What an interesting night last night! I had a 18 hour break from work and so my friend Brad and I decided to head to Linville Gorge for some hiking, camping, and maybe some storm chasing.
We started out the trip by trying to figure out where to camp. This was a new area of linville gorge to us, so we were hoping to find a primitve place with a nice view. After driving down a gravel road for a few miles, we finally found a perfect spot and set up camp for the night.
As soon as the sun went down, we saw some flashing through the trees. I checked my radar, and I noticed a storm was intensifying over the gorge in front of us. Luckily it was not heading for us, so I decided to find a place to view it. Here is the lightning illuminated storm over Marion NC, as seen from the roof of my car.
After the excitement was over and the storm passed, Brad and I decided it was time to take a night hike. Fortunately our camp site was located near some trails so without thinking twice we started the descent. We made it down about a mile before realizing it was a bad idea to not bring water with us. Fortunately we made it out to the edge of the gorge and had a great 270 degree view. Thirsty and sweaty, we started the hike up.
It was great to find some places to explore, and I am amazed it went so smooth….we saw the beautiful storms but didnt have to fight the rain.
Here is our view of the gorge where we were.
And here is Brad and I at our campsite ready to chop some wood! (Brad on the left)
Exploring NC 