Shortoff Mountain
A short trip mid-week to Shortoff Mountain and South Mountain state park.
We started the day early (leaving around 6am). We stopped in Greensboro for coffee and breakfast (lattes, teas, and Biscuitville sandwiches/ hash browns). We parked at the Wolf Pit trailhead. The path started as a steady upward incline, but it was never too steep. There were signs of past fires (last in 2017) and new growth from this, along with the first signs of spring! I downloaded a new app called “Seek,” which was so handy to learn about the different plants on the trail, including the tulip tree, dwarf iris, great rhododendron, jack pine, and red chokeberry. The top of the mountain is a big plateau, with beautiful views of Linville Gorge and Lake James. We ate our Uncrustable sandwiches and other snacks. We wandered a little more, finding ourselves on the MST, before heading back down.
We spent the rest of the day at the Rose Creek family campground. It served it’s purpose with a grassy patch for our tent and a clean bathhouse. There were some interesting creatures including a flock of 6 ducks, and a friendly dog that loved belly rubs. For dinner, we had rehydrated freeze-dried chicken pesto pasta (Peak Refuel brand), along with some extra chicken and Mac and cheese. I always have trouble sleeping the first night in a tent. It was a bit bright (from a lamp post nearby) and noisy from the frogs, birds, crickets… I forgot my earplugs. Re-purposing my pants as an eye mask/ ear cover was helpful!
In the morning, we rehydrated biscuits and sausage gravy, and we ate that along with some fruit. We drove over to South Mountain state park for a quick hike along High Shoals Falls loop trail; one of my favorites. With sore legs, we ventured back home, stopping at Panda Express in Greensboro along the way.
Highlights: 1) Amazing views at Shortoff Mtn. Grateful that the weather was good. 2) Using the Seek app to learn about the plants along the trail, 3) First time peeing in the woods (not necessarily a highlight, but a new experience), 4) Cute doggo at the campsite.
Looking forward: 1) I would love to hike Shortoff Mtn again! It would be interesting to see how the landscape changes with different seasons. 2) Continuing to use the Seek app. I also downloaded the PeakVisor app. I forgot to use it this time, but I think it could be helpful to identify the different mountain peaks! 3) Maybe trying to dehydrate our own meals in the future? Or, trying out new camp recipes.