History, Hiking, Music, and the Oxford Comma

2013-12-04T08:57:00.002-08:00

I had a good coffee break on Rocky Knob in Montreat, NC last January. The trail was solid ice but we had the mountain to our selves. Here's an old trip report and more pictures!

Yosemite National Park

2013-08-16T08:29:00.002-07:00

Grassy Ridge, Roan Highlands

2013-06-03T12:48:00.003-07:00

Doughton Park

2013-04-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

Basin Cove

Caudil Cabin

Blue Ridge Parkway

Great Smoky Mountain Ntional Park--Fontana Dam/Hazel Creek loop

2013-03-21T09:49:00.001-07:00

Starting Point: Fontana Dam
Distance: 54 Miles
Break Down: Day 1--13.1 miles to Russel Field Shelter
Day 2--14.7 miles to Siler Bald Shelter
Day 3-- 26.2 Miles to Fontana Dam
Date: March 17-19, 2013
Trip highlights: Shuckstack fire tower, wildlife, Views of Fontana Lake, 19th century ruins, Hazel Creek

The road across the dam to the Trail Head was closed due to construction so I parked at the TVA visitor center and walked about 1.5 miles to the trail. The road dead ends at two trail heads; the Appalachian Trail section and Lake Shore Trail. I started on the AT and completed my loop with the Lake shore trail.

The first few miles were a real work out. Leaving the lake and getting up to the ridge line takes about 10 miles and requires climbing over 3,000 feet. That 10 miles, however, offers several great views of Fontana Lake and a chance to climb Shuckstack Tower for one of the best views in the park.

Climbing the 60 foot tower is a bit nerve racking, as its old metal frame and wooden stairs rest 4,020 feet up. The climb is worth it, though, for the view of Fontana Lake and the surrounding ridges. Even on a cloudy day I could see Clingmans Dome and Thunderhead Mountain and to the South I could see Hangover and Haoe Mountains in Nanthala National forest.

Although the view was great, I couldn't stay long.. I climbed down and continues my ascent to Russel Field. The trail intersects with the Lost Cove Trail soon after Shuckstuck, which makes a popular day hike or short overnight loop. Past several peaks and gaps the trail comes to Mollies Ridge Shelter. 10.3 miles into the hike, this makes a good place to take a break and get water. The shelter's water source is a short hike behind the structure and offers very good piped spring water.

After getting water and chatting with a couple thru-hikers I continued from Mollies ridge. The next couple of miles consisted of several quick elevation gains and losses that bring you to Little Abrams Gap. I followed the trail as it descended into to the gap. As the trail made a hard right turn I looked left and saw a bear foraging in the woods about 50 yards off the trail. I stopped and took a few steps back. I quietly reached for my camera but by the time I got it out the bear was gone.

With Mister Bear out of sight, I continued out of Little Abrams Gap and made it to Russel field Shelter in about 20 minutes. A couple from Montana were at the shelter cooking dinner. They had strted from Springer Mountain just two weeks before and were making really good time on their way to Katahdin. They were hiking with mostly homemade Lightweight gear with packs weighing only 18 lbs including several days food!

I went to bed early and awoke to heavy fog. After making breakfast and coffee I started up the trail. The plan was to hike 13 miles to Spence field and another 9 miles down a creek to Campsite 83. With the heavy wind and dense for I knew the weather might stop me from making it to my planned destination.

I continued passed the side trail to Spence Field Shelter and hiked through the field, with the supposedly great views hidden by fog. The trail intersects with Eagle Creek Trail making another popular loop. I hiked past the intersection and over Rocky Top and Thunderhead Mountain. The wind was picking up and the fog showed no signs of lifting so I missed the views from these two peaks.

The trail continues with quick and short ascents and descents and gains a total of about 1,000 feet over the 14 miles to Silers Bald. About a mile past Thunder head it started raining. I had my rain gear ready and wasn't slowed down much and soon I reached Derick Knob Shelter.

I stopped and ate a quick lunch at the shelter before moving on. As soon is I started hiking the rain turned to hail. There's really nothing good about hiking through hail but I kept on heading North hoping the weather would clear up.

By the time I Reached Silers Bald Shelter the hail had really started coming down and was accumulating on the ground. When I started seeing lightning I knew I had to cut my day short. I decided to stay at the shelter and make up the lost miles the following day. The couple from Montana had also sought the refuge of the shelter, as well as about 10 Boy Scouts from Tallahassee.

It was a cold morning and everything was frozen. I had no time to cook a hot breakfast so I ate some frozen fruit and a frozen Cliff Bar before putting of my frozen boots and hitting the frozen trail--but at least the sun was shining. Silers Bald is just passed the shelter and offers great views. Just beyond the bald the trail comes to the intersection of Welch Ridge.

I took the Welch Ridge trail 1.7 miles to the hazel Creek Trail. the Ridge trail winds through hardwoods and offers some nice views through the trees. The trail was littered with debris and downed trees but was a pretty easy hike.

Hazel Creek Trail descends quickly to its namesake creek. The trail is narrow and somewhat hard to follow for its first few miles. The creek must be crossed several times and usually can be done by rock hopping. However, in a couple of places it is best to take off your boots and forge the creek. I unfortunately misjudged a couple crossing and out of my own stupidity ended up hiking the next 20 or so miles with soaking wet boots.

Eventually, the Creek becomes to wild to cross and the Park Service put in bridges. The trail becomes Horse accessible and becomes very wide and gravel in sections Hiking on gravel is a bummer but the sound of the creek and the hardwood forest make it good hike anyway. A campsite is located about 7 miles down the trail and another couple are a few miles past that. When I got to Campsite 83 I was a little bummed that I hadn't made it there the night before. It looked like a great place to camp near the creek with lots of huge hardwoods, a few boulders, and green grass.

About 5.3 miles of wide gravel trail near a growingly wild creek the trail passed several old foundations and ruins from a community that existed along Hazel Creek in the late 1800s. The trail then meets up with The Lake Shore Trail and continues another 10 miles to Fontana Dam.

The Lake Shore trail offers views of Fontana Lake and traverses over ridge lines and through gaps. Water is plentiful on the trail as it crossed several springs and small creeks.

It had gotten dark quickly and I hiked the final four or five miles with my head light on. The night was clear and it was nice finishing the hike under the stars. The last couple of miles were tough and I was exhausted. The trail ends at the end of the same road from where I had began two days before.

The 1.5 mile road walk back to my car seemed to take forever. I finally got there and headed straight for Waffle House and ate all the hash browns.

