Shining Rock backpacking 1 night

Join me for an 10.6 mile end of summer overnight backpacking adventure in Shining Rock Wilderness.

Bear Canister Required. Well behaved dogs welcome.
Moderate/Difficult.

We'll be hiking from the Black Balsam/Sam Knob Trailhead out to Shining Rock Gap along the Art Lobe Trail. The views from Black Balsam, Tennent Mountain, and Shining Rock offer multiple and expansive panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Day 1: 8:45 AM - Meet at Black Balsam Trailhead and start hiking by 9AM. This is a very popular trailhead so we are meeting a little earlier to ensure we all get parking.
Hike ~4.4 miles up to Shining Rock Gap via Art Lobe spur (108) and the Art Lobe trail.
We'll have time to hang out and enjoy the phenomenal views from Black Balsam and Tennent Mountain on the way. There is quite a bit of camping in Shining Rock Gap, but starting promptly at 9AM is key to ensuring we have enough space for our group so please don't be late.

Day 2: We'll make a figure 8 to get back to our car. We'll leave from Shining Rock Gap taking Little East Fork (107) briefly until we meet Ivestor Gap Trail (101) and take that back to Ivestor Gap. There we'll take a left and follow Greasy Cove (362) a short way until we take a right onto Graveyard Ridge (356). We'll take GRT until we turn right on the Mountains-to-sea trail and take that back to the Art Lobe to get back to our cars via a short road walk or back up Art Lobe to the Art Lobe Spur (108)
Ascent - 2,344 ft
Descent - 2,345 ft
Max Elevation - 6,189 ft
Be prepared for upper 40s to low 50s where we're camping at night.
Bear canister required in Shining Rock Wilderness due to very active bears in the area.
You can see the route mapped on Gaia if you click here.
Here is a link to the trailhead where we're meeting: https://goo.gl/maps/21DcKLBaYKTdud777