Day 46
Start: Campsite
End: Stan Murray Shelter
Miles Hiked: ~17.9
Miles on AT: 384.4
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Today we hiked the most miles we’ve hiked so far on trail! To set ourselves up for success, we woke up (relatively) early and left camp around 8:30 am. The morning mist was magnificent. I had way too much fun taking photos as the mist floated in and out of our campsite.
It was into this mist that we began our morning hike. I had a quick breakfast before we left while Janitor planned to eat his during second breakfast. I’m teaching him the ways of first and second breakfast. First breakfast should be just enough to get you up and hiking for an hour or two so you can leave camp quickly. Once you’ve put down some miles for the day, second breakfast can be a bit longer (but not too long) and more substantial to fuel you until lunch time. We haven’t gotten to the point where second breakfast is quick, though.
We took our break at the next shelter and stayed for about an hour. We met another thru hiker who’s a botanist as well as the section hikers from our break yesterday. We had already spent a good amount of time there by the time they showed up, so after some brief chatting, we continued on.
The goal was to keep a good, steady pace and take breaks when needed. We weren’t concerned about getting to the shelter early, we just wanted to get there before dark. I enjoy this style of unhurried hiking because it allows us to sit and truly enjoy the sights on trail instead of rushing past them.
We caught a beautiful view on one of our climbs, then moved on to tackle our large climb of the day. Janitor was a little nervous about this one, but the initial ascent was nice and gradual. The switchbacks continued to bring us higher and higher, revealing spectacular views and an interesting rocky terrain.
When we reached Ash Gap, the gap right before the final climb to the top, I was mesmerized. Photos don’t do it justice, but the grass was a perfect sea of green. It stood lush and long in the clearing, straight out of a scene from a romance movie where the lovers run and frolic in a meadow. It was absolutely perfect.
More perfection followed as I continued to the top of our climb. Like Unaka Mountain, this mountain was covered in a dense green spruce forest. I once again felt transported to another land. I had no idea terrain like this existed in North Carolina. When we reached Roan High Knob Shelter, which sits on top of the mountain, a sign informed us that this was a rare and special environment. There aren’t many spruce forests left in North Carolina and there are efforts to conserve and protect these lands.
After food and water, we pushed on, still aiming to reach our shelter. After crossing Carvers Gap, I was awed at the sight in front of me. We had reached the famous and beautiful Roan Highlands area and they did not disappoint. People milled about, enjoying their day hikes and the views of NC to the east and TN to the west.
The wide open balds transported me back to the CDT, where so much of the hiking is done with no tree cover. This was the kind of hiking I truly loved.
We took an extended late snack break perched on a rock overlooking everything. The drama acted out by the clouds held our attention as we chatted with each other. It was too perfect.
Finally, we had to heed the call of the last 1.5 miles to our shelter. Today definitely felt like a long day. By the time we reached the shelter, our feet were throbbing and we were grateful for a comfortable place to sit. The botanist was the only one there with us that night. We had a good conversation over dinner and then it was lights out.
And that’s day 46.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.