Date: 2007-04-13
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Carvers Gap
Miles today: 14.0

Friday, April 13, 2007Iron Mountain Gap to Carvers Gap, 14 milesGoodbyes to Stubble and Mary Ann this morning. Dorothy and Toto hiked 24.5 miles yesterday. They may be zeroing today. Nope, they hike from Iron Mountain Gap to Indian Grave Gap. One of us says to the other 2, Let¢s not hike today. That suggestion is greeted with silence. It sure would feel nice to stay in bed, but we want to hike Roan while the weather is good and it¢s supposed to rain Saturday and Sunday.Start 7:30, clear, temps in high teens to low 20¢s. Hard frost on the ground.I bring extra warm clothes and the emergency mylar blanket on this hike.I want to see a bear. Maybe this is a good time, early in the morning. Everything is still, no one else is around.I pass a grassy apple orchard, where it looks as if apple saplings have been planted among the mature trees, the young trees protected in wire cages tagged with ribbon.Hello to a turkey hunter wearing a camouflage suit, camouflage baseball cap, and carrying a camouflage gun.. It¢s turkey season in Tennessee. The hunter thought he heard a bear this morning around daybreak, crashing through vegetation up on the ridge. Deer wouldn¢t make sounds like that, he says. Yes, you can take a photo of me, he says, but not the face. The face would break your camera.As I start the Iron Mountain ascent, I hear him using a turkey call. Then I hear a response. I hike on out of range. I¢m not wearing blaze orange.Beautiful walk along frosty ridge with views through unleafed branches to the mountains on both sides. 9:45 Greasy Creek Gap with turnoff to Greasy Creek Friendly. There are signs posted on a tree which say: Greasy Creek Friendly, 1827 Greasy Creek Rd, Bakersville, NC 28705.   828 688 9948 or atrailagc@yahoo.com. ¢Fellow Hikers. The Greasy Creek Friendly has a disturbed neighbor. He destroyed the original Greasy Creek Gap sign. He is trying to run off hikers. Do not pay attention to him; he is harmless. His dogs are behind the fence. He makes a lot of noise which can be entertaining. Please go see Connie. Signed, Zero.¢Hello to a second turkey hiker all dressed in camouflage. He says he flushed one up on the ridge, but it flew off into the North Carolina Wildlife Game Lands. He¢s walked almost out to Clyde Smith shelter, and hasn¢t seen any others.10:40 pass the shelter without stopping.Steep climb up Little Rock Knob, nice cutaways by the trail maintainers to see the views.11:15 at the top. This is the halfway point. 7 miles in under 4 hours.12:10 in a camping area. Sticks arranged tepee style for use in making a fire.12:30 meet 2 men and a woman, carrying shovels and matlocks to collect ramps. They¢ve come up from Hughes Gap Rd.12:40 meet Memere and Gray Feathers. Shave some time off your ride out by taking Fork Mountain Rd instead of 226, says Memere. Also, be careful up top, they warn. It¢s icy and snowy. Some parts of the trail are a sheet of ice.On the slope beyond Hughes Gap I stop for lunch.Hello Magellan. Maybe we can have dinner together tomorrow night she says. She¢s staying at Uncle Johnny¢s. He¢s been good to her, providing shuttles, etc. She¢s very happy staying there. She stayed there in 1999Start the steep ascent up Roan. Feels good.Up near Ash Gap there are fir trees and fir smell. Views of the Humps off to my left.Meet a couple of men who are hiking from Hughes Gap to the summit of Roan and back down. Watch the ice, they warn.Meet NOBO¢s Hemlock and Hoosier, trail brothers. They have the same taste in clothes. They shop separately, but end up purchasing the same items.Descending to Carver Gap, I meet Goldfish, AT Class of 2005, who SOBO-hiked June to December. She and I met somewhere on the trail in 2005.Meet a group of 4 day hikers, headed to the summit.Out at 4:55.