trail blazers

We met Sockless and Blazer (trail names) on our hike to the overlook near Little Rock Knob on Iron Mountain yesterday. They are South-Bound Flip-Floppers from Cincinnati.  Let me explain..."South Bound" in that they are traveling from North to South on the AT with their destination being Springer Mountain in Georgia. "Flip Floppers" in that they started in the middle of the AT and are doing the southern part first, with the expectation of then completing the northern section of the 2,200 mile trail. There are no rules saying you have to walk in an uninterrupted line along the AT! In fact, some who complete the trail do so as section hikers -- hiking large sections of the trail, often over the span of many years, in order to complete their thru hike. Click here for an article on the increased popularity of flip flopping the Appalachian Trail.

Sockless and Blazer came across a little dog on their journey which someone had obviously abandoned. The poor little guy was hungry and in need of help. My hiking companion Lee (you can see her blog here) agreed to take him home and so we left the mountain with an unexpected addition to our hiking group! She's calling him "Blaze" in honor of Blazer and as a reminder that it was the Appalachian Trail (marked with white blazes) that brought them together.

From Hughes Gap, it's 2.5 miles each way of fairly easy hiking. The view from the Little Rock Knob overlook is incredible on a clear day. Click here to read more about this hike.  And click here to read about taking the Appalachian Trail up and over Iron Mountain. Below is a panorama of the fantastic view from the rock outcropping near Little Rock Knob (click photo to enlarge).