Orienteering Hike to Shortoff Mountain
Sunday, March 28 • 9am-2-ish PM • Wolf Pit Trailhead (Linville Gorge)
Join Wild Forces’ Lead Orienteering Instructor, Jamie Young, for a beginner-friendly, but slightly challenging, hike up to Shortoff Mountain in Linville Gorge. This on-trail class offers the opportunity to learn and practice map and compass skills in a real environment. Shortoff Mountain is the iconic plateau located at the most southern end of Linville Gorge. The hike up to the top involves several switchbacks as we climb around 1200' in elevation. This mountainside has suffered several fires in the past decade that have left it a rather exposed trail which offers tons of open views and opportunities to locate topographic landmarks like Lake James and Table Rock.
You will receive a link to some pre-course material to familiarize yourself with some orienteering fundamentals before hitting the trail. We strongly recommend participants review it so they can jump into putting skills into practice and/or have questions ready so we can help you pick up the skill quicker during the hike!
Trail Details
Length: 5.5 miles
Elevation: 1200’
Difficulty: Moderate (challenging elevation gain)
Terrain: Exposed (little shade & wind protection), rocky/rooty (good boots and sunscreen recommended!)
Class/Hike Duration: 5 hours
Parking: dirt parking area at trailhead, please do not block any gates
Road Conditions: High clearance vehicle recommended but not totally required. Smaller vehicles, please navigate slowly to avoid any deep holes or runoff-ruts.
What to Bring
10 Essentials for Day Hiking is a great place to start, at the bare minimum we recommend the following:
Good close-toed shoes with traction (please, no flip flops or sandals unless you regularly hike in shoes like Chacos, Tevas, Bedrock, etc.)
Layers- Shortoff is a very exposed trail so you will want to bring along extra layers to protect from potential wind chill and/or sun exposure
Rain gear
Backpack
2-3 Liters of water
Snacks & Lunch
Headlamp/Flashlight
First Aid including any personal medication (insulin, epi-pens, imitrex, etc. Please chat with your instructor to let them know where emergency medication is located in your pack, if needed)
Notebook & pencil (pencil preferred for using on maps)
Hiking/trekking poles- *optional
Battery pack for phone/camera- *optional
Survival gear - *optional: knife, fire starters, emergency shelter, etc.
Maps & Compasses are provided but feel free to bring along your own.
We use and recommend the following in class:
Map: Pisgah Map Company
Compass: Suunto M-3
Compass: Suunto M-2 (mirror)
a mirror is a great feature in a compass for a few reasons, so we do recommend this version over the basic model
Your Instructor: Jamie Young
Certifications: Wilderness First Aid
Growing up in Western North Carolina, Jamie spent her summers hiking and backpacking in the Appalachian Mountains. While attending Appalachian State University, she completed courses in Backpacking, Orienteering, Backcountry Ethics, and worked at the University's outdoor center. She has been volunteering with local women's groups for the past few years leading beginner backpacking and camping trips. Recently she has volunteered as an instructor offering classes in basic map and compass skills as well as orienteering workshops.
Cancellation/Refund Policies and other FAQ’s can be found HERE.