Date: 2018-11-20
From: Campbell Hollow Road

To: Ash Gap
Miles today: 22.0

There were a few showers after I went to bed last night. I hoped they were the showers I knew were coming in today. Yesterday Pack Rat said rain today. I was a bit concerned because of going over Hump Mountain which is a bald and going over Roan Mountain at over 6,000'. I packed up and was on the trail at 4:38 a.m. I could hear the wind above me. All the way in the dark to US 19E there were flurries. Not too long after I crossed US 19E I was able to turn the headlamp off. The trail climbed on switchbacks for two hours. In some hollows I was hit with strong winds. Just before Doll Flats I put on my rain gear for extra warmth. I knew on top I would be hit head on by the wind. At Doll Flats I saw two tents. I think they were Sweet and Scraps. Just beyond the tents was a sign for North Carolina. It was 8:35. From Virginia to this point the trail was in Tennessee but from now on it follows the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. As I climbed above the treeline I was surprised there were no hard winds. It was breezy but nothing like I experienced coming up. I climbed in and out of fog. At 10:10 I was on top of Hump Mountain. A big buck with a big rack jumped across the trail in front of me then disappeared over the hill. The trail swung left as it descended into Bradley Gap. Now the winds were swift and hitting me from the right side. For 20 minutes I battled the winds trying to walk steady. My face was cold. On the other side of the gap the trail entered the woods and the winds eased. Then the trail went over Little Hump Mountain exposed again. A guy and a girl came the other way day hiking in shorts. They looked cold. They had two beautiful huskies. I went past the side trail to Overmountain Shelter, an old renovated barn. If it had been raining I would have stopped there. The barn was the backdrop for the movie Winter People. At 1:11 I reached Murray Shelter perched right on the cold windy ridge. I stopped for a break. After getting water from the spring, I made a much needed cup of coffee. I left at 1:44. Before Jane Bald I met a young couple on their first overnight camping trip. After Jane Bald I met three cold looking guys going camping. Then two young women going camping. I'm somewhat seasoned but I still cold. Can't believe everyone going camping tonight. At Carvers Gap the winds were blowing. Trees and weeds were all covered in white. I crossed the road and headed up Roan Mountain on switchbacks then an old carriage road. Temperature was dropping but I was out of the wind. I could smell the balsam. The trail finally began heading down after 5 p.m. Ice patches were frequent. Two guys and two girls came by. I asked where they were going. They were returning to Carvers Gap where they parked. They looked cold too. They asked me how far it was to the road because it was getting dark and they were worried. When they left one guy shook my hand. I showed him how thru hiked shake hands via the knuckles to knuckles. They liked that so the others did it too. I continued down and down. It was cold and I knew the night was to be cold. I just wanted a place out of the wind. At 5:50 p.m. I came to Ash Gap. I had to get water so I dropped the pack and put my headlamp on. It was a steep drop .1 down to the water. The water was spread out and thin. I wasn't sure how to get any in my bottle. Then I saw an eight inch long small plastic pipe apparently used to guide the water. I dug a ditch with my hand, put the pipe down and covered it with mud. After the water ran through it and after the water cleared up I got my liter of water. Back up to the tent. Trees and weeds sparkled as my headlamp hit the ice on them. I got the tent up and was in by 6:20. It is cold and breezy. Good training for the Smoky Mountains next week.