May 1, 2008

Folks dropped me off around 11 am, so a shortened day of hiking, which is just as well - after the break, the going is excruciatingly tough. Every muscle aches and is sore - they've gotten fat and lazy from lying on the couch for several days. Stop early, having taken 5 hours to do 6 miles. It's a Tylenol PM night.


May 5, 2008

Muscles very sore again - painful going all day. Feels like I'm back in Georgia, like six weeks of hiking did nothing to get me in shape.

Very stiff climb today, going up Roan Mountain. The combines uphill today is something like 2900 feet. For those keeping score at home, that's something like 2 Sears Towers. Considering the vertical gain and my muscles, I can live with knocking off early and doing only 7 horizontal miles.

I'm camping tonight outside Roan Mountain Shelter. This is the highest shelter anywhere on the AT, at 6285 feet. Roan Mountain is only a couple hundred feet lower than Clingman's Dome, and is supposedly the coldest spot on the AT outside of New England. We'll see - it's been nice all day, but the wind is picking up as it gets later. Did I mention that I dropped off a lot of my winter gear at my parents'?


May 3, 2008

Cold this morning - Roan Mountain lived up to its billing. Hadn't had a morning this chilly since the Smokies - was that only a couple of weeks ago? Seems like forever.

Made decent time this morning, going down Roan then up several gorgeous balds. The weather wasn't especially friendly, though - cool (maybe 50-60), cloudy, drizzly and very, very windy, especially up on the balds. A couple of times I could feel the wind blowing me to the side - other times it was right in the face.

By noon, rain gear was on, and it was a wet hike. Around 2:30, I reached Overmountain Shelter. Now I really had no intention of stopping ... but. This is a unique shelter, in that it's a converted barn. It's also one of the very rare shelters that actually has a view. Shelters are typically tucked into a hollow drop in the forest. This one has a dramatic, commanding view of a valley. And oh, by the way, this is also the shelter that Crawldog, a '98 thru-hiker, and his wife chose to stage their annual stage magic at. They park their car at the nearest road, a half-mile away, and then take several trips hauling a pavilion tent, a camp stove, and scads of food. They provided all-you-can-eat chili, grilled cheese or peanut butter & jelly, sodas and beer. These saints bought and hauled up 120 cans of beer.

On the one hand, I needed to do more miles today, even if it was rainy. On the other, I didn't hike to do miles - I hike to have experiences. And sitting around with new friends, enjoying a cold one as you take in the mountains is a way better experience than slogging down another half-dozen boring trail miles.

By later in the afternoon, the clouds lift and the sun is out. By dusk, there are near twenty people here and a campfire going. By 9:30, I'm going to bed, and I do feel a little bit guilty about not doing more miles. A very little bit.


May 4, 2008

Ho-hum. Typical day on the trail. Get up 7 am with the sun, lay in hammock for half an hour, finally pack up and get on trail by 8:45 or so.

First 3 miles are mostly over open, grassy balds, climbing up about 900 feet, then down 500, then up 600 more to the top of Hump Mountain. All morning it was cold, misty, windy and overcast but the sun came out by about 11:00, just in time for me to make the summit and get a spectacular 360 degrees view. Then it was downhill for 5 miles, dropping 2500 feet to cross highway 19E. This area has a reputation for being hiker-unfriendly; supposedly the Forest Service areas was pretty heavy-handed in how it got some of the land here back in the 80s, and bad blood lingers. But we had magic nonetheless - someone left a case of Pepsi by the side of the trail just down from the road crossing. They were warm from the sun, but appreciated nonetheless - it really is the thought that counts.

Apple House Shelter is right near 19E, and I stopped there to rest for a few. Meatbag and Doxy were there too, and when I mentioned I was low on a couple of things, they helped me out. Gotta love the trail community.

After crossing 19E, it was a gradual climb through lush fields and forests. Up above 4000 feet (I'm sorry, I can't tell if it says 9000 or 4000, so I'm going with my best guess. - Dee) or so, the trees are still bare and winterlike. But down lower, it's definitely spring - it was green all over, except for the numerous white dogwoods and the infinite daisies and buttercups. Quite a few violets, too, and one of the most beautiful birds I've ever seen outside a zoo - it was turquoise and black.

By the afternoon, I'd made Jones Falls, and wet my head in water from the waterfall. Soon after, the trail nicked a corner of North Carolina, before leaving it for the last time. In another week, I'll be done with Tennessee too.

By 6:30 I'm sitting by the banks of the Elk River. It's only 2 1/2 miles more to the next shelter, but my watch and my ankles are telling me to stop. 15 miles, including 2500 feet of vertical gain, is a real good day for me.

For dinner, one of my favorites - instant mashed potatoes with cheese and summer sausage. Add some pepper, and that's quality eating.

I pitch my hammock 50 feet from the river, close enough that it (and a Tylenol PM) will send me to dreamland.

Ho-hum. Typical day on the trail.


May 5, 2008

Crappy day on the trail. Weather was OK, though I didn't see much sky - entire day was spent under tree cover. On the topo mop, today looked to be easy - no big climbs or big downhills. What it was however, was a day full of little climbs, again and again. 100 yards uphill, 100 yards downhill, repeat all freaking day. Going up 2000 feet to a mountaintop is one thing; going up 2000 feet in 20 seperate increments, each followed by 1000 feet downhil ... well that just sucks.

Also kind of spooky quiet. I passed a couple of day hikers going southbound around 9 am ... and then nobody else all day long. Didn't see another soul until I made the shelter at 6 pm.

Adding to the annoyance - at this moment, I am about 6 air miles from where I was 3 days ago. The trail took well over 30 miles to cover that. Feh!


May 6, 2008

Got going by 8:30 and knocked off 6 miles by noon - really good pace for me. Bad news - that's all for today. Good news - it's because I've reached Kincora hiking hostel. 1/4 mile off the trail, it's run by a couple of retirees out of the goodness of their hearts. There's not even a charge - just a $4 "suggested donation", that includes a bed, a shower, laundry and a kitchen.

Nobody's around when I get here, so I do the laundry and take a shower (I am continually amazed at how good a hot shower feels after 6 days in the woods.). By 5 pm, people are here.

Bob Peoples doesn't just run this hostel, he's also in charge of trail maintenance in this area, and it's his trail I've been on the last few days. Baltimore Jack is also here, helping Bob out with some trail work.

We get a lift into town, and I resupply and hook myself up with dinner.


May 7, 2008

Slackpacking. The 9 miles after Dennis Cove include Pond Mountain which is pretty brutal - 1800 feet up-and-down in about 4 1/2 miles. So instead of doing that with 38 pounds on my back, Bob drops me off where the AT meets RT. 321, and I hike the 9 trail miles back to the hostel carrying 7. Two things happen along the way. One is Laurel Fork Falls, an absolutely gorgeous spot. The other is the three bears.

Bear cubs, actually, which was the problem - they were 3 cubs about 20 feet up in a tree, with no sign of Momma. Since she could show up at any moment from any direction, this made things a bit dicey - the only time black bears are really dangerous is when you're between Momma and her cubs. So I had to leave them and head on; as much as I wanted to stay and watch, the lay of the land didn't give me a safe vantage point.

Made it back to the hostel by 4, and we all pitched in to make a spaghetti dinner.

Back on the trail for real tomorrow.