Roan Highlands and the TN/NC Border

“Nothin’ lasts forever, even cold November rain.” — Axl Rose

My time off in Roan Mountain, TN passed quickly enough.  The highlight was my trip to Highlander BBQ, where I had the AT hiker’s special.  It was a double cheeseburger loaded with hand cut fries and barbecued pork, choice of side (I had the jalapeño tater tots), fountain drink, and ice cream.

Properly refueled, I set out Thursday morning (October 25) to ascend 3000’ into the Roan Highlands.  About halfway up, I reached an area called Doll Flats where I made the first of many crossings between Tennessee and North Carolina.  As I continued to ascend, I observed that some fall color was present at the lower elevations.  I soon approached the first summit of the day, 5,559 foot Hump Mountain.

From Hump Mountain, I could see the next major peak of Grassy Ridge.  The trail bypassed the summit of Grassy Ridge and proceeded to cross the summits of Jane Bald and Round Bald before descending into Carvers Gap.

At Carvers Gap, I was once again at the Tennessee-North Carolina border.  From there I ascended Roan Mountain, the first mountain above 6,000 feet since New Hampshire.  I spent the night at the shelter on Roan High Knob at 6,285 feet, the highest shelter on the Appalachian Trail and just 3 feet lower than the summit of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire.  This shelter is one of the few to have four walls and a door, both of which were welcome on a night that was cold, windy, and rainy.

On Friday morning I woke to rain and driving wind.  I waited until about 10:30 to see whether the rain would let up.  It did not, but I set out anyway to at least get in a few miles.  Despite the rain and wind, the temperature warmed a bit as I descended.  By 1:00 the rain stopped and the sun occasionally peaked through the clouds, allowing me to complete 17 miles as originally planned.  Views were limited, but I did manage to see some fall color through the mist from Little Rock Knob.

As Friday turned out to be not so bad despite the weather forecast, I departed the shelter on Saturday morning hoping for the same to complete another 17 miles.  Unfortunately, the rain continued all day, but I got in my miles anyway.  I was warm as long as I kept moving and I stopped only once for lunch.  Late afternoon found me crossing the Nolichucky River just before reaching Uncle Johnny’s Nolichucky Hostel, where I was able to warm up with a hot shower and catch a shuttle into town.  I had dinner at Los Jalapeños Mexican Restaurant and ordered the house special as it included the most items and I was very hungry after hiking all day in the cold rain.

As promised in the forecast, the weather was much improved Sunday.  I quickly climbed away from the river and onto a ridge.  As with many other days, I was walking in the woods all day.  The day ended with a windy and muddy approach up Little Bald, which was not even a little bald and offered no views.

Monday morning I started hiking about a half-hour before daybreak.  As I approached Big Bald, four deer ran across the trail about 50 yards ahead of me.  The last one stopped briefly twice, but not long enough for me to take its picture.  Looking back to the east, I was treated to a magnificent sunrise.  Again, the rest of the day was mostly walking through the woods, even across the summit of Frozen Knob, above 4,500 feet.

Tuesday was a glorious day in terms of sun, warmth, and scenery.  As I had almost 23 miles to hike, I was out again before sunrise.  Shortly after daybreak, I reached a side trail to a grave that interested me when reading my guide book.  It is a single grave with two head stones for William and David Shelton, an uncle and nephew who lived in North Carolina, but enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War.  Upon returning home for a family gathering, they were ambushed and killed by Confederate troops.

As I ascended Big Butt, I could see the first rays of sunlight reaching the ridge ahead through the trees.

The trail passed just below the summit and so I skipped the scramble up to the rocky peak.  While I initially questioned my decision, I was rewarded later in the morning with spectacular views from the rocky ridge along Big Firescald Knob.

I had increased my mileage on Tuesday so that I could have a short 11 mile hike into Hot Springs, NC on Wednesday, allowing me to relax and run errands during the afternoon.  I started early nonetheless to maximize my time in town.  The hike was relatively uneventful.  I had an open view as I crossed Mill Ridge, land that was formerly tobacco fields and now managed by the U.S. Forest Service as habitat for wild turkey and grouse.

As I neared town I had a birds-eye view of the French Broad River, which I crossed just before entering town.

Once in town, I stopped at Bluff  Mountain Outfitters to replace a couple items before reaching the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  I also picked up a few items at Dollar General, stopped at the post office, did laundry, and had a massage.

The first two days of November have been cold and dreary — what I normally associate with the month.  On Thursday, I left Hot Springs and crossed over Bluff Mountain at 4,686 feet.  Just after passing the summit, rain started, which made the trail a slippery mix of wet rocks, tree roots, and fallen leaves.  The rain continued on and off through the night.

The rain continued throughout the day on Friday, despite the forecast, which suggested otherwise.  The views from Max Patch and Snowbird Mountain were slim and none, respectively.  I made it to the Standing Bear Hostel late in the afternoon and am drying my clothes as I work on updating this blog.

At this point, I have just 241 miles remaining, which I hope to cover in 14 days of hiking.  I will enter the Great Smokey Mountains National Park on Saturday and am looking forward to a few sunny days and good views.  At least for the next few days, cold November rain is not in the forecast.