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June
5, 1983 Sunday (1790 mtg) From
Gonzo!s Appalachian Trail journal
My
wrist alarm worked this morning, a morning that would have been
nice to have slept in a bit considering the 22 miles that we racked
up yesterday. Sometimes on the trail a hiker has to change his
routine now and then. I guess today was a good day to try something
different, so instead of our usual instant oatmeal for breakfast,
we whipped up a sample of freeze dried beef and rice, with some
granola on the side. Even though this was one of our emergency meals
we had purchased way back in Georgia at Neel's Gap, it seemed like
the right thing to do to help us recouperate from the long miles
we had gone yesterday. Regardless of having such a seemingly excellent
breakfast, we still had a slow start. It was difficult to move very
fast. We had only traveled nine and a half miles to the viewpoint
on Little Rock Knob by the time lunch rolled around. Took a few
pictures of the valley below as we ate, and rested for a while.
A rest is what was needed for the upcoming trail.
A few miles later we descended into Hughes Gap where the start of
one of the toughest climbs that I remembered from my first trip
on the trail in "81. It is the climb up Beartown Mountain -
one and a half miles that seemed practically straight up! Jim and
I set out on the "dick in the face" ascent of the mountain,
a term coined by a fellow hiker from the past. A short easy section
was followed by the final ascent up Roan High Knob, another difficult
climb. Near the summit I met two ladies from California, professors
from a college who were visiting the area hoping to see the rhododendrons
famous in the area around Roan Mountain. How did these ladies get
to the top of the mountain? This is another area where man has decided
to bring a road up to the top to the rhododendron gardens. I found
the water fountain nearby, but it was not turned on. Where's a person
supposed to get a drink around here? I managed to finagle a soda,
a pint of milk, and some ice to fill our canteens from out of their
cooler. Just so happens that there was a spring near the old firewardens
cabin at the summit, so at least we were able to fill our canteens
as well after such a difficult climb. We contemplated staying at
the cabin, which had been designated as a trail shelter, but we
had only traveled 14 miles. The trail descended to Carver's Gap
with Tennessee highway 143 running through it. We worked our way
past the parking lot and log barriers surrounding the lot, and ran
into a couple of thru hikers hanging out there - Ron
and Cathy, and Dennis
and his amazing beagle "Taz" who fetches large sticks
much larger than his own body. Not lingering long, we crossed the
highway and began our ascent up Round Bald over the long series
of log steps that lead toward the summit. Near the summit there
was an experimental planting of spruce trees to see whether the
trees would grow on the natural bald area. Apparently they are growing,
at least when we went through. The trail passed to the left of the
bald summit and descended into Engine Gap where the views in all
directions of the balds in the area were spectacular. From there
it was uphill to Jane Bald, and then over to Grassy Ridge. This
area has been one of the most scenic areas along the trail up to
now, the balds providing uninterrupted views and the weather cooperating
enough to allow those views to be seen with nice blue skies above.
We ended our 18.3 mile day at Roan Highlands Shelter. The sound
of thunder began to be heard around 6 pm, but the rain did not arrive
until after six thirty or later. Made a heafty meal out of two boxes
of Mac and Cheese, and a bag of Ramen noodles. That meant about
three cups of food for both Jim and myself! The feast was topped
off with Pistachio instant pudding.
I believe that it was at this shelter that we were introduced to
the "hiker with no name". George Steffanos, another thru
hiker, began writing stories modeled after the Clint Eastwood figure
made famous in movies like "Fistful of Dollars". They
were quite humorous, and I began to follow his writings, as well
as reading the comic strip by Fuzzy Jim called "Anglehead"
about a hiker who had no good luck at all. Without
TV, movies, and other entertainment available, the shelter registers
are our source of entertainment.
Gonzo!
Appalachian Trail Journals ©1983
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