A conversation with Joe Miller
Author of Backpacking North Carolina:
The Definitive Guide to 43 Can't-Miss Trips from Mountains to Sea
Published March 21, 2011
$45.00 cloth, ISBN 978-0-8078-3455-8
$20.00 paperback, ISBN 978-0-8078-7183-6
Q: This book is the first-ever stand-alone guidebook to backpacking in North Carolina.
What motivated you to create it?
A: I think a lot of hikers are intrigued by the idea of backpacking, of extending their journey into
the woods, but aren’t sure where to start. There’s a good deal of information out there on gear,
but not much on where to go once you’ve got the gear. And trying to piece together a route based
on hiking guides, which focus on day trips and hearsay, is a dicey proposition. My goal was to
create a guide that identified good trips and provided just about everything you’d need to know
to plan and take those trips.
Q: What kind of audience are you hoping to reach with the publication of this guidebook?
Beginners? Or more seasoned backpackers?
A: The book should appeal to any backpacker, regardless of experience level, because even the
most experienced backpacker will find a new trip or a new approach to a trip he or she already is
familiar with. But it’s really geared toward the beginner/novice. I run into a lot of hikers who
like the idea of backpacking but are intimidated by the misperception that it is an arduous task
intended only for the most hale and fit—and folks who don’t mind being uncomfortable. That’s
just not the case, thanks in large part to technological advances that have made equipment
lighter, more efficient, and less quirky.
Q: What does Backpacking North Carolina have to offer to readers that other guidebooks
do not?
A: There are a plethora of hiking guides for North Carolina, some covering the entire state, some
specific regions. All focus on day hikes. Backpacking North Carolina focuses on longer trips
and includes specific backpacking information—camp sites, water availability, nearest outfitter
in case you forget to pack socks—that guides with a day-hike emphasis don’t have. In addition to
the details of a trip, this book gives a better sense of the experience. I think it’s important for
readers to know, for instance, that you should expect to emerge from a trip with mud on your
behind and broken tree parts wedged in your backpack (Linville Gorge, No. 6), or that web feet
are a plus on a trip rife with water crossings (Wilson Creek’s Harper Creek, No. 9).
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2-2-2 Backpacking North Carolina
Q: This book features what you consider to be the 43 best backpacking trips in North
Carolina. Did you hike all of these trails before writing this book? Did you write/take notes
for the book during these journeys?
A: Yes. You can’t make this stuff up—if you try, the reader will very quickly unearth your
deceit, and that will cast doubt on the entire book. Besides, who wouldn’t want to do all these
trips? And yes, I have dozens of little notebooks with illegible scrawl taken on the fly and at
night in the tent, notebooks that had to be transcribed immediately upon returning to the office
while their meaning was still fresh.
Q: In the prologue, you mention that backpacking is no longer a “sufferfest.” What did you
mean by that?
A: Boy, where to start? People used to backpack in jeans; your jeans get a little wet, you stay a
lot wet for the rest of the trip. Tents used to be terrible at shedding water; just brushing against
one would break the surface tension that was keeping the rain out. Cooking was done over a fire
(which was fine for beans and franks, but nothing more enticing); we used yucky iodine tablets
to purify our water; we had no featherweight sleeping pads to help lull us to sleep—and we liked
it. Or at least pretended to, unaware that the technological advances ahead would make
backpacking so much more enjoyable.
Q: This book includes several sidebars with unusual information, such as solitude ratings,
whether or not a trail is family friendly, bailout options, etc. Why do you think this
information is valuable to readers?
A: We all seek different experiences on a backpacking trip. Sometimes we just want to get away
from it all and not encounter another human being. If we go with the family, we don’t want a trip
with the potential to turn into a “Survivor” episode. And if we pull up lame, our water purifier
doesn’t purify, or the weather goes further south than we’re equipped to deal with, then it’s
helpful to know if there’s a bailout option. I included some of these entries based on my personal
experience, some based on conversations with other backpackers and aspiring backpackers.
Q: What regions/trails would you recommend for someone who has never been
backpacking before?
A: A great starter trip is No. 35, the Birkhead Wilderness of the Uwharrie National Forest. It’s an
easy, 7.4-mile loop with gentle ups-and-downs, mild weather, water where you need it. The loop
negates the need for setting up a pesky shuttle car, and it’s centrally located, an hour, give or
take, from Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle. Another good beginner trip is No. 40, Raven
Rock State Park. The Campbell Creek loop is just 5 miles, but the wilderness campsite is in a
surprisingly remote location.
