“It was the cool gray dawn, and there was a delicious sense of repose and peace in the deep pervading calm and silence of the woods.” ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
//hike//: to walk or march a great distance, especially through rural areas, for pleasure, exercise, military training, or the like.
Sometimes you just need to sleep on the ground in the woods. Or, if you’re really on the precipice, you might need to intentionally walk multiple miles into said woods with your boot-clad feet to sleep on the ground. (Preferably with a ~26lb contraption strapped to your perspiring body containing peanut butter, woolen socks, and other critical things you need to survive.)
Apparently we were really on the precipice.
It started with a typical Laura-Kate plan back in the spring to go backpacking this summer. And then we made other plans and sorted out our weekends and backpacking just wouldn’t go away. It was just lingering…taunting us with the chance to get our fix of the mountains and breathe really clean air and check on how the Appalachian Trail (AT) was holding up since the last time I was there in 2013. So we hatched a plan, per usual, set a date, and raided the attic for gear every time we went home to the beach.
And then we bugged Jake at every opportunity to accompany us/be our bodyguards/make Mom stop bugging us about being abducted on the trail. (We were going either way…we just strongly suggested to Mom that there was a VERY high chance that Jake would also be enjoying the great outdoors with us). He announced his intent to join our hiking crew 4 days ’till departure. After which we proceeded to triple the amount of food we had acquired up to that point.
Jake drove from Wilmington and met us in Elon on Thursday, July 9, after work. From there we loaded the Ridgeline and 
headed west to Roan Mountain, Tennessee, to Mountain Harbor B&B and Hostel where we had booked 3 beds. We arrived around 10:30pm, and were greeted by the hostel’s caretaker, who introduced himself as “Country Gold” after crawling out of bed (shirtless) and quieting his dog named Sunshine. The hostel one of the coolest we have stayed in – an old converted barn with a loft, two bathrooms, and room for 10+ people.
On Friday we were up and at ’em for breakfast at the B&B, which we invested in 1) to lure Jake into coming, and 2) to thoroughly nourish ourselves before setting off on our trip. It was worth every penny. 
After breakfast we were shuttled by one of the owners to the trailhead where we would start our hike at Iron Mountain Gap. We hit the AT heading north at 10:32am on July 10. 
Of paramount importance were our trail names, which were thoughtfully and strategically chosen to reflect both our individuality and our cohesiveness as a group. Beginning at 10:32am on July 10 we were henceforth known as “Kitty” (Kate), “Cinnamon” (me), and “His Majesty” (Jake). The other hikers were thrilled.
We hiked 14.6 miles on day 1 to the summit of Roan Mountain, which included a climb from 2,130ft at Iron Mt. Gap to 6,285ft at the summit of Roan Mountain, for a total elevation gain of 4,155ft, most of which was over the last 5 miles. We were tired.
Dinner at Roan High Knob shelter was a ravenous affair that included filtering water as quickly as possible, two rounds in the JetBoil, and scarfing our spaghetti and peanut curry like savages whilst sitting on the ground. It is absolutely incredible how good freeze-dried food tastes after hiking 14 miles. (There are lots of options, but Mountain House is our brand of choice.)
There were 6 other hikers there when we arrived at 6:30pm, but we claimed spots in the shelter and proceeded to ready our gear for the night and hang our bear bag several hundred yards down the hill. It was Kitty’s first bear bag experience, coached by His Majesty, and poorly documented by me.
We all slept great for about 30 seconds until the other hikers turned in, at which point the D-9 beside Kitty began snoring at deafening levels. It was incredible. I resisted the urge to throw (several) boots across the room and instead practiced anger management and mindfulness all night long. And then at exactly 2:00am (we were all awake to check the time due to
aforementioned snoring), a torrential storm hit with ~40kt winds and sideways rain. The temperature had dropped into the 50’s, and Jake had the wherewithal to get up, climb over the bodies strewn across the floor, and retrieve the packs that were stacked on the porch getting soaked. Cue mass chaos for the next 4 minutes while everyone in the hostel (except the D-9) scrambled to salvage what dry items they had left.
Saturday dawned damp and windy, with temperatures in the low 60’s for most of the morning. We got up early, retrieved the bear bag (which was miraculously still intact….His Majesty took full credit), and hit the trail at 6:53am. The gradual hike down Roan Mt. was pleasant on the quadriceps and yielded beautiful, lush views in the forest that recalled scenes from the Lord of the Rings.
From there we hiked up and over Grassy Ridge Bald, Jane Bald, and past Stan Murray Shelter before stopping for lunch at Overmountain Shelter. Noted as one of the coolest shelters on the AT, the old barn is situated .3 miles off the trail in a valley with great views. We feasted on bison, lamb, turkey, and beef jerky, gouda, peanut butter, and gorp. It was glorious.
After lunch we began our first big ascent of the day out of the valley, up and over Little Hump, Big Hump, and then eventually straight down for the last 6 miles where the trail intersects Hwy 19 East. The views on Little Hump and Big Hump are considered some of the best panoramas on the entire Appalachian Trail, and we were well rewarded for our efforts along the way. Hands down the most stunning portion of the trail we have ever hiked.
“Our plan was simple, as good adventures ought to be. The best adventures are those that ring true, that can be summarized in a sentence or two, and planned on the back of a receipt from your book and map shop.” – Alastair Humphreys
We hiked hard the last 3 miles with His Majesty in the lead, me in the middle, and Kitty in the back, which typically involved Jake walking at a brisk pace, me doing an odd little jog to keep up, and Kitty power-walking in the back.
We arrived back at the hostel at 4:30 on the spot after covering 16.8 miles, which was exactly 17 hours ahead of schedule. Apparently we like to hike fast.
We made quick work of the showers, after which we hit the road and drove to the closest Roadside Steakhouse, where Jake + Kate treated me to dinner based on my victorious putt-putt performance over July 4th weekend. (And by “treated” I mean Jake paid using a gift card he miraculously had in his wallet.) And then we came home where Kitty baked dark-chocolate brownies that were consumed with ‘nilla ice cream and some very satisfied taste buds.
It was a fantastic adventure and a singular experience that everyone who is able should not miss. I am frequently reminded of what just a few hours in the woods can do for the soul. We’ll be back soon.
“And at once I knew I was not magnificent… but I could see for miles, miles, miles.” ~Bon Iver
Brackish 