Gear List

Pack

Osprey 70L Aether pack
Nylon pack cover

Clothing

Fila fitness synthetic T-shirt
Smartwood lightwieght base layer crew
Two pairs Smartwool socks
One pair heavy wool socks
EMS convertable hiking pants
Patagonia lightwieght fleece ($3 at goodwill!)
Vertical Ascent 800 fill Microtherm down shirt
Polartech Long Johns
Marmot Mica Rain Jacket
Asolo TPS 135 Boots
Glove liners

Sleep

Vertical Ascent 10 degree synthetic bag
Cocoon silk liner
Thermarest Zrest pad

Shelter

Grand Trunk Nano7 hammock
Marmot 3 person foorprint (used as a tarp)
Home made amsteel/webbing suspension
2 tent stakes

Cooking/kitchen/water

Primus Ti Micron Stove
110g fuel canister
GSI Glacier cup/pot
Hario Mini Coffee Mill
Aeropress coffee maker
Snowpeak Ti Spork
Army/Navy Mug
Katadyn Hiker Pro Filter
50oz Nalgene
100oz Camelback

Other

Sony Cybershot Camera
Cassio Pathfinder watch
MSR small pack towel
Camp trowel
First aid kit (bandaids, antiseptic, Ace Bandage, Ibuprofen, moleskin)
Fire starter/tender
Compass/map
Whistle
Signal miror
Case Texas Toothpick knife
Leatherman CS Multitool
Dr. Bronners
Travel toothbrush/paste

Hanging Rock February 2013

2013-02-24T16:43:00.000-08:00

Linville Gorge Wilderness, Pisgah National Forest NC

2013-02-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

Devil's Hole

February 2013

Montreat, North Carolina

2013-01-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

After road closings due to ice in The Smokys caused us to change our plans, we decided to hike some of the trails in Montreat. I did a solo trip here in 2011 and was excited to come back and explore some of the offerings I had missed.

The Trail Head at Graybeard Trail is easy to find and has sufficient parking. A short wooden bridge takes you over a creek and to the trail. The trail follows a creek for about two miles, picking up about 1500 feet in elevation.

A small waterfall, called Graybeard Falls, offers a good place to camp. This part of the trail is frequented by day hikers but any higher you should have the mountain to your self(At least in January). A few switchbacks bring the trail up to Walker's Knob, one of the highlights of this trip.

We set up camp near Walker's Knob. There is a shelter and a fire ring nearby. Walker's Knob offers great Western views of Black Mountain and the Smokies. Watching the sunset over Black Mountain Is incredible.

In the morning we headed North on the Old Mitchell Toll Road Trail to Rocky Knob. The rocky 5240ft summit offers great views of the Asheville Watershed, The Black Mountain Crest and Pinnacle Mountain. After the steep but short climb to the top we stopped to take in the views and eat some lunch.

We finished eating and headed down from the summit. We took the toll trail down to Pot Cove Gap. This section of the trail was extremely Icy. Sections of the trail were covered in inches thick solid ice, offering zero traction.

At Pot Cove Gap the trail meets back up with Graybeard trail for familiar hike back to the car. Once back to the car we made a stop in Black Mountain for some eats at My Father's Pizza and coffee at Dripolators--rounding out a perfect winter hike.

Hang Glider Rock, Uwharrie National Forest

2012-11-18T12:21:00.003-08:00

View from Hang Glider Rock--Uwharrie National Forest, NC

Roan Highlands October 2012

2012-10-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

Round Bald

Jane Bald

Grassy Ridge

Low Gap

Over Mountain Shelter

Little Hump Mountain

Big Hump Mountain

Back Country Coffee

2012-10-15T14:44:00.001-07:00

Method

Freshly filterer North Carolina mountain spring water

Pr-weighted 19 grams of fresh whole bean coffee. (Picked up from Krankies on my way to the mountains!)

Preheating my mug and AeroPress with hot water

Grind coffee directly into the press.

Hario Coffee Grinder

Pre-infuse coffee with small amount of hot water, JUST off the boil. (water boils at 200 degrees at 6000 ft)

Add rest of water.

(About 260g)

Press.

Enjoy!

Black Mountain Crest Trail Loop

2012-10-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

Starting Point: Colbert Ridge Trail Head, Burnsville, NC
Ending Point: Buncombe Horse Range Trail, Burnsville, NC
Distance: 19.9 miles plus short road walk
Break Down: Day 1--3.9 Miles
Day 2--16 Miles
Date: October 5-6, 2012
Trip highlights: Views from Deep Gap and Mt. Craig, Summitting six peaks above 6000ft, Grassy Balds on Buncombe Horse Trail, Scenic hiking through Hardwoods near a creek, Hemlocks and Fir forests.

I got to the Colbert Ridge trail head at about 2:00pm. The parking lot was just a gravel pull-off big enough for maybe 4 cars. A couple of hikers were starting their hike as I pulled into the lot so I took my time lacing up my boots and getting my pack situated to give them a bit of space.

The trail starts out mellow enough for about half a mile--but don't be fooled;the trail climbs 3000 feet over the next three miles. Once the trail starts getting tough, it doesn't let up until it ends at Deep Gap. The trail passes through a scenic hemlock forest and offers good views early on from two rock faces. The first gives good views to the North East. The Roan Highlands are clearly visible as is Grandfather Mountain. Shortly after that another outcrop offers western views. When I got to the second out crop the couple from the trail head were taking a quick break. I was determined not to stop till deep gap so I passed by.

This trail is relentless, but it serves it's purpose--getting you from 2000ft to 5500ft-- very efficiently. Two miles in there's a 50 foot or so stretch of trail that is fairly level, but other than that it just goes up--making this one of the toughest 4 mile trails I've ever hiked.

At about three miles in There was a pretty good water source and another half mile past that there was a another, not quite as good, trickle. There is no water on the Crest Trail so it's a good idea to fill up here.

I got to Deep Gap at about 4:00 and two hikers collapsed on the grass. They had just come up Colbert Ridge and were taking advantage of the soft grass and catching their breath. I, determined to get first pick of a campsite, Headed South on the Black Mountain Crest Trail. About a quarter mile down the trail I found a good spot to hang my hammock . It was nestled in a alcove of fir trees that protected against the wind, but opened up to a grassy meadow and killer views to the east.

I had planned to drop my pack at deep gap and hike North on the Crest Trail to Horse Rock and back.. Regrettably, I decided to call it a day. The two hikers that were resting at Deep Gap set up their tent in the meadow and we chatted for a while.

I cooked dinner and enjoyed the sunset with the two hikers who set up in the meadow. After hanging my food, I headed to bed early hoping for an early start.

I had hoped to wake up before sunrise and hike up to Winter Star Mountain to catch the sunrise from 6200 feet, but by the time I stuck my head out of my sleeping bag the sun was already coming up. I got out of my hammock at about 7:30. After retrieving my food I got out my Aeropress, made some coffee and ate a quick no-cook breakfast. I packed up camp and was on the trail before 9.

AeroPress Espresso Maker

Honestly, I was expecting the Crest Trail to be more difficult than it was. After hiking up Colbert Ridge, The Crest was cake. Sure, there are lots of ups and lots of downs but the trail is not too rocky, is well maintained and I found it pretty easy to find a good pace and stick to it with only occasional section where I really had to watch every step.

Potato Hill is the first peak the trail past summits South of Deep Gap. At 6440ft there are some good views through the trees but the best views are ahead. Next is Cattail Peak at 6600ft. A small clearing offers good views to the East.

The trail then climbs Balsam Cone and drops down to Big Tom Gap. The Big Tom Trail leads East to the Buncombe Horse Range Trail. The Crest trail them begins to Climb Big Tom. Two rocky sections employ ropes to help hikers ascend. Shortly after the ropes comes the first really good chance to catch a great view. These are the best views from Big Tom, as the summit is densely wooded.

After summitting Big Tom you leave Pisgah National Forest and Enter Mount Mitchell State Park. If you miss the sign, you'll know you've entered the park by the sudden increase in trash along the trail and the vast number of day hikers.

