Date: 2017-04-07
From: Greasy Creek Hostel

To: Doll Flats
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: light snow

As it turned out, my sleeping bag worked admirably. I slept well, and was up by 7:20, feeling great. I settled up with Ce Ce, and headed out. The snow had had little impact at Greasy Creek, but as I climbed, more snow lay on the ground - about three inches. It was cold and I wore my jacket, leggings and gloves. Upon rejoining the trail at 9am, I immediately saw the tracks of 4-5 people. I caught up with a group of four hikers whom I'd passed yesterday at the spruce forest. Then there was just one set of tracks. They turned out to belong to the 64-year old former golf pro, Energizer, who had been at the hostel and left a while before me. When I overtook her, she was glad to have me be the one breaking a path through the snow. We climbed, man did we climb. First it was 1,000 feet to the top of Little Rock Knob (4,918), drop back down and climb over 2,000 to the top of Roan High Knob (6,212), a climb through pine that just seemed to go on and on unmercifully. We stayed on a ridge and came to a bald. I looked way off in the distance to a distant bald with a trail up it, and said to Energizer "I wonder if that's the AT?" She didn't think so, based on the direction. By now we had come out of the snow in the forests and were in the slush and the mud climbing up to the bald, and the same going down. We'd been hiking for over four hours. I drew ahead of Energizer, whose plan was to stop at a shelter, whereas I still had hours of hiking ahead of me. I got to try out the old sliding-in-the-mud technique I'd learned in Georgia. With the snow and slush and water and mud, my boots finally admitted defeat, and became soaked. But I was not getting cold feet. The highlight of the day was arriving for me - the trail across a moor and up the bald I'd spotted earlier - called Hump Mountain (5,587). It was a vast open space to descend, traverse and climb. There was a ferocious wind which regularly knocked me off the trail into the grasses. It was cold. But the views were spectacular. My sense of isolation was acute as I climbed and looked back for nearly two miles of trail, seeing nobody, and seeing nobody ahead when I looked down from the summit. I could see across valleys to towns, distant mountains in a panoramic encirclement as the sun dropped low in the sky. I took a lot of photos but they rarely do justice. Finally I hurried along to achieve the final goal - cross for the last time the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee. For the last two weeks the trail has run along the NC/TN border, so that you literally at times could have had a foot in each state. So, so long, North Carolina! There was a campsite right at the "Leaving NC" sign, and as I arrived at 7:15, two section hikers, Ryan and Ryan, were setting up a tent there. I got water at the creek and joined them at their roaring fire. I boiled water to cook my Black Bart Chili With Beef & Beans. I must say, it was exquisite - though not on a par with the pad Thai from a couple of weeks ago. Both Ryans have been to Ireland and were very articulate and fun to chat to. I went to my tent around 9:30. It's already below freezing I'd say. But what a day! Over 24 miles walked, my longest AT section walked to date (23.7, as the 0.6 back to the trail from the hostel doesn't count). And my legs held up well. And the scenery!Tipperary