Our fourteenth hike of the year… June 1, 2024
Last November as I was on an overnight in Pisgah with a friend - a thought entered my brain - could I hike the Art Loeb all in one day!? Since then, that thought continued to persist - so for a couple months I'd been watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to attempt it. During that time - I'd seen a few other people do it - which only gave me more confidence to attempt it.
Things to note.
..this is not an easy trail. The last time I'd done this trail all the way thru was on a backpacking trip that was 3 nights 4 days - it wasn't easy then either! There's no water from Black Balsam to Deep Gap... be prepared. The climbs on this trail are all varying - the longest sustained climb going SOBO is from the northern terminus to Deep Gap. The busiest part of the trail was around Black Balsam. I had cell service on most summits/ridgelines (Verizon). Highly recommend using Gaia for the trail ... I used my Coros watch map that I'd created so it'd let me know if I'd managed to get off trail or how far it was to my next goal post (just mileage points to look forward to - usually mountain summits) which helped with keeping mental positivity Special thanks to God for answered prayers - safe trip and no wildlife encounters!; Laura - for such an encouraging start to my trip and being willing to meet at midnight - I deeply appreciate your generosity; and all the nice people along the trail - some of them gave Sally special treats.