Another shuttle hike on the Appalachian Trail, picking up where we left off yesterday. Russ and I start hiking under gray clouds at Elk Garden, early. We are hoping to beat the expected rain. The forecast looks like we should be able to do that and I am hoping that is the case. With no rain gear other than an umbrella, I am unprepared, as usual.
The AT parallels the road for about a half mile, gradually heading uphill. We never seem to hike up steeply. It is a gentle upward pull until we pop out into the open meadows of Whitetop Mountain after about 2.5 miles.
The Flame Azalea is really putting on a show for us. There is more Flame Azalea here than I have seen anywhere else. More than Andrew Bald even. Gregory Bald is still the king of Azalea but it is not all Flame Azalea.
Orange is the theme through here. Bush after bush. Its exciting.
Disappearing into the woods and then re-emerging, the Azalea is gone but we can see the iconic Buzzard Rock ahead.
Buzzard Rock on the horizon
Atop Buzzard Rock we stop to speak with a fellow from Albuquerque. He does not have a trail name but Russ, later, decided to call him Lucky. Attempting to through hike last year, he called it quits somewhere in Tennessee after 2 weeks of rain. There was also a story about taking a Greyhound bus to save money. The bus had a mishap which caused the cargo area to not be accessible. Another bus carted the passengers on but his pack got lost in the shuffle. Staying in a motel for a few days, he decided to rent a car and drive home. By the time he reached Knoxville, Greyhound called and said his pack was found. So he was back on the trail.
Another fellow there at Buzzard Rock declined to converse with us. He had the AT insignia tattooed on his leg and was carrying a ukulele.
Somewhere between here and the next road crossing, it began to rain. In the forest, we were protected from it for the most part. We reached Beech Mountain Rd where I have parked and hiked from in the past. Today, we parked in the tiny pulloff on Rt 58 another mile along the trail.
In that mile we walked through a dark Rhododendron tunnel, along what appeared to be a railbed and through a wonderful White pine forest. My car was waiting for us. And just in time, the sky opened up. By the time we reached Russ's car back at Elk Garden, it was pouring. The minivan parked right next to Russ's car, had its sliding door fully open. Someone had hiked off, forgetting to close it. That would not be a pleasant sight if you were returning to the trailhead in a drenching rain.
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