Soon the trail reaches Mt. Craig. This is definitely a highlight of the entire trip. Its rocky summit allows for great panoramic views. I ate a quick snack and enjoyed sitting on a rock out crop before heading towards Mt. Mitchell.

Once the trail goes down Craig, Mitchell is really close. I made it by 11:00. The parking lot had a snack bar, restrooms and water fountains. I followed the crowds up to the observation tower--the highest place east of The Black Hills in south Dakota--and ate lunch. The views are the same as from Mt. Craig but with WAY more leather jackets. I wish i would have spent more time on Mt. Craig than I did and I regret spending close to an hour on Mitchell.

Coming down from the Tower, The Balsam Nature trail to the right leads .5 miles to the Mitchell Trail which leads a mile to the Buncombe Horse Range Trail. At this intersection, there were several good campsites.

I've been warned about The Buncombe Trail while planning this trip. Hikers and Rangers have said that it can be very hard to follow and it is easy to lose. Although there are some overgrown sections, there was never a point on this trail that I wasn't 100% sure I was on the trail. If, however, you do lose the trail; check out the topography on your map. The trail stays level and heads straight North until Maple Camp Bald so just stay heading North and don't take any sharp turns up or down the mountain. At least by early fall, the only challenge this trail presented was mud--and there was lots of it.

The trail has ample water sources. About every hundred yards or so the trail passes trickles from small to quite substantial. By time I got about a mile down the trail the fog started really rolling in. I was thankful to have fairly clear skies from the Crest Trail but any further views were limited. However, this first section on the Buncombe offers some really great views, despite the fog. The trail passes a small rock ledge allowing great views of fall colors.

A bit further down the trail there is a small grassy meadow. The fog was thick but I'm sure this spot offers great views on a clear day. The trail then intersects with Big Tom Trail. At the intersection there is a small campsite fit for one or two tents and a couple of possible hammock spots.

After another mile the trail comes to Maple Camp Bald. This is a cool area to explore, unfortunately the fog prevented me from enjoying its great views. At the Bald the trail starts descending and switching back. The terrain is fairly open before coming into a Rhododendron tunnel and eventually a pine forest. The last really good campsite is just past the Pine forest where the trail kind of opens up and there are some large boulders. Originally, I had planned a three day hike. I reached the campsite quite early (at about 1:30) and was not ready to spot hiking. I decided to keep going and I would stop and camp if I found another suitable spot but if I came to the end of the trail I would be satisfies with making this an overnighter.

The trail winds through a hardwood Forrest and what had been trickles at higher elevations were now flowing mountain creeks. This really added to the diversity of the hike and offered some great scenic hiking.

The trail takes a hard left turn right before Simmons Cemetery. If you miss the turn you will come to private property in about 25 yards. Turn around.

The trail crosses a significant creek about a mile past the cemetery. The rest of the trail is a lackluster wide dirt trail. It ends at a gravel parking lot with a long drive that leads to the main road.

It's a short walk from there to the Colbert Ridge parking lot, but having reached paved roads, my navigational skills dissipated. I headed the wrong way and after walking about a mile the road dead ended into a private drive with a "BEWARE OF DOG" sign. And then came the dogs of whom the sign was referring. Great. I was three mean old mutts were growlin' and scowlin'. I backed away but they kept coming towards me. The meanest one ran towards me and starting barking and showing its teeth. I threw it a granola bar and it changed its tune. He followed me for a while then ran back.

I finally got on the right track and made it to my car. I stopped for a milkshake at Dot's Dario on the way back to the highway. I recommend it.

I have a few recommendations for this hike and a few things I will do differently next time. First off if I had a second car or a shuttle I would just start at Bowlen's Creek (the North Trail Head of the Crest Trail). If starting from Colbert Ridge, Start early and Hike North to Horse Rock Celo Knob. I really over estimated the Crest Trail. It's tough but allows for pretty quick hiking for most of its route. After reaching Mt. Craig I would stop for a while and enjoy the view then turn back to Big Tom Trail. There's too much concrete on Mitchell and unless you really need a Snickers I would skip it and drive to the top later. Take Big Tom Down to the Buncombe Horse Range Trail and head North back to Colbert. Check out what Backpacker has to say!

Tennent Mountain: Shining Rock Wilderness, NC

2012-08-21T16:11:00.000-07:00

Bialetti Moka Express Stove Top Collection (Google Affiliate Ad)

Slick Rock Creek/Joyce Kilmer Wilderness, Nantahala National Forest

2012-08-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

New River

2012-08-19T11:18:00.005-07:00

So has befallen the annual Rhythm 'n' Boats New River Kayak/Canoe Extravaganza. We had a huge group this year and had a lot of fun! The first night we paddled to River Side Rentals and stayed in there cabins (oh, the luxury) and the second day we paddled to the Alleghany Access in The New River State Park and camped there. I, unfortunately, was without camera, but I will post some photos courtesy of Rhythm N Boots.

Eno River

2012-08-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to check out Eno River State Park for a while. The park offers paddling, hiking, and back country camping and is located only an hour from Greensboro. When I got out of work a few hours early, I decided to go check it out

Since this was a solo venture I started In King's Highway Park in Hillsborough, where the water is still enough to paddle upstream. The boat launches in the State Park all require a shuttle car, thus making a solo trip quite difficult.

I parked at the launch on Himmock's Mill Road. I paddled upstream about a mile before the river gets too shallow. The river passes under an old rail bridge and winds through a natural wooded area. About half way down, the water gets much clearer and I could see perch and small bass swimming.

When I got as far as I could paddle I walked up the shore line about 200 yards, where the water got deep again. I returned to the kayak and headed back down stream. About halfway back I was startled by a Beaver defensively smacking its tail on the water. It submersed itself in a deep pool before I could get out the camera.

I made it back to the car around 2:00 and headed to Eno River State Park about half an hour East in Durham. I parked at the park office and hiked down the trail leading behind the building. The Trail came to the river where there were several people swimming and fishing.

Buckquarter Creek Trail follows the river before sharply turning at Buckquarter Creek. At the creek, you can either Continue on the trail on take a 2.6 mile hike on the Holden Mill Loop Trail.

The Holden Mill trail follows the Eno for about a mile then loops around the stone foundation on an old mill. The trail then gains some elevation, then drops back down to Buckquarter trail.

The trail continues up the creek until it comes to another loop option. I took The Ridge Trail which makes a loop with the Shakori Trail. The trail passes an old cabin before crossing a creek and coming to the back
country camp sites. The sites are not as primitive as I expected. They each have their own tent pads and share an outhouse.

The Shakori Trail stays on a ridge line and offers some good views through the trees before connecting with the Ridge Trail and returning to Buckquarter Trail.

Buckquarter then loops back around to the parking area. After a good seven mile hike, I decided against making the 4 mile Fanny's Ford/Cox Mountain loop in favor of Heading back to Greensboro to catch Avant On Air.

I will definitely be returning to the Park to check out the trails in the Eastern section and hopefully doing some more paddling.

Wilson Creek: Lost Cove

2012-07-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

The idea of hiking in July in the South can certainly bring to mind less-than-ideal conditions--exhausting heat, yellow jackets, ticks, and crowded trails--but if the perks don't out way the benefits, trust me; you're doing it wrong. A mid-July overnight at Wilson Creek definitely brings out the best in summer hiking.

