Anyone here hiked Mountains-to-Sea Segment 2? Have a question....

[cubrock]

Every summer, members of our household go on a backpacking trip with my brother-in-law and whatever youngun's he brings along. This year, he is proposing doing MST 2. Looks like a challenging trip and good training (if not harder than) for our Montana trip later in the summer.

I read in the trail guide that backcountry camping (i.e., pick your own spot) is prohibited in the first 20 miles of the trail eastbound. We were going to go west to east, so this will affect us the first day. I can't find any marked camping sites before mile 20.4. Which means 20.4 miles of hiking (with some serious elevation losses and then gains back) in that section before we can stop for the night. In the trail profile below, we are starting on the left and heading to the right.

Has anyone hiked this? Am I correct there are no camping sites in that section? How did you handle it?

 

[chiefjason]

Waterock Knob to Middle Prong? That might be because of the proximity to the parkway. Fed land gets weird.

FWIW middle Prong east is camp anywhere. Might have to start working walking distance of middle Prong.

 

[cubrock]

Waterock Knob to Middle Prong? That might be because of the proximity to the parkway. Fed land gets weird.

FWIW middle Prong east is camp anywhere. Might have to start working walking distance of middle Prong.

Yes, it is because the trail runs along Parkway land. Gonna a be a hard, long first day, I guess.

 

[MacEntyre]

Hitchhike it...

 

[GymB]

I would hike light to warm up, have most gear dropped at the first camp instead of packing it all the first day. You get to do the full distance without too much risk from a long/heavy first day. You just gotta bribe someone to make camp and chill the beer while you're on the trail.

 

[cubrock]

I would hike light to warm up, have most gear dropped at the first camp instead of packing it all the first day. You get to do the full distance without too much risk from a long/heavy first day. You just gotta bribe someone to make camp and chill the beer while you're on the trail.

There is pretty much no dropping gear on this section of the MST. It is the most remote section with the least road access, even though it follows the Blue Ridge Parkway most of the way.

 

[chiefjason]

There is pretty much no dropping gear on this section of the MST. It is the most remote section with the least road access, even though it follows the Blue Ridge Parkway most of the way.

No it's not. There is road access to the MST in Middle Prong. I've been dropped off at an overlook, crossed the road, hiked 15' into the woods and bam, MST. Rough Butt Bald overlook is across the Parkway from the MST and likely the first real possibility to camp.

Slack pack the first day. Park a car with your gear close to Middle Prong and grab it on the way by. Might cost you some time in extra car shuttles but if you do 20 the first day you have a bit of time to burn.

 

[cubrock]

No it's not. There is road access to the MST in Middle Prong. I've been dropped off at an overlook, crossed the road, hiked 15' into the woods and bam, MST. Rough Butt Bald overlook is across the Parkway from the MST and likely the first real possibility to camp.

Slack pack the first day. Park a car with your gear close to Middle Prong and grab it on the way by. Might cost you some time in extra car shuttles but if you do 20 the first day you have a bit of time to burn.

Thanks for that. I was going off what the trail guide said, they there are road crossings, but less options for resupply than any other section.

 

[cubrock]

So, we have decided to do something less aggressive and closer to home. Looking at MST-4 (which one of my sons and my brother in law have done already) and MST-5. Maybe doing a hybrid starting in the latter half of 4 and first half of 5. That also has an advantage of being close enough to home that our wives can drop us off, pick us up, and resupply if necessary. Harder to do on segment 2.

We will save segment 2 for another trip.

Thanks to everyone for your help!