Date: 2004-05-23
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Apple House Shelter
Miles today: 21.1

May 23rd was a damp gray day. After about 6 miles the trail delivered me to Roan High Bluff. At 6,150 feet this was the site of the Cloudland Hotel, a resort back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. There is still a clearing and foundation here along with the remains of the old rhododendron gardens. The Forest Service maintains a road, parking lot and restroom with running water. The facilities came in handy. The summit was socked in as has been every summit over 6,000 feet. The restroom and water fountain were a real bonus though. A short ways further a side trail led to Roan High Knob Shelter. The covered porch seemed a good spot for some lunch. At least it was protected for the possibility of precipitation. This was not a typical shelter. It had once been a fire warden¢s cabin. This would be the last time the trail would be above 6,000 feet until my home of New Hampshire and the cone of Mount Washington. Here in the forest at an elevation of 6,285', it was hard to believe this was only 3 feet lower than the harsh exposed summit of Mount Washington.The trail came over more grassy balds and ridges. It was hovering in the 5,000 to 6,000 foot range. Stan Murray Shelter seemed like a good palce to stop for water. The spring may have only been a hundred yards away but it was disappointingly far down. A guy's got to drink.The next place that really stands out in my memory would be Overmountain Shelter. It had an odd name and it was three tenths of a mile off the trail but it was supposed to be an old red barn and was once used in a movie ¢Winter People¢. For some reason I felt compelled to pay it a visit. There was an interpretive sign at the side trail to the shelter explaining:This is Yellow Mountain Gap. At 4,682 feet it straddles the states of both North Carolina and Tennessee along the Appalachian Trail. On September 7, 1780, the Overmountain Men who were a group of self-provisioned military recruits passed through the Gap on their way from Sycamore Shoals (Elizabethton), Tennessee to Kings Mountain, South Carolina. Here they defeated the British Army during the Revolutionary War which freed the American South from British domination and was a turning point for the colonists.The side trail lead across a small field and onto the remains of an old woods road and down. Feeling lazy, I opted to leave my pack leaning against a tree on the side of the trail. The descent was easy with only camera, water and food in hand. There was a good spring on the way so my water bottle got a needed refill. There was an older guy coming up the trail. He was a local hiker and quite pleasant. The shelter or barn was definitely cool. The sleeping area was on the second floor. There was a picnic table with a beautiful view, even in the overcast. Strangely, while eating and reading the register a vehicle arrived. It was a Suburban or something carrying 2 police officers, so much for wilderness. They were just checking in on the place. You can¢t really complain about that. Wouldn¢t you know, it started to rain. With nothing to keep the camera dry or me, and my pack sitting up the trail without it¢s pack cover, it was time to run for it. It was up hill all the way. Finally, there was my pack. Just then it stopped raining. To add insult to injury, there had been nothing to write in the register with down there. That will teach me to leave my pack behind. It was the first time it had happened and probably the last.Shortly after getting back on the AT, the trail broke out into the open. This was a series of balds for the next three miles leading up to Hump Mountain. Before long the clouds descended onto the ridge along with rain and wind. It was pretty miserable but there were some gorgeous sights of wafting clouds and mists. It was great if you didn¢t mind getting wet. It wasn¢t cold so why not.I met Magnet & Screemin¢ Steven today up on the balds. We were all pretty excited to see someone else up here in this mad weather. We talked for a bit fighting the wind and parted with smiles on our faces.Trail Names 1:They had great trail names. This got me thinking about trail names again. Trail names have been rolling around in my head for days now. I always liked the Steve Miller Band song Quick Silver Girl so maybe Quicksilver would be a good name. My fear was that this name was to presumptuous especially since it was my idea. We¢ll try it out for a few days to see how it fits.The rain came and went from time to time as did the wind. The views were almost always exciting. Sometimes vistas would open below revealing much lower clouds and undercasts. Other times, blue clouds would be revealed above. Then there were the clouds drifting up and over the ridge that might engulf the trail. It was something else.There were what appeared to be cow pies in and around the trail. This was confusing. What animal would be here making cow pies. It didn't seem like moose territory.Eventually the rain subsided and the views opened but you had to keep an eye on your step to dodge the pies. As the trail crested the summit of Hump Mountain all became clear. There were great horned beasts grazing to the left of the trail. Yep, it was some breed of cow. They must be there as lawn mowers.Granted, it was a wet day but the hiking was just great up here. On a sunny day the place would probably be teaming with people. There was a pretty crazy gate system in the log fence. It was apparently designed to keep the cattle from making the bald any bigger or maybe just to keep them from seeking better pastures at lower elevations. All this was for automatic natural lawn mowers.It was nice to be exposed for so long even in this weather but soon the trail reentered the trees. It stayed high, slabbing around the mountain until it finally plummeted to 3,000 feet in the last mile and a half. After 21 miles, Apple House Shelter would be home for the night. Apple House was a depressing little shelter with graffiti scrawled on the outside. It had a small door and was dirty inside. It was too close to the road in my opinion. Of course there had been other shelters even closer to roads in fine condition. I felt compelled to sweep it out but there was a 2x4 threshold in the doorway. How was that supposed to work. This place was originally built as a storage shed for explosives used at a nearby quarry. It was also used to store tools for an orchard, hence the name. There was a stream behind it down a steep embankment. It was a good opportunity to rinse out grungee socks and to scrub my pan with sand. Why should my pan need to be scrubbed? Oh, that¢s right. My birthday is coming up in about a week and it¢s a big one. It needs to be celebrated on the trail with something special to eat. Ben & Jerry¢s Cherry Garcia on dry ice is one thought but where to find dry ice. Another thought was to bake some brownies. Scott loves brownies. So, way back in Bryson City he bought a brownie mix. Crust-eeze makes a mix that only needs water. Baking in the back country is tough at best. With special equipment and experience there is a better chance of success. Going light weight ruled out the special equipment. Bake ware is usually metal after all. Back country baking experience can be ruled out too. My approach was to make only half the package and depressurize the Whisperlite fuel bottle to cook over a lower heat. It still burned to the bottom of the pan. This all happened last night at Clyde Smith Shelter. Now was the time to pay the price. Don't worry, no food particles went into the stream. They were either packed out or eaten.It was well past dark when I slipped into my sleeping bag. It was surprising to see a light come down the trail. It's not often someone arrives after me. I called to him because it would be easy to walk past the shelter in the dark. He hung his wet stuff along side mine on my bear string clothes line in the shelter. We spoke briefly and went to sleep. It had been a spectacular 21 mile day.