Some people say that the Roan Highlands are the most spectacular part of the entire Appalachian Trail; I still have about 1800 miles before I can say that, but today surpassed everything between Springer and here. Grassy balds filled the landscape and the trail traversed several of them on its way North. The first was Round Bald, then came Jane Bald providing a look back at Roan High through the morning mist. The fog that had been lingering began to dissipate while I was on Jane Bald and more distant hills became visible that moments ago were barely noticeable as outlines through the clouds. It felt like one of the coolest places yet, but it was just a foreshadowing of the next several miles. There was one more bald, Grassy Ridge, before the trail temporarily reentered the forest. I stopped for lunch at one of the shelters in this woody section, dining on one peanut butter covered bagel and a second filled with copious amounts of pepperoni.
Shortly after lunch the trail remerged from the woods at the base of Little Hump Mountain. Another sea of grass blowing in the breeze all the way to the summit a mile and a half farther along the trail. By now it was afternoon, and the day was mostly sunny along the trail, but clouds were visible all around, some white and puffy, others ominously dark and drenching a neighboring peak in rain. With the temperature in the low 60′s the weather and the backdrop were perfect. On the way down Little Hump the trail once again entered the woods but only briefly, the real prize of the day could be seen from the other end of the forest path – Hump Mountain. Immediately upon exiting the woods I could not only see the mountain, but the entire path of the AT ascending up the side. It’s the first time I’ve really been able to see where I’m going ahead of time, and the mountain and landscape were magnificent. Coming out of the woods right there and seeing that mountain made it clearer than ever that hiking the AT was completely amazing. The climb to the top was interrupted only by frequent stops to take pictures, sadly I was too slow drawing the camera when a wild turkey walked across the trail on the way up the bald and then flew away. More views back across the Roan Highlands awaited at the summit, grassy balds, forest covered mountains, distant thunderstorms, grass rolling sideways in the wind.
From there I had a long climb down from the highlands to US Highway 19, where there’s The Mountain Harbor Hostel 0.3 miles west, near the town of Roan Mountain. In case the day wasn’t awesome enough with relatively small total climbing, awesome weather, and great views, it also marked the end of my time in North Carolina. Two states down!
Had an awesome dinner at a local wood fired place, now tonight at the hostel we have another trail winner. Got a guy probably about 60, who says he’s a nurse discussing politics and giving out “medical advice.” Strider came in nursing a sore calf, and the guy offered him some kind of bengay type cream, which is all good, but then kept saying, “man I hope its not your ACL, you’ll be done for.” Strider told him it was his calf not his knee, but the guy continued with talk about knee ligaments. Right now he’s telling another guy he worked at the hospital where Obama claims to have been born as a trauma nurse and he personally had access to all their medical records, and that he “checked the ledger” and Obama wasn’t born there! “Guess that guy from New York was right, what was his name?” Neither one could come up with Donald Trump. Quite a day. I wish I could pull all dozens of pictures from my real camera for today, this will have to do for now.