choose your path

Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads you to wisdom. 
--Buddha 

Took advantage of the warm temperatures yesterday by going for a hike along the Appalachian Trail on Unaka Mountain. As the sun was setting I met two south-bound thru-hikers with the trail names of "Tonic"(from Massachusetts) and "Bright Spirit" (from Texas). They both got a bit of a late start on their 2,190 mile trek and hope to avoid heavy snows as they complete the remaining 350 (or so) miles to the southern terminus of the AT on Springer Mountain in Georgia. 

Click here for a helpful Appalachian Trail distance calculator.

Pain, Rain and Maine.

No Pain, No Rain, No Maine.
–Appalachian Trail saying. 

 
Talking with those AT thru hikers that pass through this region in early spring, there are days they wake up to knee-deep snow or weeks when the rain just won't stop. Still the hardy and determined (and possibly insane) trudge on, though the weather will thin their ranks. I appreciate what they do and admire them, but I like my comfy bed and hot shower too much to ever do what they do. Six months is a long time to sleep out of doors. And 2,180 miles is a lot of miles to walk. I often ask them why they're out there. It seems you can put the thru-hikers into two camps: those who say they do it for the bucket-list-worthy, physical challenge of the trek and those who've come to clear their minds and get back in touch with nature. For both groups the pain and rain on the way to Maine is an essential part of this challenging and cleansing experience.

Above: The Appalachian Trail as it crosses the summit of Unaka Mountain in eastern Tennessee. 

dream world

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other. 
--Douglas H. Everett

At the last minute I thought I'd jump in the car and try to catch the sunset on Beauty Spot outside of Erwin, TN. Driving up the mountain, the fog was thick and I figured I was wasting my time. But I had come this far, so might was well see it through. I'm glad I did. Soon after I arrived, the fog lifted and the sunset was really spectacular, with rain clouds in the distance.

I met two thru-hikers setting up camp for the night, one from Florida, the other from Maine. Their trail names were NoMo (as in No More) and MoMo.  Although NoMo said that in reality they should both be called NoMo. They were very sweet and said that when people ask why they are walking 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine, it was for nights like this.

Heading back to my car I ran into another couple, they proudly announced they were just engaged on the mountain. So I took Sasha and Heath's photo and enjoyed the opportunity to talk with them and share in their excitement. What a fun, beautiful and dreamy night on the mountain!

a daring adventure

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure. 

--Helen Keller (1880-1968) Blind & deaf author and educator.

I started to say that we ran into some interesting thru-hikers up at the Overmountain Shelter. But "Interesting Thru-Hiker" is an oxymoron. You never meet a boring person on the trail. Each has a story to tell and a reason for undertaking the arduous six-month-long 'walk in the woods.' Two of these hikers are from Minnesota (Crusty and Little B), one from Louisiana (Grahams), and the final hiker from Virginia (Cheerio). We decided to take some chocolate 'trail magic' with us to the shelter, expecting that we would run into some hikers in need of some sugar. We enjoyed hearing their about their backgrounds and experiences along the trail. 

The view from the shelter is fantastic - so remote and tranquil.  It's one of the most unique and loved shelters along the 2,200 mile trail. Click here for more photos of the shelter from a previous visit and for directions to "The Barn."

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).

Return to High Rocks

Part of the view from atop High Rocks.

The impressive view from below.

I ventured out to High Rocks along the Appalachian Trail today -- a portion of the trail I haven't visited for awhile. Thought the rain had passed and I was in the clear. It's a two mile hike on the way back down the mountain from High Rocks. Going up, it seems twice that. Especially the last stretch when High Rocks is in sight and the climb keeps getting more steep -- like a circular staircase wrapping around the giant granite bolder. It's a workout.  The view would be much nicer on a clear day, but as it was, storm clouds were rolling in and sleet started to fall. Time to hurry back to the car.

The sun started to poke back out when I met up with these four thru-hikers (photo below) near the parking area at Spivey Gap. Didn't catch their trail names, but they did tell of the rough weather they endured on Big Bald yesterday and the bag of Oreo trail magic that miraculously appeared today. They're hoping for better weather as they approach the Roan balds. Happy trails!

Click here to see my initial post describing the hike, with driving directions to Spivey Gap.

5,000,000 steps

Campfire on a chilly night at the Beauty Spot

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are. 
--John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) American financier & philanthropist.

Squirrel and her dog, Zima

It's that time of year when Appalachian Trail thru-hikers move through our region on their way from Georgia to Maine. In all, they'll travel nearly 2,200 miles, taking approximately 5,000,000 steps through 14 states. It takes anywhere from 5 to 7 months to complete. Only 25% who start the trail complete it.

I've concluded that thru-hikers are some of the best people you'll ever meet. Most all are easy-going, fun-loving, life-embracing, thankful, helpful, joyful, fascinating people with interesting tales to tell. They all adopt trail names by which they're known on the trail. Yesterday I met Weatherman, Squirrel, Lost Boy, Bones, Lotus and Mogsley. I'm always impressed with the strong sense of community they form as they make their journey together.  Here's a list of the class of 2014.

