Linville East Ridge on a Warm December Sunday
Looking south towards Shortoff Mountain from the trail going up The Chimneys.
Topographical map of my route. I started from the bottom (south) and went out and back.
Sunday, December 16, 2018 brought a warm weekend to the Carolinas and a great opportunity for a hike. I headed out to one of my favorite spots, Linville Gorge, which is about 2 hours from Charlotte.
My route went from the Wolf Pit Trail Head, up Shortoff Mountain, through Chimney Gap, up to The Chimneys, and back. It is hard to find a spot in the Linville Gorge without incredible scenery and this route is no exception.
Cool air and a low-pressure system with scattered clouds made for great visibility with really cool lighting effects as the sun filtered through to the rugged terrain below.
However, the wind was truly exceptional. Asheville Regional Airport recorded an average of 11 mph gusting to 30. Being a few thousand feet higher on the gorge rim, I’d estimate the gusts at closer to 60 mph. I’ve been exploring the outdoors for decades, and it was the strongest wind I have felt on Planet Earth, reminded me of skydiving on a cool day by how it filled my nose and affected my hearing. On the higher peaks, maintaining balance was actually a challenge. I felt like a hurricane reporter without any need to fake the funk for a few internet clicks.
With that said, the day was exceptionally beautiful, made more so by the interesting weather. It was a great hike to remember.
My route went from the Wolf Pit Trail Head, up Shortoff Mountain, through Chimney Gap, up to The Chimneys, and back. It is hard to find a spot in the Linville Gorge without incredible scenery and this route is no exception.
Cool air and a low-pressure system with scattered clouds made for great visibility with really cool lighting effects as the sun filtered through to the rugged terrain below.
However, the wind was truly exceptional. Asheville Regional Airport recorded an average of 11 mph gusting to 30. Being a few thousand feet higher on the gorge rim, I’d estimate the gusts at closer to 60 mph. I’ve been exploring the outdoors for decades, and it was the strongest wind I have felt on Planet Earth, reminded me of skydiving on a cool day by how it filled my nose and affected my hearing. On the higher peaks, maintaining balance was actually a challenge. I felt like a hurricane reporter without any need to fake the funk for a few internet clicks.
With that said, the day was exceptionally beautiful, made more so by the interesting weather. It was a great hike to remember.
Trail Notes
Start - mile 2. The climb up Shortoff: 1250' climb up to 3100' with an average grade of 11%. Trail is steep in a couple of places but easy to follow and in good condition. The climb is not immaterial, but consider it a warm up for the first part of The Chimneys!
Mile 2 - Mile 4. Along the Shortoff plateau: The trail undulates up and down before topping out at 3100'. This is some of my favorite walking in North Carolina through scrub and tree stands with beautiful views around many turns. At times, the trail can be difficult to discern in the sandy scrub. If things start getting thicker than seems right, backtracking to confirm you are on the path might be a good idea before you are too far off.
Mile 4 - Mile 5.6. Descend down from Shortoff into Chimney gap: Total descent is 760' with an average downward grade of 8%.
Mile 5.6 - Mile 6.6. Climb The Chimneys: The total ascent is 1100' maxing out around 3550', but the first .8 miles of it goes up 880' with a 20% grade which will warm up the lungs and legs of most. The good news is that when you complete that section, the rest of the climb is through a beautiful wooded saddle type terrain feature with a fantastic look at the northern-ish section of the gorge upon completion. If you choose to continue, you have arrived at the unbelievable Chimney ridge section which will take you to the Table Rock trailhead parking lot and Table Rock Mountain just beyond that. However, this is where I turned around. Perhaps when the days are longer, I'll go farther.
Mile 6.6 - Completion: This was an out and back hike so it's the same as above in reverse!
Mile 2 - Mile 4. Along the Shortoff plateau: The trail undulates up and down before topping out at 3100'. This is some of my favorite walking in North Carolina through scrub and tree stands with beautiful views around many turns. At times, the trail can be difficult to discern in the sandy scrub. If things start getting thicker than seems right, backtracking to confirm you are on the path might be a good idea before you are too far off.
Mile 4 - Mile 5.6. Descend down from Shortoff into Chimney gap: Total descent is 760' with an average downward grade of 8%.
Mile 5.6 - Mile 6.6. Climb The Chimneys: The total ascent is 1100' maxing out around 3550', but the first .8 miles of it goes up 880' with a 20% grade which will warm up the lungs and legs of most. The good news is that when you complete that section, the rest of the climb is through a beautiful wooded saddle type terrain feature with a fantastic look at the northern-ish section of the gorge upon completion. If you choose to continue, you have arrived at the unbelievable Chimney ridge section which will take you to the Table Rock trailhead parking lot and Table Rock Mountain just beyond that. However, this is where I turned around. Perhaps when the days are longer, I'll go farther.
Mile 6.6 - Completion: This was an out and back hike so it's the same as above in reverse!
Aerial image of my Garmin Fenix 5X track with notable landmarks called out.
Garmin Fenix 5X Numbers
Heart rate in red and elevation in gray. Lots of little dips where I stopped to take pictures.
Summary of some of the key data. 13 miles and 4100' of climbing! That's always a good time.
GPX File Containing my Route
Download the GPX file from my Fenix 5X here:
Linville East Wolfpit to Chimneys and Back GPX
It can be easily converted into a route or course using BaseCamp which should be free if you have a Garmin device.
Linville East Wolfpit to Chimneys and Back GPX
It can be easily converted into a route or course using BaseCamp which should be free if you have a Garmin device.
