Date: 2004-04-05
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Overmountain Shelter
Miles today: 12.9
Weather: clear sky

Had a very trying day today. Last night I believe the temp got down into the single digits. Even my Gatorade was frozen solid when I got up. Using almost all of my cold weather gear I was still a bit cold. My nose and my toes were not very happy. It was tough to get out of the sleeping bag but I knew I had a rough day ahead of me. In nice weather Roan Mountain is a tough climb. With more than a foot of snow and record breaking cold and strong winds it is quite a challange. In fact I would rate today as my most physically challanging day I've ever spent on the trail. I departed the shelter about 9AM and immediately climbed 500 feet to Little Rock Knob. The views there were fantastic but the wind could almost blow you off the top. The water vapor from my breathing immediately froze in my beard. After cimbing down from Little Rock I started the 2000 foot climb up Roan Mountain. The higher I got the colder it was and the deeper the snow. I was able to walk on top of the snow without sinking all the way to the ground - most steps. At times when I pushed off on my hiking poles they would sink in over two feet down without contacting the ground. The trees were so heavy with snow that I had to crawl under many of them - only to have them dump their load of snow down my neck when I couldn't fit under. I pity those who hike there when that suspended snow starts to melt and drips from the trees. It took me five hours to cover only six miles of trail. When I finally made it to Carvers Gap I headed to the rest room they had there. Heading through the door I took fall number three of this hike. The floor of the Outhouse was a sheet of ice. My feet flew out from under me and I went down hard. At first I thoughtI broke my thumb which turned an interesting shade of purple. The nifty cigar lighter Po sent me got crushed inside the pack - which absorbed much of the impact. All minor damage so I finished what I had to do and headed up the balds past Carvers gap. The trail up Round Bald was solid ice from being packed down by day hikers out for a stroll in the snow on Sunday. I climbed Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge without incident. The problem is that I was not supposed to climb Grassy Ridge. The sign marking the trail intersection was missing and I followed the other footsteps and went the wrong way. It was a long climb and I went back and forth and covered about two miles before finding a landmark that showed on my map. I turned around and relocated the AT after wasting a lot of time and energy. Well, not a total waste as I must say that it was beautiful up there. I do not have to visit the Artic because I now know what it must be like. I got some great pictures up there. After getting back on the AT I pushed hard to make up for the lost time. I did not want to be hiking after dark and my feet were wet and I was tired and hungry and mad at myself for getting lost - again. I passed Stan Murray Shelter and glanced in. It made me wonder what bad thing Stan must have done to have such a place named after him. It was damp, dingy, and ugly inside. I pushed on to Overmountain Shelter. I am in my sleeping bag on the top floor since the wind is blowing too hard for me to stay on the open side of the shelter. It is bitterly cold but I will be fine inside my bag. The noise from the wind is unbelievably loud but after the workout I had today nothing will keep me awake. The rewards for hiking in this cold clear weather: Some of the best views of the hike. The Roan Highlands are easy to get to and offer fantastic views. Just don't get lost and bring lots of warm clothes. I'm going to sleep. Good night, Lwop