The Art Loeb Trail (ALT) is a 30 mile-ish trail that runs along the backbone of the Pisgah National Forest from the northern terminus at Daniel Boone Boy Scout Camp to Davidson River Campground near Brevard and crossing some of the areas highest peaks. I have always been curious about who Art Loeb was and a quick search revealed the interesting story: Who was Art Loeb? I thru hiked the ALT previously and have hiked parts more times than I can count. My friends and I often hike sections to connect with other trails for some great day hiking. When talk about an extended hike on ALT came up among our group, I was interested because it’s such a gem of a local trail and well, being out on a trail is my favorite place to be. As usual, not much convincing required here! In addition, I wanted to take my new Zpacks Arc Haul backpack out for a test spin. Three days and two nights perfectly hit 2 Night Max’s criteria for a pleasant backpacking trip, and it ended up that she and I were the only ones to eventually lace up our hiking shoes for this one. The last week in May had a near perfect weather forecast and we ventured forth midweek thanks to Mr. 2N Max generously shuttling us to the Boy Scout Camp.
The ALT sharply climbs in an easterly fashion up to Deep Gap with a possible side trip up Cold Mountain before heading over to Shining Rock. We both love the Little East Fork Trail that is also accessed from the BS camp and intersects Art Loeb at Shining Rock Gap. Not feeling a need to be purists, we decided this 5.4-mile trail was our preferred route. LEF Trail followed the Little East Fork of the Pigeon River and hikers are treated to picturesque views, abundant mosses, ferns and wildflowers plus the lovely sound of water tumbling over many rocks and waterfalls as it cascades down the mountain. The ascent is steady and not particularly difficult. The trail eventually crosses the river with a fairly easy rock hop, and we stopped there to eat a leisurely lunch before the final ascent up to Shining Rock Gap.
After lunch we started the climb up to Shining Rock Gap, again not too difficult with many switchbacks. There were a few blowdowns, and I scraped my arm climbing over one. As we approached the intersection of Ivestor Gap Trail the path became very overgrown with blackberry vines, and I got scraped up even more. Thanks to a daily aspirin and fish oil supplement my wounds took forever to stop bleeding and I looked like I had been in a fight with a bear.
The hike over Tennent Mountain and toward Black Balsam is one of my absolute favorites with its expansive views of the surrounding area.
Peak Blueberry, Rosebay Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel flowering plus the Catawba Rhodies were preparing to put on their display.
Our intention had been to camp out on top of Black Balsam but 30mph winds were forecast and besides, we still had a little gas left in the tank and it was early. To camp up on the Balsam and to take in the amazing night sky I’ve only seen in photos is definitely on my to-do list!
At Black Balsam Rd. (USFS 816) Max took care of our packs while I trotted down to the water source 2/10 mile away to collect our evening and morning water needs. We walked through and beyond the spooky conifer forest and found the ideal campsite a group of day hikers had told us about. Pitched our tents on soft pine duff and enjoyed a fantastic view while sipping a glass of wine or two, well a tin cup of wine or two, and dinner. Perfect until the wind started to howl up high on Black Balsam and we retreated to our tents, neither of us catching much sleep that night.
Cool morning and I actually wore my puffy jacket for the first mile or two. The trail follows the Mountains-to-Sea Trail for a bit then drops sharply down to and over the Blue Ridge Parkway. Many thanks to the trail maintainers that have made great improvements to this formerly treacherous section with the installation of many steps since I last traversed it. Joke is that after crossing the BRP it is all downhill to Brevard which is how it goes when driving Hwy 276 in that direction. Day 2 was the toughest with climbs up and over Sassafras Knob, Pilot Mountain, and Chestnut Mountain.
Thanks to the Great American Outdoor Act, two decrepit and uninhabitable A-frame shelters at Deep Gap and Butter Gap have recently been replaced with 2 new AT type shelters. We stopped at Deep Gap for water and to prepare for the grueling up and over Pilot Mountain.
We had intended to hike on a mile or so more to camp, but when reaching Butter Gap I was in agreement with Max. We were done for the day! Same thing happened when thru hiking this trail with David and Jet Lag 5 years ago.
I suggested we sleep in the attractive shelter since it was so new and importantly no evidence of mice. Since it was 4ish I also suggested the British custom of a spot of tea but soon realized I had forgotten tea bags. 5 o clock and happy hour soon arrived, so we changed directions and polished off our wine, dined and turned in early for a much better night’s sleep. Staying in the shelter allowed us an earlier start with no tent to pack up and we enjoyed coffee and breakfast from the comfort of our sleeping bags.
Only 8 more miles to go and definitely still some ups and downs passing Cedar Rock and over Chestnut Knob, but we cruised along. Our packs were light, and thoughts turned to the post hike beer and some lunch that didn’t include peanut butter. Being Friday, we started to run into more hikers than we had seen earlier on. Not being purists, we took a familiar short cut over to Hwy 64, risking our lives crossing the Davidson River Bridge and headed over to The Hub, one of our favorite post hike watering holes. Mr. 2N Max joined us for the celebratory beer and we decided to drive over to another post hike favorite, Ecusta Brewery and Gordingo’s for lunch.
Another excellent hike for the record books! Much gratitude to Art Loeb for his vision and of course many thanks to my fun and adventuresome hiking partner, Max!
As mentioned earlier, I was evaluating my new ZPack UltraEPX 60L Arc Haul Backpack so will give a quick review. I LOVE it! Weighing a scant 22.5 oz and amazingly voluminous it felt almost like a daypack. I started the trail with a pack weight of 22.6lbs which included my BearVault 450, 3 days of food and 2L of water and a few other assorted luxury items (.5L wine 😉). As with most new gear, it took some adjusting to get it right and watching the ZPacks video helped plus having someone else evaluate and adjust the fit. Annoying that no hip belt pockets but I guess the price you pay for the weight savings. I’m thinking about a lightweight fanny pack to carry essentials that I like to have readily available. The pack is designed to allow air flow between your back and the pack and it certainly helps but I still suffered from sweaty back syndrome on those climbs. Overall, I’m very impressed and looking forward to many more hikes hauling the Arc along the trail!
Life is better on the trail!