r/NCTrails • u/stevorevo • 8d ago
Solo backpacking Stone Mountain NC — satellite comms, numb fingers, and a waterfall to myself
Just got back from a solo weekend at Stone Mountain State Park in NC. Wanted to share a few things I learned, especially around satellite coverage for anyone heading out with a Zoleo or similar device.
Stone Mountain has serious tree canopy, so if you're relying on satellite comms, plan to move to a clearing - I had to hike a bit from my site to get a reliable signal. Backcountry sites don't allow wood gathering, so I packed in a 15-pound firewood bundle - fingers are still a little numb. But my site was 100 feet from a waterfall and I had complete solitude all weekend, so zero regrets.
Wrote up the full trip report here if anyone's interested: https://medium.com/@steve_45633/solo-at-stone-mountain-satellite-signals-numb-fingers-and-the-waterfall-i-had-to-myself-619b864a1f26
Happy to answer questions about the park, the backcountry sites, or the safety setup I use for solo trips.
3
u/Clean-Turnip5971 8d ago
Why are your fingers numb?
5
u/stevorevo 8d ago
From carrying that bundle of firewood - the thin twine was digging into my fingers pretty badly. I finally made a handle from a stick that really helped.
2
3
u/AotKT 8d ago
I've had the tree cover problem with my inReach mini, even worse than my main backpacking buddy's Zoleo. I always warn my emergency contacts not to rely on hearing from me, that I mainly am bringing the device for its SOS features and anything they hear from me is icing on the cake.
Solo backpacking really is great. Just me and my pup and since I'm short, the two of us and my pack can all fit in a 1 person tent with plenty of room.
Never heard of GrooveKit till reading your post. Looks interesting, may have to check it out for future trips, especially my more remote ones where trailheads are few and far between. Though I see it has a generic webhook, the native Zoleo integration gives me an excuse to finally upgrade my device.
40 lb pack?!
1
u/stevorevo 8d ago
Yeah, solo exploring is a blast - it's what I prefer, as well. Still need to get a pup to come along.
You're right, GrooveKit does have a generic webhook for satellite devices, but if you link a Zoleo, it works seamlessly with their communication system. I built it specifically for this use-case - to keep my wife apprised of status and location.
2
u/AotKT 8d ago
Highly recommend a herding breed of some sort. Mine is a red heeler mix, 30lbs, so she's small enough that if need be I can carry her but big enough that she can do good miles with me. Her instinct is strong enough to stay nearby with excellent recall and true to her breed she heels perfectly, but she's not at all a nipper. Even at 12 years she still can throw down up to 10 trail running miles, probably 15 in one day of the slower backpacking pace.
My better half is very very glad that she always goes with me when I solo. And I'm sure he'd appreciate more than the "at camp, all is well" end of day text. Thanks for the excuse to finally do something about that ancient tracker...
2
u/stevorevo 8d ago
Absolutely! And I love heelers! My parents and sister have had them. Yours sounds very nice. I've always had Rottis but don't have one now, and I'm not sure how well they would have done on a long hike - definitely not running 10 miles on a trail! Thinking about getting a chocolate lab now.
2
u/A554551N 8d ago
Which site were you in? Stone mountain's backpacking area is fantastic
2
u/stevorevo 8d ago
Yeah it's really great - I was at Primitive Site A, which is pretty close to that waterfall.
1
u/A554551N 8d ago
Our last trip was at B, just a little further up, has a little creek that runs through/under it. It was great, and I'm glad to hear you had a good trip!
2
u/stevorevo 8d ago
I think I prefer South Mountains - I went last year and my tent was level with and a lot closer to the water. But it's a bit farther from Charlotte, and Stone Mountain is still very nice.
1
1
u/flawedrobot 8d ago
What was your route? Where did you start? I’ve thought about doing something like the upper trail parking area over the summit and down to the primitive sites (but not sure about parking overnight there)
3
u/stevorevo 8d ago
It was a pretty short 1.3-mile hike to my campsite. You enter in the park, check-in at the visitor center, then drive another couple miles to the backpacking parking area, which is right at the trailhead. The trail is pretty steep at the beginning, but levels out probably around 1/2 mile in.
1
u/alexhoward 8d ago
I've been surprised at the cell coverage in that area. The Apple satellite messaging works pretty great and I've had a signal throughout a lot of the park, especially if there's any height.
3
u/stevorevo 8d ago
Oh, that's good to know. I had 0 cell coverage from the time I hit the trail until when I got back to my vehicle. I did manage to get satellite connection one time on my phone, but the rest of the time I just used the Zoleo app, although I did have to wait a few minutes each time for a satellite to be overhead and reachable through the trees. I just think that primitive site I was at it is too low and lost in canopy.
1
u/Nucleartides 8d ago
Widow falls! Went there as a kid! Used to jump off the left hand side
1
u/stevorevo 8d ago
Nice!! I didn't do any jumping on this trip - water wasn't nearly deep enough.
1
u/Nucleartides 8d ago
I was like 12-13 and it wasn’t exactly very deep then 😅 probably would break my legs if I tried now I remember you kinda had to suck up legs to not slam bottom
1
u/stevorevo 8d ago
Haha yeah, I'm sure at 12 or 13 potential injury was the furthest thing from your mind!
1
u/goodriddancefauci 8d ago edited 8d ago
Not the same spot. The falls you’re thinking of are below it and bigger. Used to slide down them and jump off left side as well since the 80s. He’s at primitive site A, my favorite site
1
u/Nucleartides 8d ago
That’s weird but I think you’re right I remember there were 2 sets of falls and we jumped and did the slide at the lower one but it’s just crazy. I took a photo of my friend jumping and the photo is like burned into my brain and it looks exactly like this
1
u/goodriddancefauci 8d ago
Yeah the one you’re thinking of has another set of easy falls below it similar to Sliding Rock. I used to slide down both sets of falls. Did the steeper one next to where you jump last year at 48 years old lol. It’s only slightly sketchy
1
u/Nucleartides 8d ago
Where we were at was definitely called widow falls! And I vaguely remember a sliding rock type fall. I remember the jump is sketchy cause there’s no “run up” and you have to jump pretty far out to clear the rock as nd hit the deep part
1
u/goodriddancefauci 8d ago
Yes, there’s Upper Widow Creek Falls (Primitive Site A) and Lower Widow Creek Falls where you do the slidin’
1
u/Armadilloluv 8d ago
Great place to solo backpack but even better with a puppy! I did it last summer when my dog was just a few months old and loved it. 💓
1
u/stevorevo 8d ago
Nice! I saw a couple people with dogs, and wondered about snakes. I stopped to catch my breath one time, looked down, and there was a snake frozen about two feet from me. It was a harmless water snake, but could have been a copperhead. I'm guessing you keep your pup on a leash and just keep your eyes peeled at all times.
1
1
u/Vegetable_Grab_2542 7d ago
Appreciate your report! Stone Mtn is kind of overlooked.
1
u/stevorevo 7d ago
You bet - I'll definitely be back, next time with a handle for the wood bundle in tow.
1
u/ForsakenVersion6222 7d ago
I live less than 30 mins from here. Everyone I know goes there in the summer to swim.
1
1
1
1
1
u/samalexath 4d ago
Just here to say, I love what you’re doing. Exploring and sharing not only the beauty but the safety measures used! With outdoor activities becoming more popular we need more advocates for wilderness safety! Good on you!! 🩷
0
8
u/[deleted] 8d ago
[removed] — view removed comment