4th of July Campout

Over July 4th weekend, Benjamin, Jessica, Joshua and I went on a camping trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway. We first stopped at the Mt. Pisgah campground but by the time we had gotten there we were left with two options: pitch our tent on the pavement in an RV spot or wait until 7pm (it was 6pm so not a huge deal) to see if one of the three handicapped spots would be left unclaimed and therefore available to us. The kids weren't crazy about taking one of the handicapped spots fearing we would get into trouble despite it being offered by the park rangers themselves. I wasn't crazy about pitching a tent on the asphalt.

I had read that it was legal to camp anywhere within the National Forest as long as it was 200' from the road, etc., etc. I'd also heard that Graveyard Fields was a great place for scenic vistas, so we gathered back into the car and drove about 10 miles south of Mt Pisgah and came upon a turnoff to Black Balsam.

It turned out to be the kind of camping that I was accustomed to, i.e. didn't feel like we were camping in an RV park. In fact, at Black Balsam we didn't see a single RV. Instead of designated spots for each tent with a picnic table and running water, we were left largely to our own devices. There were a number of other people who had pitched tents. There was also an outhouse and a couple of garbage bins with anti-bear locks. Fortunately, we had also brought our own water, although in hindsight I wish we had brought more. Still it worked out well.

We found it to be a great location with tons of hiking opportunities and some incredible views. I don't think we would have gotten the same sense of the mountains if we had stayed in a more conventional camping location.


On Saturday, after having breakfast and breaking camp, we set out along the Art Loeb trail which took us along the ridge of Black Balsam and on to Tennent Mountain. A great photo diary of the trek can be seen here. (Click through the slides until you get to Tennent Mountain.)

I've got to say that the kids did a great job hiking. Helping each other along, keeping up a good pace and not complaining too much. Joshua did get a blister on his little toe, so things were a little slow going for him for a while but I was thrilled we were able to top two 6K-ers: Black Balsam and Tennent Mountain. And to spend some quality time with three of the greatest kids a dad could hope for. Makes me anxious for our next trek into the wilderness.