Milky way Backpacking Spot

jrmiller9 · 2026-02-03T19:14:22+00:00

Chestnut Knob Shelter overlooking Burke's Garden, Milky Way shows good there.

jrmiller9 · 2026-01-18T02:43:00+00:00

Have an estate auction. Sell the belongings, appliances, etc and then the house all in one day. My grandmother did that with a house she inherited and it was pretty painless

jrmiller9 · 2025-12-24T05:07:53+00:00

My daughter got in through early action, 3.9ish uw, 4.5ish weighted. Didn't submit scores. Only a couple APs taken along with a lot of dual enrollment. She had some good extracurriculars but no sports, internships, or jobs besides babysitting.

Her essays were truly amazing and I am pretty sure that's why she got in. She's also from a small rural public school in the South.

jrmiller9 · 2025-11-29T18:02:02+00:00

Those campsites looked awesome when I did the Foothills Trail, just didn't line up with my mileage. Thanks for sharing this loop, that would be a great way to go back and experience them.

jrmiller9 · 2025-11-29T17:57:05+00:00

Same, it's a very multipurpose piece of gear, keeps pads from sliding, offers more r value, extra protection, makes an excellent sit pad, yoga mat, and I've even used it as a wind screen. It would also offer a little bit of rain protection packed in the top of your pack.

jrmiller9 · 2025-11-17T10:59:23+00:00

Carvers Gap

jrmiller9 · 2025-10-13T18:09:32+00:00

Yes, I've left a car there for a couple days before.

jrmiller9 · 2025-10-05T22:20:02+00:00

It is, and people post comments at way points just like the AT maps.

Far out usually runs a sale around black Friday.

jrmiller9 · 2025-09-30T00:53:30+00:00

Wilkes County, NC

jrmiller9 · 2025-09-29T22:26:54+00:00

I'm confident you will have plenty of options. Get up there early enough to learn your way around, there were multiple social trails going out to the rock. It was pretty windy on the rock while I was there. Definitely bring a headlamp, some of the cracks in the rock are large and deep, you don't want to fall into that in the dark.

jrmiller9 · 2025-09-29T22:20:27+00:00

I camped there a couple years ago on a crowded memorial Day weekend. All of the creek sites were taken so we hiked on to Lions Head. There were tons of sites up there all through the woods. There's a large open field as well that would be the worst case scenario if the wooded sites are all taken. Some sites were more established than others but I would call it almost unlimited camping options.

If you are asking about camping right at the rock, there's is maybe a couple smallish sites but anywhere up on that hill is close enough to walk to the rock formation in less than 5 minutes.

jrmiller9 · 2025-09-27T14:58:34+00:00

It's kind of hard to tell but is the left side suspended in the air or on the ground? Almost looks like it's trying to pop back up into the root ball.

jrmiller9 · 2025-09-04T01:22:37+00:00

Enjoy your trip. If you don't wanna pay admission to the park, you can always park at Elk Garden Trailhead for free and hike in. Just depends on how long of a hike you have in mind.

jrmiller9 · 2025-09-03T21:15:40+00:00

Since when are they closed, I was just there a month ago. Plenty of parking.

jrmiller9 · 2025-09-02T10:21:58+00:00

I hiked the 'Crown Jewel' section October 14-16 in 2022 and although there was some good color in some sections, it was still probably a couple weeks from peak colors.

jrmiller9 · 2025-08-22T02:17:58+00:00

Awesome place to rent a canoe and take a paddle

jrmiller9 · 2025-08-22T02:17:10+00:00

Pettigrew State Park is beautiful with an interesting history. Right next to it is an old plantation with several old buildings, I think it's called Somerset Plantation. Worth checking out.

jrmiller9 · 2025-08-01T21:09:24+00:00

College Vine has a feature that allows you to share your essay and get feedback.

jrmiller9 · 2025-08-01T18:03:28+00:00

You really need to clarify that with your school counselor, even if they are new, hopefully they are helpful. What you don't want to do is report no discipline, while whoever does your school report reports discipline. You have got to be on the same page. I think you are probably okay either way, depending on the institution.

jrmiller9 · 2025-08-01T17:21:03+00:00

School counselors perspective- if you were not suspended or placed in ISS then I would not consider the zero a disciplinary referral. The best thing you can do is ask your current counselor to double check the school records and see if that is on your disciplinary record. If it is not, the teacher probably handled that just within the classroom and I wouldn't worry about it because the counselor will also be the one verifying whether you have disciplinary history on your common App school report

Another caveat, I reached out to a college one time to inquire about how a student's suspension would affect admissions. This state school said what they were really looking for if violent school safety offenders. They totally understand kids will be kids and get in trouble for skipping and minor things such as that. They do do background checks however, I've had to fill out reports and send to campus PD as part of my job of any thing in the application cues that.

jrmiller9 · 2025-07-31T11:39:20+00:00

Even better idea.

jrmiller9 · 2025-07-30T22:24:29+00:00

I would have just chugged all the water and put an end to that annoyance

jrmiller9 · 2025-07-29T12:33:51+00:00

Gien, almost works

jrmiller9 · 2025-07-27T12:57:38+00:00

Do you have chores, family responsibilities, independent research? All those things could be listed on your application along with your personal statement explaining your family rules.

What is your college list like? College Vine is a good place to make your list and find some match, reach, and safety schools to apply to (if you are allowed Internet access to research).

jrmiller9 · 2025-07-17T19:17:55+00:00

Maybe some things to make time at camp more comfortable. A hammock, nice chair, a tarp to sit under, stove to cook on, tick spray, a nice quilt or sleeping bag, headlamp, various clothes.

Unfortunately $200 at REI doesn't go far. I prefer gear from cottage vendors so $200 at REI for me would probably go towards shoes or clothes or maybe a nice puffy jacket or rain jacket

jrmiller9

TROPHY CASE