Date: 2009-06-13
From: Sams Gap

To: Spivey Gap TN
Miles today: 13.3

This is our sixth day of hiking in a row (a record for us), and along with that, it was our longest hike of the week. Were on the trail by 6:45 as the sun was coming up. That was a good omen as almost every day this week we had either showers or isolated thunderstorms.Trail Access:We decided to make this one long hike for a number of reasons. First, we tried to divide the hike into 2 parts by attempting to access via Street Gap. The maps showed a dirt/gravel road going through Street Gap. We tried to access it from the TN side but where the road went from blacktop to dirt, there were ¢private road¢ and ¢private property signs¢. We next tried to access it from the NC side with the same results. Our next attempt to cut the trail in half was via the Wolf Laurel Ski/Condo area. We had heard about this access from several locals that we met at Spivey Gap the week before. It is a gated community and when we got to the gate the guard said that unless we lived there we could not drive in. We called the security office (his boss) for permission to get in and leave a car, and the head of security said ¢what a coincidence¢¦the Board just gave me instructions that no hikers be allowed access¢. So much for trying to shorten our hike.   There is a beautiful hiker parking lot at Rt 23 under I26 at Sams Gap for 10-12 cars. At the other end, there is parking for 8-10 cars along Rt 19W in Spivey Gap TN.The Hike:This hike was a challenging one, with a total elevation gain of about 2,850¢ and a descent of 3,350¢. Going in the south to north direction most of the hard work is over midway through the hike. The highlight of the day was Big Bald, about a mile of open grassy area with beautiful flowers everywhere and 360 degree views. We could have stayed all day! As we were nearing the top of Big Bald, we saw a car coming up the road from the other side. We got to the top at about the same time as the couple in the car. While Bugsy was filming a video of the view from the top, I learned that they had a cabin in the Wolf Laurel development area and they ride up there often. All I can say is that on this day, we burned WAAAY more calories than they did!Lunch was at the Bald Mt. Shelter, a very nice relatively new shelter, but once again, we have a problem with people leaving trash. Once this practice gets started, it seems to imbed itself. So pack it in, pack it out, people.Next was Little Bald which was neither bald nor little based upon the effort it took us to climb to the top. Each time we come to a ¢bald¢ it¢s the bright spot of our day. After all those miles deep in the woods, the sunshine and open feeling are uplifting. It¢s a little disappointing, however, that neither the US Forest Service or the ATC is making much of an effort to keep the balds and fields that they purchase open. The final highlight of the hike was our short side trip to High Rocks. Our book described the rock at the top as the size of a motel room. It was that and a great place to take a rest (the M&M snack Bugsy broke out wasn¢t bad either!). The book also described views back to the balds and where we had hiked that day. Unfortunately since the book was written, the trees have grown up and now we only had partial views. We love trees, but cutting a few down might be worth considering.Despite our complaints this was one of the most beautiful hikes on the NC/TN section! We had waited to do it on a nice day and are happy that we did.Being day hikers and able to choose when we do a particular hike always makes us feel so lucky. It is unfortunate that the thru hikers are at the mercy of the weather. Many we have spoken to this season had passed Big Bald, Max Patch, and the Roan Mt balds in the rain and missed these phenomenal views.We¢re off the trail now (home to work and pay bills) until 6/22 when we will continue south of Hot Springs¢¦