Date: 2015-05-01
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Roan Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.4
Weather: overcast clouds

Way to soon my alarm clock was yelling that it was time to get up and I, after fumbling around until I found the phone, turned it off. I made breakfast while waiting for the shuttle to arrive and did some stretches to warm up and get ready for hiking. My ride arrived and soon we were back at the Iron Mountain Gap, going north this time. I started strong and was keeping a good pace but after awhile I was having pain behind my knee and my calf muscle was very sore and my pace began to slow somewhat. I noticed right away that the trail had been moved as it looked like it used to go right by the first shelter. The further I went the more noticeable it became that the trail was all new and switchbacks had replaced a trail that blazed straight up the side of the ridge causing a fair amount of erosion. I met Coed right before the gap at the base of Roan mountain as they were slack packing again going in the opposite direction. I had opted out as the price was too much for me that time. Soon I was up, up and away on Roan Mountain and the climb was a good and steady one. When I reached the first exposed ridge line I began to hear peals of thunder from behind and I turned to see a very dark and angry sky! I thought that this wouldn't be a great spot to be in a lightening storm so I began to pick up speed and prayed that the storm would wait until I got to the shelter to start. The trail went from hardwood trees to a pine forest as I meandered back and forth, upward on the switchbacks growing ever more tired and sore as I progressed. The storm was so close that I could feel the first mist before the rain once or twice as the temperatures steadily dropped. At one turn in the trail my breath was taken away by a staggering view from the top of a rocky Craig, called Little Rock Knob, that I was standing upon. I had a wonderful view of the valley below including what looked like a Christmas farm across the way. I was staggering when I almost missed the turn to the shelter and thought "It's nice to have to climb to a shelter knowing that leaving in the morning that it will be downhill as most shelters are downhill and you have to start the day with a climb back to the trail!" The highest shelter on the AT was a fully enclosed log cabin with a covered front porch. There were a few hikers eating lunch as I had arrived at about 3:00 and it was getting dark already from the approaching storm. I decided that I was going to spend the night and set up in the back left hand corner on the first floor, deciding that I had climbed enough for one day and I didn't want to have to climb into the loft to sleep that night. Redbeard greeted me and with a few other hikers, we had a safety meeting and soon I was feeling good and my back and legs felt much better as well. About a half hour after I arrived the storm showed up. It began to rain which, soon turned to freezing rain, then briefly to hail and finally to snow which it stayed for awhile. Some hikers who had already sent their winter gear home at Erwin found themselves in a bad way and were forced to hike well over 20 miles to get to the Mountain Harbor hostel to get a warm place to stay. About 15 or so people decided to stay put for the night knowing that we could close the door in the fully enclosed shelter and that our body heat would keep it from getting too cold that night. We were able to do this because we still had our cold weather gear and were prepared for weather like this. Soon after the shelter filled up all the way. I was so tired that I just ate cold food with my Tylenol Back Pain pills and between that and all of the smoke from the safety meetings inside the shelter I managed to get a good night's sleep and was very warm as I lay and listened to my iPod. A southbound section hiker called Redbeard, was trying to get everyone high and was bragging about his dirty martinis that he was making using a bag of olives. He hinted that he might change his mind and start going northbound as the thru-hikers were more fun to hang out with than hiking south alone. I thought that he would never stop going up and down the ladder chatting with everyone. Eventually he did and things settled down very quickly and silence reigned as darkness descended on the shelter.