Pisgah 400: Art Loeb Trail/Farlow Gap Trail to Shuck Ridge Falls – 10/29/21 – 5.9 Miles
Mother Nature doesn’t always get the memo when I plan a hike. More times than I can count, my progress on the Pisgah 400 Challenge has been impeded by bad weather (rain/snow) or the results of weather events (flooding, freezing, wildfires).
This is why Jim found himself driving slowly on the Blue Ridge Parkway in a cold, dreary, foggy drizzle, looking for a trailhead that I was pretty sure was getting closer…closer…closer…
Rewind: In December 2019 we made a mostly successful hike on Daniel Ridge Loop and Farlow Gap Trail in Pisgah National Forest on a cold, clear, blue sky day. Because of recent rains, though, we were stopped at a dangerous creek crossing and couldn’t complete Farlow Gap Trail to the intersection with Art Loeb Trail (story and exciting photos here.)
About 1.3 unhiked miles of Farlow Gap Trail taunted me for nearly two years. On the day that I convinced Jim to help me tackle it from the far end, what do you think the weather was? Fog and rain.
We started the moderate downhill on Art Loeb Trail in a cold drizzle that turned into a steady rain. Kept telling ourselves there is beauty even in the fog.
My good mood faded on the extremely steep, rocky, rooty descent on Farlow Gap Trail. Slippery leaves disguised washouts and filled gaps between the roots. Tricky footing, not knowing when we were stepping on solid ground or in a hole. We both took a tumble on the way down to Shuck Ridge Creek.
We didn’t try to scramble down to the base of the falls (couldn’t find the “obvious” trail), but the top of the falls where the trail crosses was a simple rock hop compared to our previous hike when it was impassable.
As we stood at the falls, we decided to have a snack before tackling the inevitable hard climb. The rain had decreased enough to take off our hot rain jackets, but every rock and tree stump was saturated, so we ate cheese and crackers standing up.
Indeed, the climb was grueling. I started out strong, a little too fast, and then fizzled. My breathing was labored, and it took me 45 minutes to conquer the stretch to Farlow Gap (still less than halfway) but at least I wasn’t carrying a 30-pound backpack in 90-degree heat and strong sun as I did on the Tahoe Rim Trail just two months earlier.
The rain became a downpour.
At Farlow Gap, layers were rearranged again, and I onboarded some body fuel. [These nut butter bars are much better than Clif’s traditional bars.]
The last 1.6 miles going up Art Loeb Trail were slightly less challenging but I stopped several times for a 30-second rest. All in all, the hike was longer than expected in both distance (5.9 miles) and in time (3 hrs 15 min moving time). I don’t think Jim had this hiking life in mind when we vowed ‘til death do us part, but my appreciation for him grows every time he says, “Sure, I’ll go with you!”
We were later than planned reaching our Airbnb, but boy oh boy did that hot shower feel good! Followed it up with pizza at Mad Anthony’s with our friend Nancy East and the tough miles were in the rearview mirror.
“When there is mist on the mountains, it is beautiful,
and when there is no mist,
it is also beautiful.”
~Thich Nhat Hanh
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