportunity to put in some miles while having time to enjoy town.  I could easily see spending two nights in town and working out shuttle logistics.  This will also help anyone out who is concerned about reaching legal camping areas.  Of course there are great resupply options so you can set your self up for the next section and maybe mail a box ahead if you need.  

Day 10 October 23

Miles:  13.8

Weather:  Sunny, highs in the 60's.  Clouds building.

Camping:  Rocky knob

I didn't have a big concern about starting early today which meant I had plenty of time to sit and enjoy a great breakfast with the family.  Nothing better to start a hike than homemade cinnamon rolls, eggs and fruit!  I ended up getting dropped off on the side of the Blue Ridge Parkway just before the Visitor Center to avoid walking the 0.3 mi spur trail to the MST.  Just before this drop off point I saw the small black bear that the family last night likely warned me about.  It was trying to scurry back up the hillside into the woods and away from the road.  I moved at a pretty steady pace throughout the day.  The trail was in great condition except for one spot at Craven Gap where you need to navigate through a blowdown.  This section takes you underneath I-40 and by the Folk Art Center before heading uphill toward the Craggy Gardens area of the Parkway.  There were multiple rock outcrops along the way, the first being a place called Lunch Rock.  There were some great fall colors at these lower elevations.  Later in the day the trail would pass by Rattlesnake Lodge which was a private home in the early 1900's before it burned in the 20's.  I stopped at the creek just past here to fill up on water.  Some rain tried to fall but it was very short lived.  Thunder was rumbling from across the valley but posed no threat.  Just a couple tenths of a mile later I had reached an area where camping was legal.  I passed by one spot that likely would have been the best but where I settled wasn't terrible.  It was a warm day for October, I even saw a black snake out in the sun.  A couple I passed also alerted me to some more bears but I never saw them.  Made it to camp around 3:30 pm and settled in by 6 for the evening.

Day 11 October 24

Miles:  16.8

Weather:  Mostly sunny with clouds, highs in low 60's

Camping:  Buncombe Horse Trail near NC 128

Today seemed like a long day (meaning more than 20 miles).  I wasn't sure what I would get with the weather as the chance of rain and storms was forecast to be greater.  I made it out of camp just after 7 am under headlamp.  I could see the sunrise through the trees as I went just below the summit of Rich knob.  Eventually, the trail opened up to some incredible views.  The peak fall colors of lower elevations against the dark low lying stratus clouds slowed me to a stop many times.  The trail was challenging today with lots of small but steep ups and downs.  My knee held up well and I made my first 5 miles to Craggy Garden Visitor Center around 10:30.

I should have expected this but was disappointed they had no running water.  I was just about empty on water and the next water source listed in the guide as reliable was 10+ miles away.  With that knowledge I begrudgingly gave the Park Service $8 for four 20oz plastic bottles of water, of course they had no recycling containers around.  Not far down the trail there was some water flowing, however, I was below the parkway at that point so I would rather find a source on the other side.

The views continued throughout the day with the forested 6,319' Blackstock Knob being a prominent feature.  The climb up was pretty steady but certainly one of the harder climbs along the trail thus far.  There were an incredible amount of trees that had fallen through this section.  They had long ago been cleared from the trail but it really shows how extreme the weather can get in this area.  The trail would descend from here down to NC 128 which takes those who choose to drive, up to the summit of Mount Mitchell.  I camped within earshot of the road as I was just tired and ready to stop for the day.  I made it to camp just before 5 pm and got set up and cooked some dinner.  Just as dinner was ready the rain started.  I settled in for a rainy and warm night.

Day 12 October 25

Miles:  11

Weather:  Cloudy and Rain, highs in the 50's

Camping:  End of segment 3, back home.

The rain was steady all night and seemed to let up between 4 and 5 am.  I woke up early, had some breakfast and packed up slowly, making it on the trail just before 8 am.  From camp I could see some mountains through the trees out in the distance but I knew that the summit of Mount Mitchell would be in the clouds.  The MST follows along the Buncombe Horse Trail for several miles in this section.  This takes you up at a gentle grade.  Just a mile from the summit the trail takes a turn and becomes steep with rocks and roots.  There were just a small number of people who had ventured up from the summit parking area so I didn't have a crowd to navigate.  I took in the views on the signs they have posted at the top and started the final 5.7 miles down to Black Mountain Campground.  As I moved down the mountain the rain started falling harder but with warmer weather I just walked on with no worry about rain gear.  By 12:30 I was down at the South Toe River where I would wait for my wife and kids.  Once they arrived we took some time to hike over to Setrock Creek Falls which was flowing nicely with the rainy weather.  All in all it was a spectacular weekend and a section I would do again in the future.  In dry conditions water can be an issue and distances between legal camping areas could be a challenge for some but there were lots of good options.  

Total weekend miles:  47.2 MST 0.3 extra

Total miles of MST completed:  181.8