A Dark Sky Adventure
By April Ryan | Published: Monday, August 27, 2021
I live close to a city. In fact, I live approximately a mile and a half from downtown Charlotte, NC. The decision to purchase a home so close to a major metropolitan center certainly turned out to be a great financial investment. And gazing at the skyline from my front porch makes me feel as if I’ve got my finger on the pulse of the city. However, it’s really a terrible place to attempt astronomy.
The sky never quite turns black at night; it always remains a dusky, dark grey. In comparison to the appearance of the night sky when I visit my parents at the beach, my homebase’s celestial vista is quite lacking. I didn’t know when I purchased my telescope last year in an attempt to stave off Covid-induced boredom that I would be bitten hard by the astronomy bug. It’s extremely possible, had I to do it all over again, I would have ended up a country mouse, far from the city lights. So, what’s an amateur astronomer to do when she can’t see the stars? If the stars won’t come to her, she’ll have to go to the stars.
Pisgah National Forest, located in the Great Smoky Mountains, is my local neck of the woods in Appalachia. A place my parents have been traveling to since before I was born. This region has always held a significant place in my heart. I grew up camping, hiking, swimming, and tubing here. Visiting the area continues to be one of my highest felicities. Usually when you want to go camping, you grab a friend or a group or people and make an event out of it. But with as much as I adore waking up to the glow of a tent overhead and hanging out in the woods all day, my constant requests to get out of town start to try the patience of even my closest friends and family. Once again, what’s a girl to do? Well, I woke up one day and realized I’m a fully-fledged adult with a loyal and protective dog; I do what I want! Thus, I plotted how to camp on my own. The stars were waiting.
where I live vs. where I was going to chase darker skies.
Obstacle #1: How do you set up a tent alone? Answer: You ask Google about it, and you find a fantastic instant, pop-up tent.
I did my due diligence and selected the Magellan Outdoors Pro SwiftRise 4-Person Hub Tent. I wanted a tent I could stand up in, one that did not necessitate me hunching and squatting just to change my clothes. I needed something roomy, easy to wrangle up on my lonesome. This tent fit the bill and came with all the bells and whistles. I was able to erect it in about 10 to 15 minutes, while simultaneously reading the instructions because I’m far too stubborn to practice putting the tent up beforehand.
And, the bells and whistles I mentioned, they make this little tent feel like a home. Vented windows, floor to ceiling, make the tent bright and airy, with a wonderful cross-breeze. Four ceiling windows made of plastic allow light in even if it’s raining, but with handy little flaps to cover them if, say, the moon is shining too brightly on your face while you’re trying to sleep. Built-in, battery-powered string lights with three brightness setting mean you don’t have to lug in a lantern or headlamp every time you need something out of the tent at night.
Obstacle #2: Safety. Answer: Personal alarm, pepper spray, and the aforementioned protective dog. Also, a well-established campground with lots of guests if you can manage it.
I shopped around and settled on the Birdie Personal Alarm, with an ear-piercing “130db alarm and flashing strobe light designed to deter an attack”. I also ordered pepper spray. I like that it can be used at a distance so you would not need to get right up on your attacker for it to be effective. I purchased a little lock for the tent to keep it somewhat secure while I was away from the campsite and while I was sleeping.
I posted up at a campground I had visited twice before with a group of people. I was familiar with the campground owners and picked out a site I felt sure would not be isolated. A busy campground pulls double duty, with people around to hear if you get into trouble with a human assailant or a wildlife encounter. The other thing I did was to bring two camping chairs, even though I only needed one for myself. I felt like the casual observer would not mark the camp site as one to watch if they saw evidence of at least two people in residence.
I don’t want to get too deep into why I went to these lengths to feel adequately prepared for danger, nor start a debate about what it is like to be a female on her own in the world. I have always wanted to travel alone. I instantly fell in love with cover art for an issue of AirBnB Magazine advertising an article within entitled “Solo Traveler”. It is now framed on my wall as a reminder. Don’t get me wrong, I love exploring new places with those that are closest to me, but there is something very alluring about embarking on an adventure sans other people.
To be reliant solely on yourself, accountable to no one else while you slate your wanderlust, to me, seems a very bold move. To do this means facing certain grim facts about the nature of human cruelty. All this being said, please be wary; nothing precludes you from an attack while venturing on your own. Be smart, be vigilant of your surroundings, and take preventative safety measure.
Obstacle #3: Ok, you’re here, now what? What’s there to do by yourself? Answer: Everything.
The list of activities to do in Pisgah National Forest is practically endless. There’s Looking Glass Falls, a personal favorite of mine. Sliding Rock, which absolutely must be experienced at least once if you are hardy and hale enough to dawn some water shoes, slip on a pair of cut-off jeans, and slide down a massive rock only to plunge into the icy, pins-and-needles-inducing pool of water below.
This visit I hiked at Gorges and Dupont State Parks. Both offer tremendous views and a variety of hikes ranging from beginner to oh-my-god-why-are-we-still-going-straight-up-does-this-mountain-ever-end. I highly recommend making it out to Triple Falls at Dupont where you can walk up to the waterfall, and practically underneath it.
There is great trout fishing on both the Davidson and French Broad Rivers. I did not catch anything this trip, but I have done so in the past. And a trip to the hatchery where they breed the fish to stock the rivers is always a fun diversion that does not include climbing up the vertical side of a mountain. Downtown Brevard offers eclectic and quaint shops to peruse. Speaking of eclectic wares, I recommend a visit to the Humane Society Thrift Shop. So, so many used books at just the right price. Bring cash though, they do not accept credit cards. Also, try to make it over to Crystal Mountain Gem Mine, D.D. Bullwinkel’s Outdoors, and stop for a warm beverage at the Cup & Saucer. They do a lovely London Fog.
Now, gentle reader, you might be asking yourself, “This is all well and good, but where is the astronomy? I’m here for the stars!”. The most important lesson I can impart to you in this comprehensive and excellently penned article is to check the weather before you plan your trip. Yes, you guessed it, I had two nights of absolute cloud cover. I recommend using the Clear and Dark Sky website to anticipate viewing conditions in your locale. This is an astronomer’s forecasting website that gives you potential cloud-cover information hour-by-hour. Astronomy Magazine recommended it and it has served me very well when putting together my plan of attack for night-sky viewing.
But fear not! I was camping in the area with ulterior astronomical purposes. If you read my introductory paragraph on this website, you might recall I was angling for a volunteer position at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI). I had an interview that weekend so we could all get to know one another and size each other up. It went swimmingly! I did indeed get the position. I will be assisting with public viewing nights, acting as a docent, and putting together an exhibit on Clean-Air Plants in Space (turns out my horticulture degree comes in handy at an institute doing research on the firmament).
Plus, I get to shadow the astronomers upon occasion and help in some small part with their research (which almost literally has me over the moon with anticipation). I’ll definitely bring you more information on my adventures with PARI, and I recommend checking out the facility if you are in the area. They have viewing nights, tours, and summer camps for kids eager to learn about science. Go to the PARI website for more information. And keep in mind the cost of viewing nights, etc. goes towards the institute’s research budget.
So, until next time, happy travels. There is so much world out there to explore and the best parts, in my humble opinion, are the ones where the Milky Way is easily visible and just a minor adjustment of your head’s position away. Remember: look up.
The Night Sky & I 
A well written journey that includes a handful of useful tips and product descriptions from a very personnel prospective.
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This is fantastic!!!!!
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