I wake at 6 am, as the sun is starting to rise. I snuggle down in my hammock, so comfortable and warm, enjoying hearing the woods rousing with the daybreak. The light gently illuminates the ridge, increasing in intensity for the next 30 minutes. I am finally motivated to get up by a desire to see the sunrise. The clouds are thick overhead, but high enough I can get a nice picture.
The temps are very cold, maybe upper 30's, but the wind is blowing briskly, quickly robbing my body of the warmth I enjoyed a moment ago. I pile on all my layers over my sleep clothes to take some pictures, then start breaking camp. My new tarp is so big, and I love the camo print, and my guy lines and suspension kept it from falling on top of me last night, but boy did it whip a lot in the wind, making me wake frequently; I need to perfect the suspension and lines.
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| Sunrise on Ash Gap |
The first thing I place in my pack is my water bladder. The meager amount of water remaining and my thirst compels me to stop packing and hit the water source. The next reliable water is 1,000 feet and three miles on the other side of Roan Mountain. I will reward myself with a nice cup of hot tea.
The trek down to the spring, filtering a liter, and hiking back up takes me about 20 minutes. GG is already completely packed. I can pack fairly quickly, but I tell GG not to wait for me and I will catch up. We plan to meet at Roan High Shelter. I am on the trail 15 minutes later.
My hands are really cold, so I tuck my hiking poles under my arm and tuck my hands through the open pit zips of my Montbell raincoat, which is serving as a wind jacket. I hike continuously uphill, trying to go as fast as possible without breaking a sweat, otherwise I will be really cold in this wind once I start downhill with soaking wet clothes.
The weather report is calling for a deluge this afternoon, lasting through tomorrow night for the region. Currently, it's clear at lower elevations, but Roan isn't included. I reach a break in the trees, and the wind is whipping like crazy; it's so loud I can barely hear the audiobook playing on my phone, which I carry in a waterproof pouch on the upper shoulder strap of my backpack, so the phone is right next to my ear. When I am hiking by myself, I don't use earbuds, so I can stay bear aware and hear rustling nearby. Additionally, the bears hear my noise before they see me. I call it my "bear repellent."
I am halfway to High Knob from Ash Gap when I start getting pelted with little balls of ice, stinging my face, which is the only exposed skin on my body. I knew the weather could be rough at this elevation but wasn't anticipating sleet. This puts a little more pep in my step as I continue to climb.
Roan is the highest mountain we will climb since descending out of Smoky Mountain National Park almost 150 miles ago. It's also the highest peak of the AT in North Carolina. Confusingly, the state line runs along the top of the mountain, with the highest point in Tennessee at 6,277 feet called High Knob, and the next highest point of the mountain called High Bluff (elevation 6,217 feet) is technically located in Tennessee. The peak is clad in a spruce and fir forest and purported to have the world's largest tract of rhododendron, which lies between the two high points in an area called Tollhouse Gap.
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| The spruce forest on Roan Mountian |
I am drinking my breakfast sludge and trying to keep hydrated while gaining elevation, which is actually very easy right now. The trail, which appears to join an old service road, meanders between stands of spruce which block the wind gusts, while increasing very gradually in elevation.
I walk along the ridge top and see a sign pointing to the site of the Cloudland Hotel. I walk onto a large level grassy area that is socked in by fog. An informational sign marks the spot where the hotel operated from 1885 to 1910. Marketed originally as a health retreat, the hotel became a respite for the elite. The hotel, like the mountain it was built upon, lay on the state line, with one half in North Carolina and the other half in Tennessee. A line purportedly was drawn on the floor of the dining room, and one could imbibe legally on the Tennessee side, and the teetotalers could sit on the North Carolina side, where alcohol was illegal.
My hands are freezing, and I can barely feel my nose, so I hurry the last half mile to the shelter and the top of Roan Mountain. There isn't anything to see up here, just like Mt. Rogers in Virginia, the spruce is so dense the only thing to see is a survey marker, but we are out of the wind. GG is waiting for me, and we sit outside the shelter in the weak sunlight. We snack and converse with two men who stayed in the shelter last night. The sun actually gets brighter, and as I eat a salmon tortilla wrap with extra mayo I start to warm up. We don't stay long, because we have five miles to the next shelter and the rain is supposed to start soon.
