The next camping trip for Troop 231 is scheduled for June 7th and 8th. We will be camping and backpacking in Panthertown Valley of the Nantahala National Forest, in Jackson County near the town of Cashiers, NC. Panthertown Valley is a unique area that is revered by ecologists as well as hikers. There is a network of hiking trails leading to at least 8 major waterfalls and as well as multiple smaller ones along several streams that course through the 6700 acres of federal forest land that form the headwaters of the Tuckasegee River. The valley is also home to a rare southern appalachian bog containing varieties of plants found only in this area. There are also granite domes and spectacular cliff faces that frame the valley, leading some to describe Panthertown Valley as the "Yosemite of the East". It is our goal next weekend to do some day-hikes, find some waterfalls, and break out the field guides and do some identification.
Additionally, we tentatively plan on visiting either Turtleback Falls in nearby Gorges State Park or Sliding Rock, both of which form natural rock slides, for some swimming and sliding prior to our return trip home on Sunday.
Our schedule is as follows:
Dates: Saturday, June 7th and Sunday, June 8th.
Times: Meet at First Presbyterian Church at 8am, depart at 8:30. It will be a 2.5 hour drive to Panthertown, so we should arrive in the area at about 11am. We will be stopping for lunch in Brevard, which has several fast food restaurants. On Sunday, we should be returning to Hickory around 5-6 pm. Scouts will be able to call parents as we are getting close to town.
The church buses will be available to us this weekend. Please let the leaders know soon who will be in attendance on this trip, so that we can plan accordingly. Parents are welcome to join us as well. Please let us know if you are planning to attend.
Places: We will be arriving to Panthertown after stopping for lunch on Saturday. We will hike down into the valley approx. 1/2 to 1 mile and set up basecamp near Schoolhouse Falls. We will day-hike (without heavy packs) to several other falls and granite domes. It will be important to practice "Leave No Trace" principles while in this area. This means staying on the trail as much as possible, avoid damaging the native plants, trash management, etc.
Equipment:
- Folding knives and multi-tools only! No straight blades.
- Two scouts per tent.
- We will be cooking over camp stoves this trip, but we'll build campfires if wood is available.
- 2-3 liters of water. If you have a drawstring bag, you could use it to hold water and stuff on our day-hike. If you would like to bring more soft drinks and leave in the vehicles for the return trip, that is fine.
- Headlamp or small flashlight
- Sleeping bag
- Drawstring bag/Camelbak to day-hike
- This is bear country, and we will be bear bagging our food. Don't leave food/snacks in tents. As with gatorade and sodas stored in the vehicles, extra snacks can be stored in the vehicles.
- Bring your swimsuits for playing below waterfalls and on our stop at Turtleback or Sliding Rock. Watershoes wouldn't be a bad idea for Sunday.
- Bring mess kits. We will be cooking individually, so you will need your cups, utensils, etc. If you do not have a camping stove, don’t worry, there will be enough to borrow and the older scouts will be able to assist the younger scouts prepare their meals.
