Shining Rock Wilderness - Hiking & Camping

In early April, I hiked to Shining Rock, camped out, and hiked back the next morning. I hiked in on the Ivestor Gap Trail and hiked out on the Art Loeb Trail (ALT). I've been on both of these trails in warmer weather, but even in early spring the area is beautiful. But the pictures and videos don't do it justice. You have to be there to understand.
In the upper elevations of the NC mountains, April is still winter. In this video you won't see flowers, but you will see some snow and ice. That night, the temperature dropped to 24ºF and the next day the highs were in the low 50s. I passed only 3 people on my way in, but after 4PM no one was out on the trails. Judging from everything I had read, I was expecting to see no one else around Shining Rock.
Much to my surprise, when I arrived at the base, a family of five and another individual had set up their campsites. I found a space for myself and dropped my gear to give my back a rest. I quickly pitched my tent, stashed my bear canister, and headed up to the top for sunset. Again, much to my surprise, there were two groups camping near the summit. Evidently, this is a pretty popular area - maybe due the water source nearby at Shining Rock Creek.
The view at the top is worth every step along the way. Be careful if you decide to climb on the rocks. It looks like they're covered in snow, but it's actually the purest natural quartzite I've ever seen and it's all over the place. This is why the area is called Shining Rock.
Bears are known to be in this area, so take precaution. Although I didn't see any bears, I did hear one towards the top of Grassy Cove Top. At the time of this hike, the trail going over Grassy Cove Top was actually closed due to erosion, but there is only one sign indicating closure and it's on the south side. I, however, approached on the north side. I heard a deep grunt coming from back in the thick brambles that surround these trails. It sounded similar to when a dog lays down to rest after doing a lot of physical activity, only much deeper and, well, "bear-like." I knew there was only one animal that could make that sound and I didn't stick around long enough to see if my suspicion was correct, not did I panic. I just kept walking and enjoying my day on the trails. Leave the animals alone and they will return the favor.
All in all, I had a great time and look forward to doing this hike again one day. I recommend wearing pants and long sleeves due to the narrowness of the Art Loeb Trail. Wild blackberry bushes engulf parts of the ALT and you will probably get scratched up if you're just wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
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