Date: 2016-04-07
From: Clude Smith Shelter

To: OverMountain Shelter
Miles today: 16.0
Weather: light rain

Day 46 - Clyde Smith Shelter to Overmountain Shelter 4//7/16 16 milesLoud snorer last night. Had to wear ear phones for half the night. Also there was a torrential downpour with crazy wind. I said a little prayer for everyone in a tent. Luckily the rain had stopped by morning. Wind hadn't stopped though. We got up at 6:45 and left right at 8am. I felt really good, legs were moving well and not fatigued. I definitely think the healthy dinner helped me this morning. Cheetah wasn't feeling great. She said she was feeling sluggish. The first climb was up Little Rock Knob and it was beautiful. Snap hiked with us for a bit but we took a bathroom break. On the way down the knob I got service so I called Truitt bc he's leaving for San Francisco for a couple days. I really miss him. I am looking forward to his visit. Then I called my dad. He was thinking of coming down tomorrow with John Carlin and hiking with us for a couple days. It's supposed to be horrible weather. -3 degree wind chill apparently. Also the terrain isn't the most interesting. Later in the day I called and let him know. He's coming weekend after next. I think he'll enjoy VA more anyway. Also happy bday Nana!!!After calling everyone we hit the beginning of Roan Mountain uphill (5.2 miles). Cheetah and I stopped for breakfast so Snap went on. Did my business and then ate some dried fruit. Mambo came up and joined us for a mid-morning snack. We 3 started uphill. It was nice having Mambo there bc we were all distracted by conversation. Once we hit the peak before Ash Gap everything changed for the better. We passed over the frost line and entered fantastical terrain. Huge boulders covered in mint and orange moss were the anchors to gnarled wind batteries trees. The wind was chilling and strong. Up to 35mph winds. Once we went down into Ash Gap I felt as though we had entered a fairytale. Everything was tinted green around us. The path was a snake of black earth sunken about a foot from the mint grass surrounding us. Lichen covered trees with no leaves stood as sentries to a gateway of spruces on Roan Mountain. We ascended into the spruce and Cheetah and I truly began to saunter in the true sense of the word. We were in awe. So my beauty and we were in the middle of it. We walked upwards like this for an hour. Reached the top and discovered a large meadow covered in ice. This used to be where a hotel stood in the 1800s. Nothing remained but the chimney. Mambo caught back up with us and we headed toward the shelter for lunch. So cold at this point. Must have been about 25 degrees with a colder windchill. Cheetah and I ate a quick lunch and got out of there as Rhodo, Honeybuns, and Corncob walked in to join Mambo. Raced down the mountain bc we know that lower elevation means warmer temps. Ran into an older couple from Pennsylvania who were section hikers. Made it to Carver Gap where Snap was waiting for us. We have been hiking in the Pisgah National Forest and Cherokee National Forest. Mambo joined us and we began the last 6 miles of the day. We ascended 3 balds before a big downhill. So so so very windy and sideways snow. 50 mph winds. Cheetah was physically blown off a rock. Around 13 miles mark my feet really began to hurt. Each step was a hardship. Cheetah said she could notice me wincing. I think my foot has finally changed after almost 400 miles of hard hiking. It's splaying more and I think that my arches have lowered a bit. I am planning on getting new shoes in Damascus that are trail runners. We made it to the shelter that is 1.9 miles from Overmountain Shelter.Cheetah and Snap took a break but Mambo went ahead. I took off about 20 mins before Cheetah and Snap. I put on music and felt good despite my foot pain. Today has been a great day. I got to the shelter sign and saw Mambo. We walked to the shelter together. It's one of the coolest ones on the trail. A repurposed barn that looks out over an amazing view. 4 section hikers already here. Ate dinner and watched the snow fall. Around 6pm the mass exodus of 20+ mile hikers rolled in. Red, Blue, and a bunch of other white men with beards, ha. Supposed to be so cold tomorrow so we booked a room in Newland, TN. 10 miles tomorrow!