Date: 2011-05-16
From: Clyde Smith Shelter

To: Carvers Gap
Miles today: 8.7

It was NOT nice the next morning. Foggy and drizzly and cold. It was really hard to get Brianna going. Housekeeping and water retrieval done, we coaxed Brianna to breakfast and back onto the trail. It was going to be a tough day with Roan Mountain and 15 miles planned for the day. The weather tried to clear as I approached Hughes Gap so Mouse Hunter and I took a second breakfast break.Several hikers who I hadn't met before came along noting they'd come out of Greasy Creek Hostel. Grasshopper also came through before Brianna and Fat Grandma came along. Fat Grandma's back and ankle were giving him trouble but he didn't want to accept it. At the shelter the night before, he'd told me about not being able to get out of the bathtub at home for hours and then wasn't able to go to work for the day. I wasn't too sure the AT was where he should be right now, especially carrying extra weight for Brianna and heading up Roan Mountain. We all got our first look of the monster called Roan from Hughes Gap. Man was this going to be a climb!!!So up we started. I was pretty stoked about my wedding march style step. It allowed me to go uphill for a long, long time without a break or over taxing my heart rate. It was serving me well on this climb. Just shy of Ash Gap though I could go no farther and sat down. The boulders were getting bigger and it was becoming more difficult to negotiate them. I have no idea how Mouse Hunter did them? I realized once I sat down just how cold it was getting and now fog had closed in along with more drizzle at this altitude. By the time Fat Grandma and Brianna arrived, I was getting cold and so was ready to move on. Fat Grandma looked terrible, the climb and his back were taking their toll, though he didn't seem to have pain in his back. I think it was the weight of his pack.Cold, I told those guys I was moving on. Ash Gap was cool. Flat. We cruised through quickly and got back at the climb which seemed to never end. Finally, we reached the top and began the brief decent to Roan High Knob Shelter, the highest shelter on the trail. The temps were below 40 here at the summit at 3 p.m., we'd only gone 5 miles in 5 hours. There was no way we were going to make Stan Murray or Overmountain Shelter tonight. The winds here at the top were pretty good.Accessing the situation, since Fat Grandma and Brianna hadn't even arrived yet, I determined we were either staying at Roan High Knob tonight or we were calling for a ride from Carvers Gap. Hypothermia was very possible with all our parameters. It was doubtful that Brianna had the gear to withstand how cold it was going to get tonight. So I headed to Roan High Knob Shelter.It was an interesting shelter. Mouse Hunter and I were the only ones there at first. I put every piece of clothing I had on to try and warm up. The shelter was unique in that it had a full four sides with a door and windows. There was a full loft and full floor to the lower level. I hung my pack and took off Mouse Hunter's pack. A young couple came into the shelter and settled into the loft for the night. Grasshopper came in and settled in the lower level for the night. Fat Grandma and Brianna came in and agreed it was best to get a ride back to Erwin. Going to the next shelter was NOT an option. We all tried unsuccessfully to get a cell phone call out and then cooked a hot lunch. Though we hadn't gotten a call out, we took the risk and headed to Cavers Gap in hopes of getting a signal. It didn't take long and we got a signal and a ride to town!!! Cavers Gap was extremely foggy, windy, and cold. It was nice to get into the warm Trailblazer!!! Fat Grandma and Brianna bought us all Pizza Hut for dinner! Nice!!!