Beginning at Carver's Gap, our plan was to hike to Hughes Gap on the AT with a 2.5 mile side excursion to Roan High Bald. Heading into the woods, we were transported to a magnificent forest of lush evergreens and green undergrowth. What a special place this is.
We crossed streams and numerous wet areas. It was thrilling to walk through this area.
About 2 miles in, we came upon the Roan High Bluff Shelter which is the highest shelter on the AT. It also looks like it may be one of the original shelters which have that dark dank look. In the vicinity were the foundations for a firetower. What a view it must have had.
Shortly after stopping at the shelter, we encountered the Roan Mountain State Park developed area. Over 100 years ago, a hotel, the Cloudland, stood in one of the fields. It straddled the NC and TN border. Inside you could purchase alcohol in TN but you could not stray into NC where it was prohibited.
We made the detour to Roan High Bald, at 6287 feet is two feet higher than Roan High Knob. Or maybe I have that backward. Anyway, I have two more peaks on my SB 6000 list now.
The rest of the hike to Hughes Gap, sported the most lush vegetation I have ever seen for that distance. The trail was being crowded by nettles almost the entire way. We met a number of northbound hikers on this section. It was a very pleasant 2000 foot descent from Roan to Hughes Gap.
No comments:
Post a Comment