The Surprising Chaos of a Shortoff Mountain Sunset
Black Balsam Knob is probably my favorite (and most done) hike in Western North Carolina, and 100% my favorite sunset hike to do.
The problem—if you can call it that (it’s a great content engine)—is that Black Balsam Knob, because of its proximity to Asheville (it’s less than an hour drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway), is exceedingly popular, and thus, often very crowded at sunset—it’s also a fairly easy hike, and breathtakingly gorgeous—so could get downright chaotic at times.
The Wild Things I’ve Seen During Black Balsam Knob Sunsets
To wit, here are some things I’ve experienced during Black Balsam sunsets:
So Many Weddings.
You often run into weddings. Like, legit, people getting married with officiants and wedding parties in tow. One time, I saw three weddings happening simultaneously within view of one another (one of the brides got pretty nasty when I declined being a witness to their wedding—honestly, at the time I didn’t realize it was a legality here in NC, and so might’ve said yes, but I was exhausted after a longer hike to Shining Rock and didn’t feel like sitting through a ceremony; I’m sure they found someone). I was there another time where the attendees were legitimately rock scrambling, carrying folding chairs, and dressed formally in heels and dress pants (it felt like the bride and groom really dropped the ball on informing people what to expect on this one). Another night, I counted at least 45 attendees for one wedding, which, honestly, is kind of annoying (because they were blocking the trail).
Ditto for Engagement Photos
Ditto for engagement photos. The most I ended up counting one night was 7, and I remember one sunset where I witnessed two engagement photographers exchanging passive-aggressive niceties through gritted teeth as they both tried to get their couples into the same spots.
Questionable Sexiness
There was once a pregnancy photoshoot where the pregnant woman was dressed in sexy Princess Jasmine cosplay, belly out and nipples visible, which, like, god bless, do your thing, but kind of a wild choice for a very popular hike (it brought to mind the sexy-yet-problematic Native American photoshoot I witnessed at Yellowstone during the pandemic).
Some Church In the Wild
I’ve written before about the church youth group I encountered, which provided a backdrop of worship music as the sun went down. I’ve encountered several church youth groups (or at least groups of people that give off big church-youth-group energy), always singing or very enthusiastically performing quirky fun.
Finally Attempting a Shortoff Mountain Sunset
Shortoff Mountain in Linville Gorge is another one of my favorite hikes in Western North Carolina, but up until last week, I never a Shortoff Mountain sunset, just because it’s a good hour and a half drive from where I live, but now with nothing but time, I decided to give it a whirl.
I was expecting a solitary experience. Shortoff Mountain is a much more vigorous hike than Black Balsam Knob. It’s also not as easy to get to, with Lake James being the closest population center, and requiring a two-mile drive up a narrow, one-lane dirt road, which I initially was going to say could more or less be soundtracked to the Deliverance banjo music, but most of the houses you pass are very expensive-looking.
Different Sunsets, Similar Chaos
Shockingly, the vibes once I got to the top of the hike, and walked along the rim trail on the eastern side of the gorge, were just as chaotic as Black Balsam. Maybe even more chaotic, since the things I listed above at Black Balsam Knob happened on various evenings, while everything listed here occurred last Friday:
- I encountered three separate packs of unsupervised children (5-10 deep) carrying camping supplies and basically running into any hiker they came across (myself included).
- A harmonica-off at a campfire between two men who looked like they were dressed more for an after-office happy hour than a legitimately leg-burning hike.
- One very drunk bachelor party—they had several coolers of beer and a folding table for beer pong, which again, was impressive considering the vertical climb needed to get all that up to the rimside campsites.
- A reunion of some sort that required a professional photographer. Maybe like, the class of ‘74 or something, going by their presumed ages (they gave the same energy as my class-of-’74 father).
- One group of guys who I don’t believe regularly picked up girls, loudly talking amongst themselves about the best place to do just that (general consensus: the rock gym—ask if she needs a belay!).
Still, a Very Nice Time
While it takes more effort to summit Shortoff Mountain, like Black Balsam, the views are pretty impeccable, so I kind of get the chaos. It was just unexpected. I will say, though, that—aside from the rock-gym Romeos—I was able to find a spot to watch the sunset a bit removed from the general craziness (the spot right where the trail flattens and you get your first view of the actual gorge). Would recommend and will be doing again.
AshevilleExplorer 