Date: 2014-04-07
From: Over Mountain Shelter

To: Mountaineer Shelter
Miles today: 18.0

If today proved anything, it¢s that I can handle most of the physical trials the AT can throw at me. Last night the winds intensified and the rain poured, rattling the sides of Over Mountain Shelter. By the time I left this morning, the rain had become a drizzle, but the winds continued to roar over the mountaintops. A heavy fog had settled in as well, making for a chilly, viewless morning.I set out with Birdman and Ranger to tackle some of the worst terrain for a day like this: Hump and Little Hump Mountains (5.587 ft. and 5,459 ft. respectfully). Both mountains are balds, meaning we were completely exposed to a continuous barrage of 45+ MPH winds with gusts up to 60 MPH. I had to lean into the wind to prevent being blown over, and I worried that my equipment would rip or blow away from the force of the gusts. Since these mountains were balds, that also meant we had to constantly keep an eye out for blazes on rocks, posts, or fences, as the conditions were basically a white-out ¢ visibility was less than 30 ft. for most of the morning. Though the conditions were extremely harsh and unforgiving, I felt enthralled to experience some of the power Mother Nature can produce. And even though the views were nonexistent, the fog blowing over the balds was certainly beautiful in its own right.After two hours or so, we finally dropped below the treeline and were able to warm up a bit. A short while later we reached US 19, and Ranger informed us that there was a country restaurant just down the highway. Though it took a bit to hitchhike there, we were committed to a hot meal after our morning trial, and we finally caught a ride 2.5 miles to Sissy¢s Country Caf©. There we gorged on barbecue, potatoes loaded with cheese, chili, bacon, onions, and sausage, and fried Oreos for dessert. It was pure hedonism as we devoured these delicacies. As we prepared to leave, we were reminded of the conditions outside when the door was literally ripped off of the hinges by the wind, taking part of the door frame with it. A lady in the restaurant yelled with a Tennessee dialect, ¢I swear to God, it¢s a twister!¢Strangely, no one seemed all that impressed when we geared up and headed back into the elements. Instead, our waitress just shook her head and said, ¢Ya¢ll are crazy.¢After a brief while, we were able to hitch back to the trail, and at first we worried that the waitress might have been right ¢ within a few minutes of our departure, several large limbs were blown from trees with a loud crash. But within an hour, Birdman and I had hiked into a valley and found security from the wind. Within another hour, the wind overhead seemed to have almost completely disappeared.The rest of the day¢s hike was remarkably pleasant, featuring roiling hills and a long section that meandered beside the beautiful Elk River. Daffodils were blooming along its banks, reminding us that spring would finally, truly arrive sometime soon.Just before we reached the shelter, we were reunited with Canadia, who pulled a 25-mile day to reunite with the group. I asked her for a review of her day; she responded, ¢It sucked. Hard.¢ Apparently, hiking in 60 MPH winds isn¢t fun when you weigh 120 lbs. soaking wet, as she was blown over multiple times.The shelter is full tonight, as the rain picked up again as we arrived. The wind left us for now, though, and all of our spirits have lifted significantly. We all agreed that surviving today officially made us awesome.