The Plan - First off, the weather wasn't on our side.... second, neither was time. With the low cloud ceiling, the 8:40ish p.m. sunset would come lot sooner than expected. Also, per the sign at the trailhead, a number of the Emerald Outback trails where closed/under construction so we really didn't get a proper ride in.... at least not what I initially had planned for. If you want to venture up what why for a ride, I suggest that you drop by Fred's Mercantile and pick up a map of all the trails in Beech Mountain just to be used as a general guide. I was told, outside the "Emerald Outback" area itself you can lose yourself with all of the break off trails and fire roads that are uninhabited.