Date: 2011-06-16
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

It¢s June 12 and this is a ¢family¢ outing to the AT. The plan is to use a rental cabin for a week. I will do day hikes only and be picked up in the evening. We stay or base camp in North Carolina about 10 miles from the AT. The first day planned is a hike from Carvers Gap to Roan Mountain TN. This is not my attempt to hike this section of the AT. Years back when our kids were younger, we visited Carvers Gap two different times. On the first trip, my daughter was about 5 years old and we tried to hike a small section, but I ended up carrying my daughter on my shoulders, so I only managed about a mile before turning back. Then about 7 years later we spent Christmas on Roan Mountain at a cabin. Our family was now 4 people because my son came on the scene via natural childbirth ¢ that was 7 years after we adopted our newborn daughter. So one year we decided to pack up all our presents, decorations and even a small artificial Christmas tree and spend Christmas in a cabin in the mountains of Tennessee. We arrived late in the day on December 23rd. The next day, Christmas Eve, my son and I drove to Carvers Gap to hike. My son was 6 years old and he was anxious to walk. We got to the gap, parked and were going for a 4 hour hike. As we started to hike, the wind picked up and storm clouds moved in. After about 1.5 miles, we cleared the tree line and found ourselves in what can be best described as gale force winds. We tried to go on but the wind was brutal. We headed back as it began to snow. We got back to the cabin and the snow really started to fall. We built a fire in a woodstove and went to bed early. We awoke early and the snow was about 8 inches deep. We certainly felt in the spirit of the season what with the snow and the isolation of the cabin. To this day, we still think about that special Christmas experience often. The distance on the first day is 14.5 miles but I have the benefit of carrying a daypack only. From Carvers Gap to Hwy 19E is by far my favorite section on all of the AT that I have hiked so far. You cross balds, go through woods, and cross a place called Dolly Flats. I meet only a few people. There is an elderly lady who hails from Maine. She is a section hiker like me and is hiking alone but will meet her sister who provides her transportation for her. We cross both Hump and then Little Hump Mountains and the views are spectacular. The day is clear and the visibility and views are gorgeous. Some of the Rhododendrons are still in bloom as are the orange colored mountain ash trees. At about 5 miles, I come upon a man and his son. The son has a severely strained or broken ankle and can¢t walk. I stopped to talk with them and because I carry a GPS and detailed maps, I can give them exact mileage to a side trail which can get them to a point where a vehicle can pick them up. Cell phone coverage is spotty but there is a signal so they should be ok. I was skeptical of using a GPS on the AT because it is so well marked. But once you use a GPS, it becomes indispensable. I move on and run into a couple who seem to be incredibly laid back. I meet them on a rocky peak and the guy ¢ named Screwy Louie - is lying right on the trail, he has on a shirt with the white AT blaze on it. So it appears as though he is marking the trail or is being a trail marker. His partner named Splenda is on her first AT hike or so she says. They seem to be unsure of where they are or where they are trying to go. They are eating some ¢homemade snack cakes¢ and offer me one. I decline and move on. I¢m wearing down as I hit the 10 plus mile mark. I hadn¢t done much preparation for this trip thinking that I would only be carrying a daypack ¢ bad idea. The next 4 days are relatively uneventful as I meet only a few people. What is a little surprising about the AT is that you can sometimes walk all day and never really have a nice overlook or open space. The tree canopy can seem very suppressing at times. My goal is to get close to the Virginia border or as close as I can. The day hikes are fun and being with my family in the evening is a very special experience. My son has recently graduated from High School, so I sense this will be our last time to have our family together as a single unit. So I relish the time and spoil myself with time in the hot tub at our cabin. We head back home after 6 days and I will hike again in July.