Troop 1 Mountain Backpacking Weekend
March 22-24, 2019
Troop 1 is headed to the Davidson River area of the Pisgah National Forest for the spring backpacking trip. Pisgah National Forest was established in 1916, one of the first national forests in the US. The Davidson River area is located west of Asheville and north of Brevard NC. The Pisgah area has some of the prettiest country and best views in Western North Carolina. Another gem of Pisgah is the Blue Ridge Parkway which runs though most of the park. At approximately 5000 ft it offers 360 degree views that seem almost endless. It also houses some state record trees and should be the perfect setting for a great hiking trip.
Over the course of Saturday we will be hiking from the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mount Pisgah down to the Cradle of Forestry. The Cradle of Forestry is the site of America’s first school of forestry founded by George Vanderbilt in the late 1800s. We will be following the trail which he used from his home at The Biltmore House to the school which was open until 1912. Along the way we will pass the site of his autumn hunting cabin. Friday night the troop will camp near the Cradle of Forestry. Saturday morning we will Shuttle up to Mount Pisgah where we will begin the trek hiking back into our campsite. We will return to the scout hut after lunch.
There will be $20 charge for this trip. The troop will be providing a dinner stop Friday evening and a lunch stop on the way home Sunday. We will meet at 3:30 Friday at the scout hut and depart in the church bus by 4:00 planning to return to the scout hut around 1:00PM on Sunday.
You will need your own backpacking stove and method of purifying water or make arrangements to use someone else’s. You will be responsible for your own food for meals from Saturday morning through Sunday breakfast. You will have to carry your lunch and water on the hike so you will need at least a book bag type pack to carry this in. Remember that synthetic clothing is always better than cotton on a cool weather Backpacking trip.