Date: 2009-04-21
From: Roan High Knob Shelter

To: Mountain Harbour Hostel
Miles today: 15.7

Around 4am, I felt pain in my right eye... oh, no....! I guess it was not a good idea to leave my contacts in overnight! I hoped it would go away. Around 7am, Papa Doc got up. I was ready to get up, too, but the plan had been to sleep in... I was torn on what to do. I could stay at the barn with Bound and Hellbender or go on to the hostel. Once the idea of the hostel got into my head, it was hard to get out. The breakfast sounded really good, and I just can't pass on the opportunity to take a shower. (I love shampoo! I really love conditioner!... I'm hardcore, but I'm soft...I'm strong, but I'm sensitive...) Plus, I don't like doing short mileage days on the trail just to stay in a shelter...   I got up and volunteered to get water for Bound or Hellbender in return for the water Bound got me last night, but they both passed. Unfortunately, I had left all of my wet clothes upstairs, so they were now both frozen and wet... On with the freezing socks and boots, and out I went. Snowflakes were coming down! Bound and Hellbender were not happy to hear it. The motivation to move onto the hostel had increased (for me). I cooked my oatmeal, brushed my teeth and started packing. Hellbender sang Bound and I his mammogram song. My feet were too cold to stand around, so I asked Bound and Hellbender if I could get moving. She started singing, "Baby It's Cold Outside", hoping Hellbender would join in for the duet, but got no response on that one.   The rocks were still slippery as I set off at 9:35. The trail was yet again a river. I passed an old, cranky couple, who did want to say hello, and as I crossed the road to the balds, the snow started falling heavily! I crossed the first bald, alone, in the blizzard, as snow accumulated on my hair, clothes, water bottles, and pack. I was wearing my down jacket and wool mittens, and hoped they wouldn't get too wet. As I reached the other side of the bald, the storm started to pass, and finally, I was able to see some views from Roan! They were really nice!   It took me longer than I had expected to reach the Stan Murray shelter, and I arrived at the sign for Overmountain shelter (the barn) at 12:45. Unfortunately, I took the wrong sidepath, which cost me 22 minutes and a lot of effort to climb back uphill... No one else was at the shelter when I arrived, and I could not find a trail registry. I felt no draw to sleep in the barn, so I ate my lunch, packed up, and headed out. Before I left, I read the markered message on the shelter boards that were written by 'Spike', and wondered if this was the same guy that I had heard many stories about (and told to stay away from). He had punched another thru-hiker from New Zealand and knocked him to the ground at one of the shelters, and now this man had to have surgery on his shoulder and go home, unable to finish most of the hike. The message written on the boards talked about this person's military service and how we should all be thankful for those that have served, etc, and how he wanted to meet and shake the hands of other service members. I got a creepy feeling from this act of attention, and did not want to linger there any longer. I met Bound and Hellbender on their way in and told them I'd see them tomorrow. They still weren't sure where they were going to stop.      I had a lot of climbing to do for the remainder of the afternoon and struggled again... On my way up Little Hump Mountain, the wind was so strong, that it was constantly pushing me sideways. Everytime I lifted my leg to step forward, I would get knocked sideways. I persevered, however, and made it to the top. I could see the path ahead, across the next bald, and found the sight beautiful. Dipping down into a short forest, I came out the other side and looked up at Hump Mountain. I could have been in Scotland! These balds were unexpected for me. I had assumed that I would be in the woods for most of the day- not out in the open. The views were wonderful and my hard feelings toward Roan mountain dissipated (at least for this side of Roan Mountain, anyway). I even saw a few horses grazing! Once back in the woods, I moved swiftly down the rocks and almost ran on the gentler terrain. I passed by Apple House Shelter, which was not very nice, and too close to the road, (and where someone was already sleeping) and moved on toward the hostel!   No one answered the bell, and when I did find the man, he told me they had a full house... Luckily, he made a call to his wife, who told him the couch was still open. I went down to the barn to check it out and saw a room of hikers I had never seen before watching "Cider House Rules". The atmosphere didn't seem inviting, but it was getting cold out, the wind was picking up, and snow was forcasted even in town. So, I decided to spend the night there. I did a little picture labeling and journaling, and did not take out my contacts until 9pm. By then, both eyes were red! Uh-oh... I hoped a night of sleep would help them... A couple came in after me and tented outside. That couple turned out to be Spike and his wife! And the stories got worse...