Birkhead Mountain (Philmont '27 Shakedown Trek 1)





Great job yesterday, Troop 288! 🥾⛰️

Birkhead by the Numbers:
🥾 About 10 miles — including a couple of bonus miles courtesy of a few wrong turns 😄
⛰️ ~2,600 ft of elevation gain
⏱️ Over 5 hours on the trail

We headed into Birkhead planning to spend the night, but the trail had other plans for us!

Several of the creeks and water sources we expected to use were completely dry. With the heat and no dependable source to replenish everyone's water, we made the decision to adjust our plans and hike out rather than camp overnight.

Along the way, we dropped our full packs for about 1.5 miles to hike up to Cooler’s Knob, the highest  point in Uwharrie, which was a welcome break. We also made a couple of wrong turns that pushed the Scouts' total mileage closer to 10 miles — a good reminder of the importance of navigation and checking the map at trail intersections.

Then Birkhead gave us one final challenge: the last 1.7 miles were through a thunderstorm and heavy downpour. ⛈️🌧️ By the time we reached the trailhead, I think everyone was ready to see the cars!

We may not have spent the night, but this was still a successful backpacking trip. The Scouts carried their packs over challenging terrain, dealt with heat and limited water, navigated the trail, adapted when conditions changed, and kept moving when the weather turned on us.

Sometimes good backcountry leadership means knowing when to change the plan. Everyone handled a challenging day quite well, and we came home with some good lessons—and probably a few wet clothes!

Great job, everyone! ⚜️

Link to All Photos HERE 





Location: Birkhead Mountains Wilderness, Asheboro, NC 27205, USA

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