Weatherman from St. Louis

This group has made it through snow in the Smokies and is looking forward to the Roan Balds and the Grayson Highlands. Happy trails!

For a helpful online guide to hiking the Appalachian Trail, click here.

hearts and home

Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.
--Oliver Wendell Holmes 

Went out for a short hike with "Blue" on the Appalachian Trail. It was as if we hiked back in time to March -- 60 degrees down below and in the 40s up on Unaka Mountain. We hiked about 3 miles roundtrip and in that short span came across ten thru-hikers on their way to Maine. It was fun talking to them about their hike so far and the beauty that lies ahead -- especially the Roan and Grayson Highlands. 

keep walking

 

 If you would attain to what you are not yet, you must always be displeased by what you are.  For where you are pleased with yourself there you have remained.  Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing.
--Saint Augustine

It's that time of year when Appalachian Trail SOBOs are passing through our region on their way from Maine to Georgia.  SOBOs (or South Bounders) begin their 2,184 mile trek in the late spring or early summer, after the threat of snow has passed in New England.  The hope is to finish before the snows hit the Southern Appalachians in late fall. Unfortunately for these guys, "Johnnie Walker" (above left, from Pennsylvania) and "Sleepwalker" (right, Michigan), snow came early this year. They ran into 18 inches of snow on top of Mount Rogers following Hurricane Sandy. They hurried down to Damascus, VA to wait it out. I met them up on the Beauty Spot outside of Erwin, TN and enjoyed talking with them about their adventures. And then they headed down the trail with 'only' 350 miles to go...

(I've lately been reading David Miller's excellent account of his AT thru-hike, AWOL on the Appalachian Trail and recommend it for those wanting a glimpse of what life on the AT is like).

discoveries

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his greatest surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't.
--Henry Ford (1863-1947) American industrialist. 

Really enjoyed meeting and talking to a north-bound, AT thru-hiker today named Shane on the Watauga Dam. He's originally from South Africa, but has lived in London the last few years. He visited the US once before in the late 90s but this is his first time in the eastern US.  Said he loves Appalachia and is enjoying his trek. When I asked him why he's thru-hiking the AT, he said it's complicated. Just something he needs to do...

BTW... It's a beautiful hike from the swimming area (Shook Branch Recreation Area) to Watauga Dam (approx. 3 miles) -- description here.  Click here to read about the other options for accessing Watauga Dam from the Elizabethton side of the lake.

Footwork

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. --Ralph Waldo Emerson  

Over the years I've encountered lots of thru-hikers up on Unaka Mountain, but Mike Ryan (trailname 'Footwork') was the first SOBO I've met. SOBO is trail talk for 'South-bounders', which means Mike began his trek up on Mt. Katahdin in Maine on June 22nd and now, 1,840 miles later, he's on the home stretch of his 2,180 miles march to Springer Mountain in Georgia, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Most of the thru-hikers are NOBOs, beginning their trek in early spring with the hope of completing their hikes before the early winter of northern New England. But because Mike didn't graduate from Appalachian State until late May, his only real option, was to ride a bus to Maine (not a pleasant experience) and head south. He had lots of great stories to share of his adventures (and the characters he's met along the way) -- and is definitely looking forward to completing his journey. It really is an amazing accomplishment.  Only 1 in 4 of those who attempt a thru-hike actually complete the entire trail, most leaving the trail within the first two weeks.

Max Patch

Max Patch has always been on my radar -- but it was just far enough out of the way, that I never visited until now.  This one's definitely worth the drive. It's not the tallest (only 4629'), but yet this gem offers some of the most spectacular views found in the southern Appalachians. These photos really don't do it justice - it's huge - over 300 acres - and the views (even on a hazy day) are magnificent, breathtaking in every direction. Here's a panorama looking west toward the Smokies....because of the haze, not all the ridges in the distance appear (click to enlarge). But just imagine this scene on a cool, crisp autumn morning!

While the origin of most of the balds in our region is subject to debate and speculation, the origin of Max Patch is known. In the 1800s, this knob was cleared and turned into farmland for cattle and sheep. For a time in the 1920s it was even used as a landing strip for small planes giving aerial tours of the area.  To maintain the views, the forest service mows the bald each year to prevent reforestation.

We came in following the road south of Hot Springs.  It offers many beautiful views and country scenes, but I had dubbed it 'The Corkscrew' (update...Just found out others call it The Rattler), both are appropriate! Eventually, you turn off the main road and follow a gravel road for many miles. So not only is it remote, but it's also slow going.  I thought it would be a bit more straight forward coming in from I-40, but the descriptions of that route seem to indicate the road turns to gravel and is slow going as well.  Anyone care to comment on that approach? Parking is limited, so I recommend going early or on a week day. And while plenty of cars were in the lot, I was glad to have a high clearance vehicle for the rough gravel road.