I got out of work at one o'clock on Saturday afternoon. After picking up Nick from his house, we headed toward Wilson Creek. The rest of our group got an early start and had already arrived.

Nick and I arrived at the tralhaid parking lot on Roseboro Road at arounf five o'clock. The road was a typical long winding gravel Forest Service Road, but was kept up fairly well. The lot was fairly crowded but there was ample parking.

We started heading south on Lost Cove Trail, following Gragg Prong Creek. Due to a rain storm earlier in the afternoon the creek was brown and murky and the water level was high. Several creek crossings were made difficult by the rain, but we didn't mind getting a little wet.

We passed a couple of great swimming holes and past Gragg Prong Falls fairly quickly and came to the campsite just 2 miles or so down the trail, where we found the rest of our group lounging in hammocks. They made it to camp just in time to beat the rain and were enjoying the somewhat clearer evening sky.

It stayed damp but rain-free the rest of the night and we enjoyed a fire and dinner before calling it a night.

Morning came with several options on how to spend the day. With several swimming holes and waterfalls, miles of trail, and the simple pleasure of spending the day in a hammock net to a creek; there was really no bad option to choose.

We had a somewhat slow morning making coffee and breakfast, then started the day with a nice day hike. We back tracked about a quarter mile to Timber Ridge trail and assented West. Although quite steep, it was a fairly easy trail that made for a great hike. We came to a fork in the trail and split up. Most of the group took the fork South to Hunt-Fish Falls (near our campsite) bu tJon and I decided to continue on the 6 mile loop.

We wanted to make it back in time do do some swimming so we were mindful to keep up our speed. Timber Ridge reaches its high point at Bee Mountain and then quickly descends to Lost Cove Creek. There is a good spring not too far past Bee Mountain where Jon and I stopped to fill our bottles. The trail descends through a nice stint on hardwoods before coming to Lost Cove Creek.

To continue the loop we took Lost cove trail back towards our camp site. Several really nice campsites were along the trail. As we approached Hunt-Fish Falls we started hearing thunder. We made it to camp and packed up our gear right before the rain started. We waited out the rain under a tarp. The rain didn't last long and we started back up Lost Cove trail towards our cars.

The creek was much clearer than the previous day and the creek crossings were manageable without getting to wet.

We stopped for a much anticipated swim at Gragg Prong Falls. Several small but deep pools create great spots to jump in and a larger pool at the bottom makes a great swimming hole.

After about an hour of swimming we headed back to our cars. We made the brilliant decision to stop in Boone at Capone's Pizza then headed back to Greensboro.

Father's Day Trip to Grayson Highlands/Mt. Rogers

2012-06-17T13:38:00.001-07:00

Grayson Highlands, VA was the first place that came to mind when me and my dad were thinking of places to go on his first post-knee-replacement hike and first backpacking trip in over 20 years. Awesome vistas, rhododendron gardens, and wild ponies make the area one of the best destinations for hikers in the state. Although we missed the rhododendrons by a couple weeks, we had a great time.

We started from the Massie Gap AT Spur trail in Grayson Highlands State Park at around 12:45. The trail climbs through a forest and quickly connects with the Appalachian Trail. We took the trail southbound toward Mt. Rogers.

Right before exiting the state park and reaching Jefferson National Forest we caught our first glimpse of the wild ponies. The term "wild" is used loosely, as they do not hesitate to approach hikers.

We continued down the AT to The Wilburn Ridge Trail where we dropped our packs and climbed to the first peak for a quick break and a snack. We made it back to the AT and headed toward Rhododendron Gap.

At the Gap, several trails intersect and offer an array of options for loop hikes and good day tips. Taking The Pine Mountain Trail or the Crest Trail East creates a ten mile loop with the AT. We took a quick stop to take in the awesome view from the area and talk to a couple fellow hikers before deciding to stay on the AT and camp between Rhododendron Gap and Mt. Rogers.

We found a perfect site, that I had used on a previous trip, and set up camp about a half mile from the Gap. A herd of Ponies also liked the spot and they joined us. We relaxed in our hammocks for a couple hours then made dinner. We made a fire and, with the sky looking ominous, we went to bed.

It was a cold, windy, rainy night but we both stayed dry. After making breakfast and packing up camp, we started the return hike.

We took the Crest Trail to the Rhododendron Gap Trail and headed South back to the AT. We passed a couple of groups on horse back, a scout group, and a couple thru-hikers on the way. We took the Massie Gap spur back to the car and got back earlier than expected--allowing plenty of time for delicious eats at a near by diner.

S'mores Island, North Carolina

2012-05-21T19:43:00.003-07:00

Chef Bolen at work.

Sunset

Taken from my sleeping bag on the beach at sunrise

Ralph and Maggie

Appalachian trail: Damascus to Wilbur Dam Road

2012-04-23T11:46:00.001-07:00

Starting Point: Damascus, VA
Ending Point: Wilbur Dam Road, TN
Distance: 38 Miles one way (plus a couple miles of road walking)
Break Down: Day 1--15 miles to campsite just south of 421
Day 2--11 miles to Iron Mt. Shelter
Day 3-- 12 Miles to Wilbur Dam Rd
Date: April 20-22, 2012
Trip highlights: Damascus is a great place for hikers, easy grade, Nick Grindstaff monument, Views of Holston Lake and Lake Watagua, Views from Old Osborne Farm.

Osborne Farm

Jon, Ashley, and I had been planning a 30 mile hike on the Art Loeb Trail in Pisgah National Forest for a couple of months. When one third of our party had to back out (owning a business requires responsibility) and the weatherman started talking about thunderstorms; Jon and I decided to reconsider the trip.

After work on Thursday night we met at Jon's house to consider new plans. We weren't opposed to hiking in thunderstorms, but Art Loeb's 6000+ foot open ridgelines didn't seem like the best place to endure one. We considered a loop in Shining Rock but decided against a four hour drive for a rainy hike. We looked at the Falls Lake section of the Mountains to Sea Trail and at a couple state parks West of Charlotte but nothing seemed to wet our hiker's appetite. At around midnight I finally came to the conclusion that we take a two and a half hour drive to Damascus and just kind of wing it.

At 8:00 the next morning I was back at Jon's to pick him up. After gassing up the car and scouring the earth for a cup o'joe (State Street why you no have coffee??), we hit the highway by 8:30. We arrived in Down Town Damascus exactly three hours later, which was fairly good time after the traffic in Boone and our not-so-quick stop at Espresso News.

We went into Mount Rogers Outfitters to see if they recommended any particular hikes. The Guy behind the counter (who, in the 15 minutes we interacted with him, consumed a quite impressive number of bananas) had several suggestions--Fox Creek, Iron Mountain Loop, Grayson Highlands--but after looking at a couple maps, we decided to just head south on the Appalachian Trail and keep going with the "winging it" mentality. Our friend Nick said he might be able to meet us on the trail on Saturday so we confirmed with Banana Man that the parking lot on 91 was a good spot for overnight parking.

Eager to hit the trail, we grabbed a quick bit to eat at Cowboy's, registered our car for overnight parking at Town Hall and started south.

The trail goes right through the middle of town, crosses a park, then heads into the woods behind a neighborhood. The trail picks up about 1500 feet in the first three miles, making the start of this hike a bit of a work out but not a spirit-breaker. In a little over an hour we came to the Tennessee/Virginia Border. Despite our afternoon start, we were moving faster than three miles per hour and were making pretty good time.

