Date: 2014-04-06
From: Cherry Gap Shelter (tent)

To: Over Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 24.1
Weather: overcast clouds

I¢m writing this entry from the relative safety of Over Mountain Shelter, snuggled deep inside my sleeping bag and treasuring the warmth I¢m able to trap inside it. The wind is raging outside, and tomorrow promises a constant rain shower throughout the day, dumping up to two inches by evening.Adventure has found me, and it decided to punch me in the face.Today was actually quite pleasant for the most part. We awoke to chilly temperatures and gentle breezes, perfect conditions for hiking. Today is Canadia¢s 22nd birthday, so we all wished her a good day before starting our hike. Though we all end our days in relatively the same place, we all have very different paces. Canadia is only 5¢2¢, so her legs typically can¢t keep up with many of the guys (though she can sometimes out pace us all when she wants to prove a point).From our camping spot last night, we put ourselves at a big disadvantage today. With impending bad weather, we all wanted to avoid shelters that were at high elevations. That only left us with two choices: hike a relatively short day (10 miles) and stay south of Roan Mountain (this section¢s tallest mountain at 6,212 ft.), or push over the mountain and stay at Over Mountain Shelter. Option one would force us to gain over 2,000 feet in elevation in a downpour tomorrow. Option two meant we would have all of the elevation gain with relatively good weather, but our day would also be 24 miles long.The decision was obvious. We went 24 miles.Well, not all of us. Canadia and Hawk decided last minute to stay at the top of Roan Mt., unwilling to push that far on sore legs. But the rest of the train eventually made it there. Birdman and I hiked most of the way together, as our paces are pretty comparable. Ranger, Mumbles, and Red pulled up just before dark.The terrain today was gorgeous but unforgiving. After a few ups and downs, we began the long ascent up Roan Mountain. There were plentiful switchbacks, which made the hike easier on the knees, but there were also baseball-sized rocks, and roots all over the trail, a nightmare for my ankles. As we hiked higher up the mountain, the forest once again changed to spruce, fir, and a few other evergreens. I never get tired of these sections, as they have a mysterious, magical aura about them. That or I have watched too many movies.After summiting Roan, we though the rest of the trail would be predominately downhill. Then we found ourselves at the base of two large balds, Round Bald and Jane Bald. These mountains were gigantic and offered zero protection from the wind, which was blowing so strongly at some points that I had difficulty keeping my footing. Thankfully, this section was jaw-droppingly beautiful, which helped distract me from the bitterly cold wind.After four miles above treeline, we finally dipped behind a mountain and found refuge from the wind. Birdman and I then put our heads down and pumped out the final 3.5 miles to the shelter. By the time we arrived, my legs and feet were starting to protest, but thankfully the previous four weeks had prepared them for a long day.Our mountain shelter is an old red barn converted for the thru-hikers to use. It overlooks a deep valley with dozens of farming homes dotting the hill sides. Were it a warmer day, I would stay outside and enjoy the sunset. Instead, I am hunkered down with my fellow hikers waiting for the incoming monsoon. All I know for sure is this: after 24 miles of hiking, I will sleep well tonight.