Ran into a couple of through hikers while there, always fun to talk to them about their experiences.  The one on the left is from Massachusetts, the one leading the way is from New Mexico.  The AT crosses over Max Patch, and both of these hikers commented on how the views and the cool breezes 'made their day' after hiking through the sweltering heat.  In that sense, it reminded me of the balds on Roan Mountain - where it's always 10-15 degrees cooler than down below.

Here's a photo of the map of the immediate area (sorry for the low quality, the plexiglass in front of the map was broken).  You can see there are various trails that loop around the bald. I recommend taking the loop trail to your right at the parking area -- take it until it meets up with the AT and then take the AT to the summit (see this post).

 After visiting Max Patch, we were determined to find Wolf Creek Falls again - this time by car.  I'll write about that next time...[Update: here's that post!]

Detailed directions from Hot Springs and Asheville here.  Map showing route from Johnson City to Hot Springs, NC to Max Patch.

Stepping Out

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
--Lao Tzu (6th century BC) philosopher of ancient China  

Actually Randy and Ivana (trail names Kwai Chang Caine and Kaboose) expect their journey to be 2,180 miles -- or about 5 million footsteps. I met them on the 20th day of their Appalachian Trail thru-hike on Unaka Mountain.  They said they had spent the previous day resting at Uncle Johnny's Hostel along the Nolichucky River in Erwin, TN. According to the AT distance calculator, it's 340 miles from Springer Mountain, GA to Uncle Johnny's, which they did in 18 days -- an average of nearly 19 miles a day -- which is really pushing it! Randy, who's from Indiana, and his wife, Ivana, from France -- both love the Appalachians. I have no doubt they'll complete the entire AT.  They emailed yesterday from Damascus, VA after completing a 38 mile day.  I think they've earned another day off!

Completing the AT is really an amazing feat when you consider that only 1 in 4 hikers who start a thru-hike actually finish it -- only about 300 hardy souls per year.  Since its completion in 1937, only about 11,000 have hiked the entire length. Even if you don't ever plan on being a thru-hiker, you might find this website interesting.  It describes the AT and all the planning that goes into making the 5-7 month hike from Georgia to Maine. The Appalachian Conservancy website has some interesting statistics here and here, such as the oldest thru-hiker was Lee Barry, who in 2004 completed the trail at age 81.

Great videos put together by AT Thru-Hikers -- here and here.

drawn to the high altars

The disciples are drawn to the high altars with magnetic certainty, knowing that a great Presence hovers over the ranges ... You were within the portals of the temple ... to enter the wilderness and seek, in the primal patterns of nature, a magical union with beauty.
--Ansel Adams (1902-1984) American photographer

This is Hayes Crowley (trail name 'Opie'), who I met last night at the Beauty Spot outside of Erwin, TN. Very laid back and friendly, it was fun talking to Opie and hearing about his life and his experiences out on the trail. It's my experience that thru-hikers are some of the most interesting people on the planet. It's a long standing tradition that AT thru-hikers adopt a trail name by which they're known to one another -- it becomes their trail persona. I suppose it's just another way for the hikers to leave the world behind. Some choose their own names while others wait and let other hikers assign a name based on experiences out on the trail. For instance, one was named "Silver Foot" because of all the duct tape used to prevent blisters. Another named "Stitches" after she fell and, well, you already know the rest. One was named "Librarian" because of the number of AT guidebooks in her pack. Opie simply said it was a name he'd been called. He's originally from Atlanta, and attends Appalachian State where he majors in English (at least for now). Opie got a late start on the AT, so he doubts he'll get the entire trail conquered this year, but that seemed to be okay with him. If I were a thru-hiker, I'd have given him the trail name "No worries." More on trail names here and here.

A Walk in the Woods

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.... I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms[.]
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Essayist and Philosopher
Say hello to Aaron and Jon, Appalachian Trail Thru-Hikers Class of 2009, who I met last night at the Beauty Spot on Unaka Mountain. Those who start in Georgia on their six month, 2,175 mile trek to Maine are called "north bounders" -- or NOBOs. Fewer adventurers start in Maine and hike the trail south to Georgia -- they're predictably called SOBOs. While it's estimated 3-4 million people hike some portion of the AT each year, only a total of 10,543 people have completed the entire span since the trail was completed in 1936. To give you an idea of what a difficult feat this is, consider that of the 1,125 people who started out last year on Springer Mountain in Georgia, only 302 made it all the way to Maine (a completion rate of 27%). March is the traditional start time for NOBOs, this will hopefully mean a completion sometime in September. Jon and Aaron began on March 18th - and so far are making good progress and said they're holding up well. For the most part they've missed the bad weather and have already logged approximately 350 miles on their journey to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.

Did you know? Each year Damascus, Virginia has an annual festival celebrating the Appalachian Trail (and the many other trails that traverse this small town -- including the magnificent Virginia Creeper Trail) called "Trail Days." They have events scheduled throughout the month of May, culminating the weekend of May 15-17. Click here for a schedule of events.