The trail continues to gain elevation for another mile or so but then gently levels out. We reached the Backbone Rock Trail and decided to fill up our water bottles. The map indicated that there was a water source but two day-hikers told us that it was 3 miles down to the creek so we decided to trek on to the next source.

After passing through a nice stent of Hemlocks, we came to Abingdon Gap Shelter. We chatted with a few thru-hikers and took advantage of the shelter's water source but kept our break short.

Several rock structures, old foundations and an old demolished fire tower line the trail for the next several miles. We headed on towards 421 and decided to camp at the first campsite south of the highway. We ate dinner, hang our food, and went to bed fairly early. A hoot owl carried on all night just out side of our tent.

Jon's cell phone had service near 421 so we tried to contact Nick. We had no luck and after several attempts we concluded that he must not have been able to meet us after all. This left us with the dilemma of whether to hike back to Damascus or to try and hitchhike from one of several road crossings. We packed up camp and decided to keep heading south and either hitchhike from 91 or from Watagua Dam.

South of 421 the trail leads through a wooded ridgeline that offers some good views, including views to the west of Holston Lake. There were a couple of good campsites along the trail before reaching Double Springs Shelter. The shelter has a good water source right on the trail. The sky had been cloudy all morning, but when we reached the shelter it looked like it could start pouring and minute. We put on our rain gear and pack covers and kept hiking.

View from ridge south of 421

A couple miles past the shelter, the trail comes to the Old Osborne Farm. The sky, which could not make up its mind, decided to clear up right before we reached the farm. This allowed for great views of the farmland and surrounding mountains. The meadow had one bull grazing and several old buildings and fences. The trail passes through the farm for close to a mile until you reach 91.

We came to the parking lot on 91 and decided to try calling Nick one more time. He didn't answer so we ate a quick snack and moved on. About a hundred yards past the highway, a church had left a cooler full of soda and Little Debbies. we enjoyed a little trail magic then kept on going. Not 50 yards further we came to a couple guys listening to the radio and sitting under a large blue tarp. They offered us a cold beer and told us to tell other hikers on the trail to stop by for a beer and a burger.

They had thru-hiked in 1997 and had soon afterward moved to Damascus. We swapped trail stories for a few minutes then headed down the trail, telling passing NOBO hikers about the trail magic ahead.

three and a half miles on, we came to the grave of Nick GrindStaff, a hermit that lived on Iron Mountain until his death in 1923. A water source is located on a spur trail near the monument.

About a mile past the grave we came to Iron Mountain Shelter. We set up our hammocks and ate lunch while lounging around. when we heard thunder, we took down our hammocks and went into the shelter. Several hikers came through to eat lunch but most moved on, anxious to get closer to Damascus. Although it wasn't quite 3:00, we decided to stay at the shelter as opposed to moving on and call it an eleven mile day. A thru-hiker named Column was in the shelter recovering from a stomach bug and another hiker from Florida tent camped outside the shelter. Column was in the ER 2 nights before and hadn't taken a zero day. He was having trouble keeping food down so we offered him Coconut powder and tea.

Jon and I looked at the map and debated returning to 91 in the morning or pressing on to Watagua Dam. by the time we went to bed we were pretty set on making it to the dam.

We woke up early to a fogy morning and, after coffee, breakfast, and wishing Column good luck, we were on the trail by 7:30. We made it 7 miles to Vandeventer Shelter at a little after 10. We stopped for a snack and some more coffee. Behind the shelter would have been one of the most impressive views along this section of trail, but all we could see was fog. I can only imagine how impressive a sunrise from the rocks behind the shelter would be.

The fog began to lift at we hiked on past the shelter. Pretty soon we began to catch glimpses of Watagua Lake. A couple of quick elevation gains keep this section interesting, but its mostly down hill from the shelter. We stopped for a few minutes at a overlook off the trail and were impressed with the views of the lake and surrounding ridges. several Thru-hikers and a couple ridge-runners past us. We started back on the trail and soon came to nice grove of pine forests which offered a nice change in scenery.

Five miles past Vandeventer Shelter we Came to Wilbur road. We decided we better start thinking about how to get back to Damascus, so we figured we should try to hitch a ride from there and If we had no luck continue four miles to Watagua Dam and try to hitch from 321. It wasn't yet 1:00 so we had a lot of daylight to work with.

Several Cars passed with no luck. a minivan carrying three generations stopped but they were heading in the opposite direction. They offered us cheese and cracker, which was much appreciated. We were about to give up and head to 321 When two ETSU students, Lenny and Christian, Offered us a ride into Hapton--where they said we would have better luck getting picked up.

We accepted the ride and headed to Hampton. After interesting conversation ranging in topic from hiking to HAM radios, they dropped us off at the trail head of Laurel Trail on 67. After about an hour, a guy in a pick up on his way to Mt. City, TN stopped and offered us a ride. He dropped us of at a Rite Aid a quarter mile from 91. We started walking towards 91 and then headed north on the highway. We walked about two miles beside the highway before a man named Raleigh picked us up.

Raleigh was on his way to a town just passed Damascus to help a friend whose transition had died. He grew up in Winston Salem, NC and had some great stories to tell about everything from big foot to gold mining to dogs getting stuck in attics.

He dropped us off in Damascus and it hit us how great a weekend we had had. We stopped at Quincey's Pizza in Damascus, which was filled with hikers. The hiker who camped outside of the shelter last night and another hiker we had met on the trail named Calves were eating at the bar so we joined them. A German couple that we had talked to on the trail the day before came in soon after. The pizza was great I recommend the Philly Cheese-Steak Pie.

After some catching up with fellow hikers, we headed back to Greensboro. We agreed that winging it from Damascus is an occurrence that we will experience again in the future. It really is a great town for hikers.

Oh yeah, I haven't forgotten about you Art Loeb. We will meet soon, on a day of my own choosing when you least expect it--and you will be conquered.

Great Smoky Mountains Mt. Cammerer Loop

2012-03-29T11:23:00.002-07:00

Starting Point: Cosby Camp Ground, TN
Distance: 40 Miles
Break Down: Day 1--11.7 miles to campsite 29
Day 2--17 Miles to Davenport Gap
Day 3-- 11.3 roundMiles to Cosby Camp
Date: March 26-28, 2012
Trip highlights: The chance to experience a variety of scenery in one trip--including pine forests, dense virgin hardwood forests, waterfalls, creek crossings, miles of ridge line views, a peak with a fire tower and a bald Mountain. Also, this trip offers many opportunities to either be extended or shortened so you can really hike your own hike.

After filling our a slip at the registration office, I threw on my pack and headed to the Gabe's Mountain trailhead.

The trail starts with a gradual climb to Hen Hollow Falls, a popular destination for tourists and day hikers. 2.2 miles in there is a short side trail to the bottom of the falls. The waterfall was definitely worth the short (but steep) side trip. The rocks at the bottom are slippery but there's plenty of dry boulders on which to climb or just sit and enjoy a snack.

After soaking in the the view from Hen Hollow, I started back up Gabe's Mountain Trail. After the Falls, the trail climbs steeply and heads into a lush green Forrest. I didn't see any more hikers that day, until I got to the campsite, so the rest of Gabe's Mountain Trail offered a great sense of solitude and really gave the remote feeling of being in the middle of the woods.