The trail downhill from the shelter is really rocky, like the scree left in an ephemeral stream. The water must really run fast down this trail. The spruce is still prevalent and become taller as we decrease our elevation. We can hear the road noise from nearby Carver's Gap. The sun is starting to shine, the birds are starting to chirp, and I am getting much warmer, thank goodness! Also, I'm finally getting my trail legs after 10 days straight of hiking!
We cross a small bridge over a stream just before the road crossing, I see a white plastic garbage bag. Please tell me this is trail magic! I open the bag to find Oreo's, Rice Krispies treats, Chips Ahoy, and Reese's! GG walks up on me sitting in the middle of the trail, in the wet spruce needles, happily munching away. She joined me, but we left plenty for other hikers.
Not five minutes later, we emerge onto Carver's Gap. This is quite the tourist spot, and there must be over one-hundred cars here. So many that they are parked the length of the road up to the main parking lot. As we pass a car, some day-hikers offer us some fruit! Maybe we should hang out here and Yogi some more treats!
We follow the herd of people up the path to a series of panoramic bald collectively named Grassy Ridge and which are part of Roan Mountain. Grassy Ridge Bald is not only the longest stretch of grassy bald in all the Appalachian Mountains, but also the second highest at 6,185 feet, losing to Black Balsam Knob near Asheville by a paltry 29 feet. I'm able to shed my layers as this day is turning out to be a beauty. The view is nothing short of spectacular. A sign identifies peaks visible from the bald, and I am thrilled to see Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, in the distance. We will be ending this section in Damascus, located just south of Mt Rogers, in another 10 days.
We arrive at the Stan Murray Shelter at 1pm, completing 8 miles so far. Heavy rain is forecast to start soon, but the time is too early to stop now. We consult our apps to see 19E is 10 miles away; a little too ambitious for us to hike there today. There are a few camping spots with water between here and our next resupply, so we decide to keep hiking and hopefully we can get into 19E early tomorrow.
We pass through Yellow Gap and go by the old Over Mountain Shelter, scheduled to be demolished any day. The shelter is a welcoming big red barn on the edge of a scenic meadow. While no camping is allowed in the shelter, camping is allowed around the area. We decide to keep moving on, hiking over Little Hump Mountain, which was another bald with a fantastic view.
We stop to talk briefly with a couple hiking who we have seen before. Their trail names are Namaste and Namago. It's a cute play on words, Namaste meaning "No, I'm staying" and Namago means "No, I'm going." Namaste has super long, colorful dreadlocks. They plan on camping out tonight as well.
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Almost as soon as we reach the stunted trees at the edge of the bald, the rain starts. We stop to put on our rain jackets and look at the map. A campsite is marked about a half mile north. It's only 3 pm, but if we continue, the next camping opportunity is four additional miles, and we will have to hike over Hump Mountain. We can't set up camp in the middle of a bald in a thunderstorm. Moreover, I can't set up my hammock without trees. I leave it up to GG, and she says we are staying at the next campsite. I'm cool with it, because I'm getting cold. We stop to collect water at a small stream and only walk one-tenth mile when we see two tents set up next to the trail.
We arrived just in time. I put up my tarp first, careful to tighten the tie-outs low to the ground, when the rain starts in earnest. I jump under the tarp with my backpack and set up under the shelter of the tarp. GG jumps in her tent. We have cell service, and the weather reports current temps of 38 degrees with 40 mph winds. I am so thankful we didn't continue over the next bald.
The occupants of the tent closest to my tarp poke their heads out and say "hello." I am thrilled to see my neighbors are Omen and Maybe!! Just as quickly they duck back inside the shelter of their tent.
I am super cold, and my hands are so cold they hurt. I know from experience I will warm up fastest in dry clothes and under my down quilt. I strip off my wet hiking clothes and put on my wool pants and long-sleeved shirt, dumping them on a small piece of Tyvek I carry for a ground cloth. I put on my down coat and heavy-weight wool socks and crawl in my hammock, safe from the wind and rain. I read and watch a movie and journal. After an hour I am warm enough to sit up to heat some water and make dinner.
I call home at dusk and tuck into bed after an amazing day.
Today's stats: 11+ miles, 2700' elevation gain, 2800' loss
Trail stats: 388 miles, 92k elevation gain
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