April 16 - 17.9 / 379.2 miles

This morning we actually got up and out of camp at a good time. I was out by 7:50. Gilly and Dark Star were gone even earlier than that. The first 5 miles were easy cruising to a shelter. I think I made it in a little over an hour and a half. After the shelter we had 3 miles until we hit Roan Mountain. I think all of us had been dreading climbing up the mountain.

The mountain is almost two mountains on top of each other. On the way up I met a group of 4 guys just out for the weekend. I spoke with them for quite awhile. The top of the mountain was pretty cool. Most of the mountain were covered in fur and spruce. The top is also the location of the former Cloudland Hotel. You can still see some of the foundation. The TN and NC state line ran through the center of the ballroom. I read a sign noting that in the late 1800's and early 1900's it was illegal to drink in NC. Therefore the ballroom had a line painted on the floor to help guest know which state they were in. Rumor is that the local sheriff would try to catch those drinking on the NC side...crazy, huh? The resort was demolished in 1915 when loggers harvested the furs and spruce. Rhododendron has now flourished there creating gardens and are known for their blooming around late June.

I met Dark Star at the top. We debated eating lunch there, but it was way to windy. Wind + sweaty shirt = cold hikers. We hiked on to the Roan High Knob Shelter which is actually the highest shelter on the trail at 6,275 feet. The shelter is an old firewarden's cabin. I would rank it as the 2nd coolest I have seen so far. The cabin has a loft which allows 15 to sleep in the whole cabin. The others soon joined us at the shelter where we all ate lunch.

On the way down from Roan, Gilly came across some great trail magic. (Disclaimer - I got here permission to tell this story.) I was a few minutes behind her when I came across her pack on the trail. This is usually a clear sign that someone is using the bathroom somewhere away from the trail. As I approached, I could hear her heading back to the trail. I made some comment that she was a bear. She responded with, "the greatest thing just happened to me." Now the good part of the story. Needing to go number two, she headed into the woods. She was actually without toilet paper which is something we all dread at points. Knowing this, she looked for the perfect spot. (Yes, some spots are far better than others). The first spot she came to was more in the open so she headed further into the woods. That is when she noticed a concrete building through the trees. She headed toward it, and of all things it turned out to be a bathroom WITH toilet paper. I myself had to go and when she told me this story, I stomped through the woods to verify and make use of the facilities. It was great. Turns out the bathrooms were for a parking lot of those walking around Carver's Gap and Roan Mountain. If anyone is looking for some good hiking with views, this is a perfect place. I am adding this to my list of places to come back to and offer trail magic to future thru hikers.

After Carver's Gap, the trail heads toward Grassy Bald and Round Bald. The USFS is actually using goats to help keep the bald clear of briars and brambles. No goats were around while we passed through. Scientist also don't know the origins of the balds in this area. Some say grazing, some say Indian religious ceremonies, and some say aliens.

The end of the day brought us to Overmountain Shelter. It is an old barn converted into a shelter. This is my number one so far. It can sleep over 20 and has an awesome view of a valley. There are about 10 others here including former thru hikers, VA Tech students out for the weekend, and App State students performing trail maintenance. I promise pics to come.

Have a good one and TGIF even though days of the week don't matter anymore.

BT