Campsite 34 is a couple miles past the falls. It was nestled next to a creek and offered room for several tents and had bear cables. There was one tent at the site, but I did not see any hikers.

Before intersecting with Maddron Bald Trail, Gabe's Mountain winds through pine forests, over creeks and through mountain coves. The floor of the coves were covered in clover and blooming flowers--making everything look increasingly green. I am pretty sure this is where leprechauns come from--Actually I'm sure of it.

After almost 7 miles, the trail opens up to a gravel intersection. two benches offered a great spot to stop for lunch. I kept my break short, though, because I wanted to get to camp with plenty of daylight. I started down Maddron Bald Trail towards Snake Den Ridge.

The first mile or so of trail was disappointingly a wide gravel road that offered little scenery. After that, however, the trail acceded thought dense hardwoods and early spring blossoms. 1.7 miles in, the trail splits, offering a chance to take the .7 mile Albright Grove Loop. I took the loop which lead me on a quick stint through old-growth forest, ancient giant trees, and blooming flowers. Unless you are really strapped for time, I recommend the Arbright Loop.

Albright Grove

About another 3 miles through leprechaun land and I arrived at campsite 29. A large family with 3 adults and 4 children, along with another group of 2 hikers, were already at the site but there was plenty of room for me to set up my hammock and not feel crowded. I chatted briefly with my fellow campers for a bit but, with a 17 mile day ahead of me, I cooked dinner and went to bed early.

I was awoken at around 7:30am by the sound of something scurrying near my hammock. I peeked out of my sleeping bag to see a giant, furry, big ol' BEA...ver. I reached for my camera but the over-sized roadent scampered off.

I started the day with a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal then packed up camp. The small group of hikers hit the trail towards Cosby before I headed off but the Family was having a slow morning around camp. At around 9am I got the gumption to start my hike. Maddron Bald Trail leaves Campsite 29 and starts picking up elevation pretty quickly. Starting the day with a good climb is a great way to get geared up for a long hike. The trail doubles back on itself to take you to Maddron Bald. The bald is not a breathtaking panoramic, picture-perfect bald like Max Patch or Hump Mountain, but rather a small open-ish area with lots of shrubs and bushes, and with pine trees on opposite sides. Still, this is the first open ridgeline of this hike and it offers some pretty good views of the Smokys.

After hiking down from Maddron Bald the trail hits the Snake Den Ridge trail, which takes you straight up to the Appalachian Trail. Snake Den Ridge offers almost constant views the entire, but short(.7 miles), time I was on it. The trail climbs steeply and after about ten minutes I could smell the white blazes.

Snake Den Ridge hits the AT at Inadu Knob. Elevation junkies should drop there packs and take a 2 mile southbound roundtrip to Mt. Guyot, one of the Smoky's peaks over 6000 feet and the second highest in the park. I stayed northbound.

The AT offers great ridge line views and a prettyeasy hike at this point of the trail. Though there are some gentle elevation changes, the trail is fairly level here so I was able to make good time. The trail starts to make its first big ascent at Camel Hump Knob, which is where I saw the first group of hikers I ran into, taking a lunch break before the big climb. The trail climbs about 600 feet from Camel Hump to Cosby knob over about a mile and a half.

I stopped to fill my water bottle at Cosby Knob Shelter. The shelter had bear cables, a privy, and a goo water source. After filling up my water and grabbing a quick snack I moved on towards Mt. Cammerer.

Low Gap

From Cosby Knob the trail drops to Low Gap. Low Gap Trail can take you back to Cosby Camp Ground if you want to shorted the trip. If you want to lengthen the trip, take the trail South to Walnut Bottom and Gunter Fork Cascades. I stayed on the AT which climbed gently for the next 2 miles.

I continued on up to Sunup Knob and on to the base of Mt. Cammerer. A side trail offers a 1.2 mile round trip to the summit of Cammerer and to a fire tower. This side trip is a must. The views from the summit and the fire tower were the best of the trip. I was lucky to have a clear day and could see mountains all around me. Roan mountain could be seen to the north clearly, and extensive views into North Carolina and Tennessee were abundant.

From MT Cammerer

After eating lunch on Cammerer I headed back to the AT. The Trail Descends steeply into Davenport Gap, which is where I stayed my second night.

I arrived at the shelter at around 4:30. I was the first person there but a group of through hikers arrived shortly after. They cooked dinner and went on another 2 miles to a campsite outside the Smokies. Several more through hikers arrived and I shared the shelter with Three of them; Draggin' Tail, Tickle Monster, and Cheez-It. We all cooked our dinners and chatted for a bit, but we all had long hikes that day (cheez-it and Tickle Monster hiked a 20 miler) and were eager to get some sleep.

The next morning Draggin' Tail was the first to head out but I was close behind. I started the day with a three mile up hill backtrack to the Lower Cammerer Trail. I came to the intersection and took the trail, which heads back to Cosby, North. The Lower Mt Cammerer trail offered great views for the first couple miles then quickly dropped to lower elevations. With the peaks of Guyot and Cammerer vissible through the trees, the forest here offered some of the best scenery of the whole trip. The trail continued to descend through countless green coves, each with its own trickling mountain stream.

After about 5 miles, the trail begins to pick up some elevation. This offered me a few last good views before returning to the car. A side trail to Sutton Ridge offers impressive views. Lower Cammerer Trail runs 7.3 miles before intersecting Low Gap Trail. If you stay on Lower Cammerer You can go straight into Cosby, but if you want more hiking take Low gap for another mile. The trail if fairly level and offers great scenery though lush forest. After a couple creek crossings you hit Snake Den Ridge which will take you .4 miles back to Cosby Campground. Drop your pack at the car and take a half mile hike around Cosby Nature Trail to make this trip officially 40 Miles.

Check out additional photos here and future trips here! Backpacker Magazine reviews a similar hike.

Laurel-Shelton Backcountry Loop

2012-02-20T14:42:00.000-08:00

Starting Point: Jerry Miller Trail Head, Flagpond NC
Distance: 22 mile loop Including road walk
Date: Februrary 18-20th 2012
Trip highlights: Waterfall on Jerry Miller Trail, Views from Blackstack Cliffs, somewhat technical climbing while enjoying nonstop views over Firescald Ridge.

When Jon, Nick and I were planning this trip we required several things. First, we required winter conditions and preferably snow. Second, we needed plenty of great views from mountain ridgelines. Third, we needed our final day's hike to be short enough to get us to the car by eleven, to get Jon to work on time. We altered a popular hike in the Shelton-Laurel Backcountry Area of Pisgah National Forest to meet all of these retirements. The loop would take us up Jerry Miller Trail to the Appalachian Trail at Bear Wallow Gap. We would then drop our packs and take a short loop around Jone's Meadow back to our packs and hike to a Forest service Road by Flint Mountain Shelter which would take us to a 4 mile road walk back to the car, making this a 22 mile loop.

We stopped at Biscuitville in Greensboro on the way out of town and made it to the trail head at around 12:3-, almost exactly 3.5 hours. The trail head was easy to access but it should be noted that a small creek ford is required. My fairly low clearance front wheel drive Mazda Made it just fine.

