Date: 2012-05-12
From: Iron Mountain Gap

To: Roan High Knob Shelter
Miles today: 12.5
Weather: scattered clouds

The summit of Roan Mountain is only ten feet below that of Mt. Washington in NH, and the shelter on the top of it is the highest of any on the Trail. Roan Mt. also has the reputation for being the coldest peak of any in the Southern Appalachian chain. Sitting in the shelter here tonight, I would say that its reputation is well deserved!Miss Janet dropped me off at the Trailhead around 10:00 and, right from the start, I could feel the presence of Roan Mountain 12 miles ahead of me. The day was overcast and cool which was good for hiking, but the trees never afforded a decent look at what lay ahead. Even so, I had the sense that something very large was lurking up the Trail, maybe just beyond the next knoll. From time to time, as the day progressed, I could make out its shape through the trees. Being over 6,000', its big -- the last big climb of my AT journey.Getting to the summit required a 2,200' climb, first over Beartown Mountain, down into Ash Gap, then the final 1,200' to the top of Roan. To my delight, the trail going up Beartown Mountain was brand new and couldn't have been any better! I made great time getting to Ash Gap, but the final leg was slower and much more strenuous. When I arrived at the summit of Roan and went past the remnants of the once famous, Cloudland Hotel (1890 - 1915), the entire top was encased in a cold, dank cloud, but that didn't interfere with one of those uniquely wonderful AT evenings on the Trail. ¢Manfred,¢ a 66 year old Thru Hiker from Germany whom I had met earlier in the day, was already there and about to call it a day. ¢Poncho¢ who spent the last two years teaching English in South Korea, was just settling in and a few minutes later, ¢Moss¢ arrived. He is from Scarsdale AZ, and is a sophomore at Lehigh University in Northern Pennsylvania. He¢s told me that he is planning to go as far as he can on the Trail before having to return to classes in the Fall.Unlike all but a few of the other shelters I've seen during my six years of hiking, this one is like a small cabin, enclosed on all sides with a door, presumably because it gets so cold up here. The cabin is located in the middle of a large stand of spruce trees, about as isolated on a mountain top as you can imagine.While ¢Manfred¢ slept, ¢Moss¢ somehow managed to get a fire going in the fire pit and we ate our dinners (I made cheese and pepperoni quesadillas for us as an appetizer) and ¢Poncho¢ contributed water flavorings which we added to the ice cold spring water from the spring near the cabin. After dinner, the three of us sat by the fire and smoked cheap cigars I had purchased in Erwin to celebrate my last "big mountain" and that I was now less than 100 miles away from completing the Trail. We shared stories, talked about our lives, interests and aspirations. We laughed and we marveled at how the AT brings people together who would otherwise never meet one another let alone share an evening of conversation like this. The Trail really IS much more about the people who hike it than about the terrain or the sights or distances hiked.I am now snuggled down in my sleeping bag with every piece of clothing on that I have with me including my ski hat and gloves. The temperature is not below freezing, but it's got to be damn close to it. Time to stop journaling; zip my down head piece in place and zzzzzzzzz....