Campground Review:  

Pilot Mountain campground is a smaller loop campground with 2 bathhouses (toilets and showers - with FREE hot water!).  Located not far from Winston Salem NC, Pilot Mountain has great hiking and beautiful views from the top.  We enjoy hiking, camping and enjoying the views, while others enjoy bouldering, rock climbing and mountain biking  - an outdoor adventure for all people!  

We camped at site #5 this time - on the inside of the loop, though we usually prefer perimeter sites.  We were excited to get out there and hike in the morning before it was too hot.  This campground is sloped, with rolling hills, which makes for a nice loop to walk dogs etc.  Our tent pad was perfectly flat, and dry and we slept with no fly - which made for a gorgeous morning sunrise!  

Our tent pad was also much lower than our campfire, which meant we could lay IN our sleeping bags and look out at the fire - which was awesome!  We did check out some other sites for next time - as we prefer flatter sites where we can walk more easily at night without tripping (so often) over rocks.   We also saw deer early in the morning!

We hiked to the top on the Grindstone Trail (about 2 miles) to the top and enjoyed an early morning view of the surrounding communities.  

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time.  Today I am reviewing Eclipse Sunshirts ( https://eclipseglove.com/collections/all-eclipse-sun-products).  I often dress my kids in long sleeve hiking shirts to protect their skin and was excited to try a unique sun shirt that I could wear - that wasn't skin tight!  I tested the Equinox hoodie and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I was hesitant that their products were one size fits all - but we have a medium, large and an XL in our family and we all wore the shirt and one point or another and  LOVED it!  (See how it fits us all in the pictures below!) 

The design is like a large sweatshirt - only their are holes under your arms and on your sides to allow circulation (and a little breeze!).  I especially liked the shirt when we were at the top of Pilot Mountain because there is limited shade, depending where you are standing.  I could see this shirt being useful on other hikes when we hike on balds and cross many peaks.  

This shirt was especially beneficial in direct, HOT sun (and it was a 97 degree day - so perfect opportunity!).  In the shade, I prefered to take it off, to allow more breeze and have less fabric touching my skin.  Without a doubt, moving back into the sun, I was cooler WITH the shirt ON than with the shirt off.  I have since used the Equinox hoodie when gardening, walking the dog and even at my school's field day!  For sun protection that does not involve chemicals, I cannot recommend it enough.