After a pull-your-hair-out kind of week trying to teach third graders how to tell time while also cramming in article deadlines for The Weekly, Trenton and I decided it was time to pack up our camping gear and head out for the weekend. We’ve lived in North Carolina for about four months now, and we decided it was time to visit the mountains. We asked around for recommended camping spots, but everywhere people recommended was 4-5 hours away from us! So we took to google and decided to head to Boone, NC since it was just 3 hours away.
We headed out on Saturday morning, but just before we were going to leave, I was asked to write up a last minute story about a local festival. So I dashed to the next town over-snapped some pictures-then finally later that morning Trenton and I headed out.
I was a little worried going to some random camp sight that we found online, but it turned out to be really nice! (Even if Trenton literally almost drove us off the mountain on the way there.) There was a fully-furnished teepee in the center that looked amazing (totally going back to stay in it!) and each camping sight came complete with a grill, fire pit, and fire wood. There was even a huge stage in the middle of the camp sight perfect for star gazing.
Setting up our tent was super stressful because the wind was whipping at 40 mph! It was insane. The weather was 30 degrees, and as per the usual, Trenton and I were not the least bit prepared and froze our buts off all weekend. I wore my extra socks as gloves along with four layers of shirts/jackets-and two pairs of pants. Out giant tent was definitely not designed for this type of weather!
We went on a hike and the trees looked so colorful. Since we are from Florida, this was totally new to us! While hiking, we somehow wandered off the trail and ended up on a dirt road. It was getting dark and we were totally freaking out. The little blue markers we had been following were no where to be seen…. We found weird mannequins with missing body parts behind a broken down house, and it looked like those weird cave creatures from the Descent! It was super creepy. The wind and fog was making it hard to function and there was all these half eaten fruit on the trail. I for real felt like it was the start of a horror movie. But luckily we decided to retrace our steps and after a lot of hiking we eventually found a sign taking us back to Blue Bear Mountain.
For dinner, I made foil packets full of ground beef, potatoes, onion and bell pepper and cooked it over the fire. It was a success!
I brought supplies to make breakfast in the morning, but since it was SO COLD we decided to just go to Cracker Barrel where it was warm ha.
Now we have made it back to civilization and I know I am going to sleep so well tonight after sleeping on rocky ground all weekend!!!
~Courtney
Courtney Livingston 
Sounds like fun, Courtney. Many years ago, when I was living in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, I had a friend who lived in a teepee for some time. I don’t think he stayed there in winter, though, although I don’t remember for sure. But winters there are very serious and lots of snow, so I think not.
janet
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Wow that is so cool he lived in a teepee!! I told me husband I wanted one for my backyard so I can live in it haha. Although if I lived in Colorado, I don’t think I’d want to spend winter in one either! That would be way too cold!
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Sounds as though you had a great time!
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It was quite an adventure 😉
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Yeah. This looks like a massive amount of fun. We just moved out to Virginia from Illinois back in April and there really is nothing like the mountain life out here. Love it.
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Oh wow I bet Virginia is beautiful this time of year! And I agree, mountain life is the best.
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Yeah. This is our first fall in Virginia so we’re just now starting to see how beautiful it is here. I’ve heard that people will go on vacation here just to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway.
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This was a super cold weekend for camping! So glad you found your way back to the trail. A night in the woods without protection would not have been a good experience. Thanks for stopping by and following Beauty Along the Road.
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Yea I am so glad I found my way back haha! And your welcome- feel free to follow along as well!
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Sounds fantastic, I’d love to try camping one day!
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I definitely recommend trying it at least once!
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Ho-ho!)) Those days seems like Nirvana)) peaceful place))
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Yea- super peaceful (besides the rain wind haha)
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lol)))
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Sounds great! 🙂 The camping adventure is still missing from my bucket list, but sooner or later I will have one! 🙂
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haha just gotta get out there and do it!
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I’m so glad you pointed this post out to me, it sounds like a real adventure! Your photos make the site look beautiful too, looking forward to reading more 😊
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Thanks, I look forward to yours as well!
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It’s great you enjoyed your trip! Mountains can be tricky sometimes, once I got lost in winter, there was too heavy fog and I got to a place I’d never been to before. That was scary, too. I hope that this wasn’t the last hiking trip of yours 🙂
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