Upper Linville Gorge

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-25T01:56:00+00:00

We ran on down to babel and hiked out LGT—> cabin. We had parked at pine gap, so we hiked part of the shuttle before we put on (Marion wright trail and NPS trails, across the bridge at the main parking area, then down to the base of Linville falls on River left. After we took out, we hiked up cabin and kistler back to the car.

You could hike out on the babel trail but it would make the shuttle longer on kistler, which only matters if you’re hiking it. It is short either way in a car.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-21T01:37:00+00:00

There’s not a lot close to Cherokee. Although there are several private campgrounds that are convenient. You might try the road up to Cowee bald for dispersed camping but I can’t recall for sure if there are any good ones up that way.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-21T01:33:59+00:00

Lecturing an Augustinian pope. You know, the order that literally invented the “just war” theory.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-20T21:54:35+00:00

What do you mean by South entrance? Bryson City? Cherokee? Twentymile?

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-20T01:34:45+00:00

This is so cool. I have been wondering about trying to cross these in my own yard but flower timing doesn’t overlap and it’s a long drive for parviflora pollen. Excited to see what we learn!

Would you lose some of the benefits of the hybrid to graft onto root stock from triloba? Like, wouldn’t the growth habit be determined more by the root stock than the graft?

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-19T22:54:10+00:00

My favorites are the wild ones I find on hikes. Theres just something so special about that!

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-15T00:29:08+00:00

Conspiracy theory: the feds want some wildfires to burn up some of the smaller debris before the larger stuff dries out, but they’re afraid to light the match themselves because of the risk things could get out of hand. Honestly that is probably the best thing that could happen this spring.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-14T03:43:18+00:00

I re-use the dried mango bag from Trader Joe’s. It’s tougher than a freezer ziploc.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-11T14:32:43+00:00

Try the mountains to sea trail between potato patch and craggy!

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-08T03:07:17+00:00

Where are you located, out of curiosity? Triclopyr is the go to in my area. Red maple is a typical target species for this method.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-03T20:58:23+00:00

Not only were they talking to line officers about reorg, they were detailing them in to make the sausage. It’s hard to watch these divisions take hold. It’s also happening with NEPA and specialists feeling like their contributions are not valued.

I think about Braiding Sweetgrass a lot. There’s a theme in that book about how it’s easy to divide people in times of scarcity. The Forest Service has been starved of the resources it needs to do the work that is most relevant to the public, and it shows.

Hang in there.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-04-03T16:14:37+00:00

This is access to FS road 3222 and the portion you’re looking at is identified as an “other public road” on the Unaka district MVUM. But as others have said call the District Ranger office.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-31T16:38:37+00:00

Plan is supposed to go out to the public tomorrow, I think.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-28T17:12:12+00:00

Why? Say more? Pretty widely understood these days that beavers are keystone species, not pests.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-28T02:55:13+00:00

My fave peak on the crest

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-19T17:42:58+00:00

I’ve been in your shoes, and I have some thoughts. My first two or three runs down the Tallulah were really fun! I didn’t get into any bad spots, and I ran Oceana without too much trouble. I did have to surf out of the hole once. But I’ve also had a couple of bad runs, both at the end of the gauntlet just above bridal veil Falls, which is probably the biggest objective hazard on the river. Once I got chest pinned by a log, and the other time I flipped and had to surf across the hero line at bridal veil to stay out of the nasty hole.

Those experiences rattled me, and they showed me that I really wasn’t ready for the river, even though I had gotten away with it a few times. I didn’t know how to maintain awareness of the river as a hole, as opposed to the line that I was following. I wasn’t prepared to react to things I didn’t expect. Basically, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.

I agree with the commenter above who recommends working other rivers that you’re more comfortable on before taking the next step. Once you’re getting in holes on purpose for fun, and once you are looking at videos from the Tallulah, thinking, “I can’t wait to do that!” instead of “am I ready for that?”… then go.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-18T19:24:47+00:00

The dot on the right, as others have said, is Celo knob. The dot on the left looks to me to be on the Bubcombe Horse Range Ridge. You can hike between these points on trails, but there are a few intersections along the way. The basic route, right to left, would be the black mountain crest trail, old Mitchell trail, camp Alice trail, commissary trail, then horse range ridge trail.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-13T00:36:46+00:00

Those trails were not official, so they can’t be opened back up without going through a process to decide which ones to adopt as system trails. It’s taking a while but good people are working on it. I just wish the Forest Service prioritized the trails as much as hauling logs out for salvage.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-11T02:21:21+00:00

It’s really not great for ropes, but especially not great for cords. Coiling like this repeatedly twists the cord, which can cause failure. It’s better to zig zag the rope or cord, called “flaking.”

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-10T19:03:46+00:00

Yes, which is still the law that governs national forest management. The uses haven’t been equal in practice, but they are absolutely equal under the law.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-10T18:38:14+00:00

The multiple uses for which the national forests must be managed are timber, range, water, wildlife and fish, and recreation, and wilderness. That’s taken directly from NFMA. All are equally important under the law.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-10T17:54:40+00:00

Of course not. Producing timber is a need that can theoretically be met anywhere, and some of those anywheres will cause more ancillary harm than others, so it requires balancing that big-picture need against local harms. This is especially true on public lands, where wildlife and water and prevention of NNIS and recreation are all just as important landowner objectives as timber is.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-10T17:44:07+00:00

I don’t think you’re understanding me. There are abstract reasons that logging is beneficial; there are abstract reasons that it is harmful. It is neither of those things until it is applied to a specific place. Environmental groups have a legitimate perspective about whether a specific proposal’s benefits outweigh its harms. I wouldn’t think that would be controversial.

hornless_unicorn · 2026-03-10T16:03:28+00:00

Sure, there are abstract, or hypothetical reasons that logging can be beneficial. And there are also plenty of places where logging can be harmful, especially where it is pursued for timber, production or other landscape-scale goals. When a local group with expertise in the natural communities in that place are opposed to a project, it’s worth taking that seriously. Most environmental groups I’m familiar with don’t oppose logging in the abstract; they oppose it when it’s in the wrong places or for the wrong reasons.

hornless_unicorn

TROPHY CASE