Date: 2011-05-25
From: Roan Mountain Fire Warden Cabin

To: Doll Flats campsite
Miles today: 13.5

We had a brief rain last night and very heavy winds at the Fire Warden campsite. No damage. Besides John, two others are camped here. It was foggy when we got up. By the time we got back on the Trail, the skies had cleared and we had a sunny and breezy day. The sun would be a mixed blessing as we would be crossing a series of balds today in the full sun. Fortunately we had a good breexe most of the day. Swamp Fox was not feeling great as he had another poor night's sleep. We descended the one and a half miles to Carter Gap in 50 minutes. There we found a clean toilet, but no water, and no trash can to get rid of several days worth of trash. We were able to give our trash to a nice man who was parked there. We climbed out of the Gap with John and one other hiker. After about half a mile we stopped at a rock outcrop to appreciate the view of the grassy bald on a perfect day. Later we were passed by Slider and his wife, Camp Spice, a young couple from Australia. They discovered that they were pregnant while hiking on the Appalachian Trail. We congratulated them and we will follow them on their Trail Journal. We chatted with them again at the Stan Murray Shelter and proceeded on to Yellow Mountain Gap. We arrived at the Gap at noon and found that John was already there. We had previously agreed to stay at the Overmountain Shelter just below the Yellow Mountain Gap. Swamp Fox found the plaques at the Gap quite interesting as they describe the "Overmountain Boys" of the Revolutionary War who passed over the Gap on their way to join General Francis Marion (the original "Swamp Fox") at the Battle of Kings Mountain. The Overmountain Shelter was supposed to be our objective for the day. However, John and Rocky both wanted to go further as it was early in the day. Swamp Fox wanted to stay at the Shelter, as he was tired and aching. After a bit of nastiness, Swamp Fox agreed to go on as far as Doll Flats, six miles ahead. First we had a climb of 900 feet over Little Hump Mountain, a bald. The balds are a spectacular sight with far ranging vistas. It was a good day to hike over the balds, despite the heat of the afternoon. Next came a drop of 500 feet back into the woods, then an even more spectacular climb of 600 feet over Hump Mountain. It was hard work climbing the balds in the 75 degree sun, but a steady breeze helped. At the summit of Hump Mountain we encountered a group of teenagers from a Bible group in Tennessee. It was fun to talk with them as we descended. Once we got back into the trees the Trail seemed to go on forever. The Trail became very rocky as we descended towards Doll Flats, our campsite for the night. We arrived at Doll Flats at 5:30 pm, which is a relatively late day's end for us. The Bible group was also camped here. We had some difficulty setting up our tent in a strong wind, which continued throughout the night. It also made cooking on our canister stove difficult. Hopefully, the wind won't tear our tent apart tonight.It has been a long and hard day of hiking, but the views have been worth it. Tomorrow will be a short day to Route US 19E and the Mountain Harbour Hostel.