Q: You mention how important backpacking gear is to the overall backpacking experience.
What do you recommend for those that don’t want to spend a lot of money on buying the
latest equipment and gear?
A: You don’t have to buy the best gear; there’s good, solid gear available cheap. A few years
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3-3-3 Backpacking North Carolina
back Backpacker Magazine sent a couple of editors into a Wal-Mart with $200, and they
emerged with a full complement of backpacking gear that they then took on a trip and found
extremely functional. The main thing you pay for with big-buck items is weight. You can pay
$100 for a titanium cookset that weighs 18 ounces or you can pay half that for an aluminum
cookset that weighs twice as much. Also, if you’re not sure you’re ready to take the plunge,
several outfitters rent the more pricey items—tent, backpack, etc.—and if you go with an
experienced group, you can mooch off them for cooking gear, water filters, and other
backpacking-specific equipment.
Q: Most of the trails in your book are located in the mountains of North Carolina. What
makes this region such a popular place for backpackers?
A: We’ve got two national forests—Pisgah and Nantahala—with nearly 2.5 million acres of
wooded land. We’ve got the highest mountains east of the Black Hills of South Dakota; we’ve
got some of the nation’s most photogenic waterfalls; we’ve got mysterious balds that afford
stellar views. And it’s all very accessible. It’s a backpacker’s playground.
Q: Throughout the book, you provide several anecdotes about your own personal
experiences hiking some of these trails. What do you hope people will learn by reading
them?
A: What not to do. I am not a natural outdoorsman, I make lots of everyman mistakes out in the
woods. While it’s a pain for me, I think—hope—it’s helpful to the reader.
Q: When did you first become an avid hiker/backpacker?
A: Curiously, I grew up in Colorado but only went on one backpacking trip, which was
something of a comic disaster. It wasn’t until I moved to North Carolina in 1992 and started
rediscovering the outdoors (I lived five years in Dallas before that, so simply having nature was a
treat) that I really got into backpacking. My first trip was in 1994 in the Uwharrie National
Forest’s Birkhead Wilderness. I had a freeze-dried ice cream sandwich one night in camp and
was hooked.
Q: Which trail (featured in this book) is your absolute favorite? What makes it so special?
A: I’m supposed to demur at picking a favorite, but I won’t. Much as I love the Shining Rock
Wilderness, my favorite trip is No. 23, the 14 miles of Appalachian Trail between Carvers Gap
and US 19E. Hiking south to north, you start off with three of the best balds in the state—Round,
Jane and Grassy Ridge—then head through a tunnel of mountain ash. On Hump Mountain, a
high bald a ways down the trail, I counted eleven ridgelines disappearing west into Tennessee
one clear afternoon. One stunning view after another.
Q: You briefly discuss how the “back-to-nature movement” of the late 1960s and early
1970s made backpacking popular. Do you think that backpacking is as popular now as it
was back then?
A: According to The Outdoor Foundation, backpacking is one of the fastest growing outdoor
activities in the nation, though that’s based on figures for the past few years. How it compares to
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4-4-4 Backpacking North Carolina
the 1970s is difficult to say, since reliable figures weren’t kept that far back. Anecdotally, it’s
hard for me to say since I lived in Colorado, one of the epicenters of the nation’s backpacking
movement, in the 1970s. Based on what I’ve seen on the North Carolina’s trails over the past few
years, I’d say that backpacking is certainly alive and well today.
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This interview may be reprinted in its entirety with the following credit: A conversation with Joe
Miller, author of Backpacking North Carolina: The Definitive Guide to 43 Can't-Miss Trips
from Mountains to Sea (University of North Carolina Press, Spring 2011). The text of this
interview is available at www.ibiblio.org/uncp/media/miller/.
PUBLISHING DETAILS
ISBN 978-0-8078-3455-8 $45.00 cloth; ISBN 978-0-8078-7183-6 $20.00 paper
Publication date: March 21, 2011
256 pp., 39 illus., 47 elevation maps, 40 maps, bibl., index
http://uncpress.unc.edu/books/T-9009/html
The University of North Carolina Press, www.uncpress.unc.edu
116 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-3808
919-966-3561 (office); 1-800-848-6224 (orders); 919-966-3829 (fax)
CONTACTS
Publicity: Gina Mahalek, 919-962-0581; gina_mahalek@unc.edu
Sales: Michael Donatelli, 919-962-0475; michael_donatelli@unc.edu
Rights: Vicky Wells, 919-962-0369; vicky_wells@unc.edu