Date: 2013-05-01
From: Ash Gap

To: US Route 19
Miles today: 17.4

Mountains cannot be surmounted except by winding paths. Goethe   My footsteps today took me up, over, around, through and eventually out of the magnificent Roan Highlands. What a blessing to hike here in fine weather. The clouds played with me on the spectacular high balds all day long. I spent many miles above 5000 feet.       I was hiking the 900 foot hill to Roan High Knob by 6:30, after watching a beautiful sunrise. There is a parking lot atop Roan, and the area is known locally as Cloudlands. I was there just after 7, and had my first WOW moment of many on the day. I was above the clouds and could see an ocean of them. Amazing.    I hiked on to Carver's Gap, where I got water. From there, I began hiking a series of balds and gaps, with two shelters thrown in for good measure. I climbed Round and Jane bald, both at about 5800 ft. elevation. Views back to Roan were incredible, but the most fantastic thing was the cloud interplay. Everywhere I looked, clouds were drifting up and down amidst the ridges, beside me, below me and all around me. I felt like I was in a constantly changing picture. A very beautiful one.       I dropped into the cloud and hiked in it when I passed the two shelters. Precip was dripping out a little in the trees and I passed through acres and acres of wildflowers. I had two climbs left and both were laid out visually for me today. No doubt about where I was headed       The wind picked up as I climbed Little Hump Mountain. I even stopped to don my jacket and beanie part way up as I was cold. Twenty steps later, off they came. Stop again to look back at Overmountain Shelter, 3/10ths mile east of the AT, nestled in Yellow Mountain Gap. It is huge, a converted red barn.       Little Hump led to Big Hump Mtn., the last climb of the day. It was still windy, so I found a protected gully to sit in and eat before heading up. I sat looking at the trail going straight up a huge grassy, windy bald. Guidebook says NoBos have several false summits. Oh joy.    This climb was made harder by the trail itself. All along this section, the trail was a narrow track which had been turned into a gully due to water runoff. It was often just an ankle deep mess about a boot width across, full of loose rocks. Sometimes there was a track next to it, on top of uneven grass tufts and dirt. Either choice offered no even footing and it was hard to utilize my trek poles effectively.    This type of walking is what you can't train for. So often on the AT, your foot is adapting to trail that is sloped, rocky, rooty, leafy, muddy and uneven. All the muscles in the foot, ankle and lower leg work together maintain a balance with each step. The upper body leans in one time, out another, everything working to move forward while the foot slants in every direction. It's tiring in every way.   And the wind really kicked up, blowing me off whatever track I chose. Ack.    The summit of Big Hump was the biggest grassy bald yet.   Views upon views, rocks here and there--think Julie Andrews in the opening scene of "The Sound of Music". Except, erase Julie and insert a hiker hitching up her muddy pants (too big, they won't stay up), in shirts that absolutely reek, with hair blowing everywhere and wearing a huge grin on her face. That would be me. Loving life.    I was happy to be headed downhill for the rest of the day. Or so I thought. The five miles down was the most uneven, rocky, rooty and steep trail I'd hiked yet. My already tired feet were not happy. I'd have given anything for a flat surface to step on, but the trail was rock upon root upon mud upon fallen trees. Forever.       My saving grace was the thought of a shower at a hostel close to the next road crossing. You know this is my ultimate motivator. I'd walk through anything if I can get cleaner at the end. And so it is--I'm happily ensconced at the Mountain Harbour hostel, clean, fed and in the company of some crazy section hikers named Rice-a-Roni, Snail Trail and Superwoman. Resting my feet and having a ton of fun.   It's all pretty darn good.Tie Dye ??PS. I put extra pix in the photo file because today was just one of those days!