After about two miles, we turned onto Faulkner Flats Road and began climbing. The route eventually spits you out near the main Wolf Pit Trailhead for Linville Gorge, then follows the classic Shortoff Trail up the mountain - the way most people approach Shortoff. The switchbacks offer killer views of the Lake James, but the midday sun was brutal and washed everything out for photos. Soon we came to the top of Shortoff and amazing views.
We pushed on to the campsite perched high atop Shortoff and the gorge - a spot I’ve come to call Alexander Point because he loved this climb so much. The wind was howling and the cold bit hard, so we didn’t linger.
A guy who’d camped there the night before was already packing up, muttering that it was too frigid to stay another night. On the descent, we took the Mountains-to-Sea Trail instead. It’s noticeably steeper than Shortoff, with almost no switchbacks - just a relentless drop. We followed it all the way to the Linville River ford but didn’t cross.
The water looked shallow and manageable, though I have no doubt it was ice-cold. That section where the gorge suddenly widens is stunning.
We turned around there, retraced our steps on the MST Connector back to the car, then made the obligatory stop at Fonta Flora Brewery for wood-fired pizza and a couple of beers.
From there it was a short drive to Lake James State Park to claim our campsite.
Once the tent was up, we knocked out a quick out-and-back on the Overmountain Victory Trail that links the park to the brewery - perfect timing to get back just before the sun dipped.
I built a massive fire to fight off the chill; it was one of those bone-cold mountain nights. Fortunately, Amaroq is an excellent tent-sized space heater.
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