Panthertown Valley, NC - February 2004 - This was a really cold backpacking trip into

Panthertown (Google Map).  We had spent the past couple of years braving the Colorado

winters, and I figured we wouldn't have any problems backpacking in North Carolina in

February.  But, man, humidity makes it feel so much colder!  It snowed a little on us overnight.

The biggest problem we're learning about camping in the winter, though, is just that it stays

dark for so long.  You end up spending literally 13 hours in the tent...and that can get pretty

miserable.  But we did it anyway.  The wind was horrendous at night.  We managed to find a

fairly sheltered camp site, but the wind howling up through the ravine was pretty bad.  I kept

being worried that trees were going to get blown over on us...yee haw!