The trail head offers enough parking for several cars next to the creek. The trail is clearly marked with yellow blazes and the trail head has an information board and a plaque dedicated to he trail's namesake.

Jerry Miller doesn't mess around. Almost immediately after crossing a small bridge the trail sent us straight up --and fast. After skirting up to a low ridge line, the trail becomes more level, before meeting up with a creek. There's a pretty impressive water fall followed by several insignificant creek crossings. One of these crossings has a log bridge and we had no problem rock-hopping over the rest. We then hiked on to White Oak Flats. The trail in this area became a Fairly wide road bed as it traversed the meadow and we made really good time during this section. This area is more reminiscent of Uwharie National forest than Pisgah as the the trail had gentle elevation changes and low ridgelines dominated the ladscape. However beyond the low ridges, we caught our first glimpse at the crests we were about the climb. We stopped for a quick snack at a rock formation before the final ascent. I took off an unneeded layer and with our packs back on we began the intense climb up to the ridge. After several switchbacks the trail takes a sharp turn off the road bed. We continued following yellow blazes up the side of the mountain.

After 4.5 miles of intense hiking, victory came in the form of white blazes. I sat on a rock at the intersection of Jerry Miller and the AT and enjoyed some grub as I waited for Jon and Nick. Jon gave a celebratory "Whoooa!" as he came to the trail , and Nick was close behind.

We found a good spot to ditch our packs and started our short lolly-pop-loop to around Jone's Meadow. At about a quarter mile in we spotted a side trail to blackstack cliffs. This was one of the spots we had looked forward to so we headed down the side trail. Offering extraordinary views in three directions, Blackstack was definitely one of the highlights of this trip. The rocks that jet out let you walk out away from the mountain and toward the horizon.

Not very much further down the trail we passed Whitecliff Rocks. We were running a little low on daylight so we decided to brush passed. We then followed the AT down About a Mile of switchbacks, taking us under Whiterock Cliffs, towards Jones meadow. We decided to trim a little bit of time by taking a side trail to the meadow, instead of looping around. The trail climbs fairly directly to the meadow, where we were surprised to see an access road on witch several sight-seers had driven up to the meadow. The view from here was quite rewarding, but we had little time to stop and enjoy it, as we still had another five miles to hike before sundown.

A local family was drinking beers around a fire just past Jone's Meadow. They pointed us to a Forest Service Road that took us back the the AT near BlackStack Cliffs. We reached Bear Wallow Gap and reunited with out packs. From there it was a short 3.3 miles to Jerry's Cabin Shelter.

After less than a mile, we came to a fork in the trail. The blue blazed trail offered a "Bad Weather Route" and the white blazes offered "Ridgeline Trail." We went with the white Blazes.

The trail goes over Fire Scald Ridge where it demands some near-technical climbing but offers some of the best views imaginable. From open rock faces and rigid trail sections we had great visibility in all directions. after coming down from the ridge the trail reconnects with the bad weather rout and starts climbing toward Jerry's Cabin. Jon blazed on ahead and Nick and I slowed our pace a bit. After some steep climbing we found Jon waiting at the shelter with Joe, A section hiker from Bowling Green.

We filtered water from a spring just above the shelter and started a small fire in the shelter's fireplace. After swapping trail-tales with Joe we went to sleep around 9:30.

We woke to the sound of rain hitting the shelter roof. Joe hit the trail early but since we had all day to walk six miles, we decided to wait around the shelter for a break in the rain, or possibly for it to turn into snow. We filled up on water and enjoyed a slow morning around the shelter. At around eleven, the rain slowed and we decided to start hiking. The trail wasted no time taking us back up to the ridgeline where we trekked through forests, over a meadow and passed a plaque noting the location where the ashes of a thru-hiker were buried.

The hike up Cold Spring Mountain is a rocky one with several scrambles. we made it up the mountain in good time and started toward Big Butt.

The trail takes a sharp turn towards Gravel Gap just before Big Butt. We made it to the Butt just as it began to snow. The snow was getting thicker and was starting to lightly cover the ground. This is the February hike we had been looking for!

We made it back to the AT and started down To Gravel Gap. The snow temporarily turned back into rain, and we stopped to eat lunch under a tarp. Back on the trail, the woods became more open and we located several great potential campsites. A hundred yards further we found Shelton's Grave, The burial place of three young boys who were of the 13 victims of the 1863 Shelton Laurel Massacre.

Passed the graves, The forest got thicker and the trail took up down quickly descending switchbacks for about a mile. We reached the bottom of Flint Gap and were faced with the trail ahead taunting us as it went straight up the side of the mountain.

After some intense elevation gain I spotted the tin roof of the shelter through the woods. a short drop to a road bed and a guick hill clime put me at Flint Mountain Shelter. Nick wasn't far behind and we started getting situated for the night.

The shelter has two sleeping pads separated by a small table. We designated one pad for gear and one for sleeping. The shelter had bear cables, a privy, and a good water source but lacked a fireplace. A fire pit in front of the shelter had a stack of cut wood next to it, but the day's rain had left it soaking wet. This in no way hindered Nick's ability to get a respectable fire roaring.

Jon and Nick enjoyed the fire and I made a quick dinner, hung my food and called it a night early. Snow continued to fall throughout the night and after a couple of hours Nick and Jon put out the fire and went bed. The night was much colder than the previous one but we managed to stay warm.

We woke up before the sun and packed up. The plan was to get on the road by eleven so Jon could make it to work in Greensboro by 3:30, so time was of the essence. We backtracked to the Forrest Service Road we had crossed the day before and took it down to the road.

The wide, gravel road winded down into a valley before once again gaining elevation. The final decent to Mill Creek Rd. Passes forested land, stripped to only a few dying hemlocks. Through the break in the trees, we could see the road. We kept moving towards the road which we could see was so close.

Once we reached Mill Creek Rd. We started walking toward Highway 212. We thumbed the first truck to pass us by and he gladly took us to 212 and to the Church at Big Creek Road. We all Dropped our packs and I volunteered to walk the final 2 miles solo and pull the car back around. I made it to the church at a quarter to ten, more than an hour ahead of schedule.

On our way back to Greensboro we were scouring exit signs for Mexican Restaurants to round out the trip in true Rhythm n Boots fashion. On our search, we located a Bavarian Dining Restaurant. We decided to forgo Mexican food for some satisfying schnitzel. We pulled into the parking lot to read the sigh "geschlossen Montag"--Closed Monday.

I guess it was meant to be because the same Asheville-exit housed an authentic Mexican Restaurant. We stopped there and destroyed their delicious tacos.

We made it to Greensboro at 2:30, allowing Jon ample time to get to work.

Trip report: Carver's Gap-Highway 19E Appalachian Trail on the

2012-02-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

Details:

Starting Point: Carver's Gap, TN
Ending Point: Highway 19E NC
Distance: 14.3 Miles one way
Date: November 3rd, 4th 2011
Trip highlights: Hump Mountain at Night, Four of the best Southern Appalachian Balds, Hiking in open terrain, Amazing views of Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia

It was 12:59 for an hour and a half. The clock finally hit one and I clocked out, ripped off my name tag and walked out to my car. My pack was already in my back seat so I was ready to hit the road to Carvers Gap. I met Katei at Yum Yum's for a quick hot dog and shake and then began the journey to the Tennessee Border.

A wrong turn in Blowing Rock, NC set my already late starting hike back even later. It was a beautiful Saturday in November, which means highway 105 was jammed with mini vans on their way to an afternoon at Grandfather Mountain--picnics and yuppies and toddlers; oh My! After more than an hour of stand-still traffic I was finally past the obstacle and quickly got back on the right track.

I finally arrived at Carver's Gap at around 6:00--about two hours later than I had planned. The parking lot was very nice, with a privy and ample parking, and was quite full. lacing up my boots and stretching; I strapped on my pack, crossed the road and headed North. My plan, originally, was to hike to Bradley gap, (about 7 miles in) set up camp for the night, wake up and do some day hiking before picking up my pack and hiking out. My late start changed my plans a bit but as I started hiking I had no concrete plans.

This section begins with a pretty easy clime up to Round Bald. The trail winds through some small patches of Ash forest, but for the most part remains fairly open. Day hikers heading back to Carvers Gap made up the bulk of trail traffic, although there were a couple small groups of weekenders and one group of SOBO thru-hikers headed the Roan high Knob Shelter. After a quick easy hike, I reached the 5,826 foot summit of Round Bald. I had no time to really stop and "take it all in" but the views were fantastic. The sun was already falling quickly and I needed to keep going, as I still wasn't sure how far I was going to hike.

I hiked down Round Bald, across Engine Gap and up to Jane Bald. Although lower the Round Bald, Jane Bald had equally as great views and I decided to stop and enjoy the sunset, eat a quick snack and figure out what my plan would be for the night. I consulted my map and determined that Stan Murry shelter would be a decent spot to camp for the night. I was disappointed that I would only be hiking less than 3.5 miles that day, but figured that would leave me well rested for a tomorrow of exploring the area.

Hiking down Jane Bald I ran into a group of middle-aged weekend hikers scrambling to find water and a place to camp. I told them that I didn't know of any campsites in that area but let them know that there was a spring not too far ahead on Grassy Ridge. They asked me where I was planning to camp. Feeling a burst of energy from my snack on Jane Bald, I explained to them that my plans had changed and I was looking at Stan Murray Shelter but was now thinking about trekking considerably further to Applehouse Shelter; given that I had walked the last mile or so with no sun in the sky and the moon was offering enough light that I had not yet even realized that I wasn't using my headlamp. Thus, Apple House became my new goal for the night. 14 miles sounded much better than a mere 3.4.

The trail leads down Jane Bald and enters its first real stretch of forest. Although the forest was aptly illuminated by the almost-full moon, I decided to finally pull out my head lamp. The trail gently looses elevation on the way through the woods towards Stan Murray Shelter and I was making pretty good time on this section of trail. I ran into a mapless and quite clueless group of high school kids looking for a spot to set up camp. I told them that they probably wouldn't find an established campsite big enough for their group but suggested going on to Over Mountain shelter which sleeps around 30. The group, who appeared to be dressed straight out of CCS Magazine, weren't up for very much more hiking. I breezed on and continued down the trail. I reached Stan Murray Shelter at around 7:15. Its two occupants were cooking dinner out in front of the shelter. They had hiked from Iron Mountain Gap and stayed at Clyde Smith Shelter the night before. I warned them about the clan on cotton-clad youths that were headed in their direction and continued towards Little Hump Mountain.

Yellow Mountain Gap was not too exciting in the dark except for a placard with a story from the Revolutionary War near the blue-blazed trail that lead to Over Mountain Shelter.

The forest opened up into grassy meadows and I again found myself without the need of my headlamp. I reached Little Hump Mountain and decided to cook Dinner behind a large rock formation which presented itself as an effective windbreak. I put on a layer of two and cooked my Minestrone and Cous Cous. I started hiking and the wind started picking up.

I traversed Bradley Gap which was wooded andoffered a nice break from the wind. I spotted several groups camping in this area. I passed several great unclaimed hammock spots and considered stoping short of my goal and staying in Bradley Gap. I kept Going. I also passed several springs and stopped at one to fill up. A small fence with a horse gate was situated right beyond the woods where the terrain opened up once again to a beautiful mountain meadow.

The hike up Hump Mountain was dominated by the wind. The trail was clearly marked through this open area but the wind was doing its best to keep me off of it. However, the summit of The Hump brought a change. The wind curiously stopped blowing as I reached the top and allowed me a chance to sit on The Hump and enjoy the summit. City lights from Roan Mountain, TN shined as brightly as the stars. Hump Mountain at night is a rarity worth investigating, and I highly recommend that you, at some point, experience it. I ate another quick snack and started down the trail at around 9:30 towards Doll Flatts--which was another pleasant surprise

After quite a while of rocky trail through the woods, the trail passes through one last open meadow. Even at night, the views from here are impressive. Past Doll flatts is more forest. A side trail to a spring is just beyond the Flatt and there was ample room for tents in this area. After about 3 miles of switchbacks, forest and several large rock formations I reached Apple House Shelter just at midnight.

The Shelter was full and several tents surrounded it. I set up my hammock behind the shelter, hung my food and went to bed under a clear sky--no need for a rain fly.

In the morning I awoke to the shelter coming to life. An older local man was cooking breakfast and talking to a young group of SOBO thru-hikers. It was their first night back on the trail after having spent two night in town, where they had had a great time with the locals. I made coffee and oatmeal and packed up me hammock. The thru-hikers started off before I did and I stayed and chatted a while with the local man. I was excited to repeat the previous day's hike with the benefit of sunlight.

I started back up the trail towards Hump Mountain. I reached Doll Flatts and stopped to take in the view. The night before offered great views but the daytime views blew them away.

I reached The summit of Hump Mountain. The thru-hikers from the shelter were on top eating lunch so I joined them. There was a clear view or Roan Mountain which is where they were planning to stay that night. The sky was so clear we could see as far south as Watauga Lake and far into Virginia to the North.

The thru-hikers continued on and I finished my lunch. A local family reached the top and we chatted for a bit. I told them that I was headed back to my car at Carver's Gap and they offered that I follow them though a short-cut to Highway-19 where the assured me hitchhiking to Carver's gap would be easy. I took them up on their offer and followed them back down the north side of hump mountain. We entered the woods and took a trail that headed onto private property that their neighbors owned. We walked for maybe 3 or 4 miles through the woods and then through a couple Christmas tree farms. We piled into the bed of a truck that was waiting at one of the tree farms and we headed towards 19. The dropped me off at a convenient store on the highway and wished me luck. As soon as they pulled off, A couple pulled over and offered a ride.

Zeke and Trish were two of the nicest strangers I've ever met. They had hiked a 500 mile section of the trail in the late 80s and soon after relocated to Damascus, VA. Zeke had planned to open up an outfitter is Damascus that sold gear and "took novice hikers into the woods to show them how to not be idiots," to use his own words. Unfortunately, sickness had prevented them from pursuing this dream. I told them I was from Greensboro and they Told me about Wild Foods Weekend in near by Oar Ridge...I'm looking forward to this in April. http://www.wildfoodadventures.com/northcarolina.html

They dropped me off at Carver's Gap, which was quite a ways out of their way. I offered to give them money for gas but they refused. I loaded up my car and headed back to Greensboro. TRIP PHOTOS https://plus.google.com/s/micah%20barron#photos/116865289213965450857/albums/5664249257746462273