April 8, 2009
The weather had me concerned again today. The rare April snowstorm had passed, but the snow was still up there. Today's trailhead was higher than yesterday's and even more remote. Would we be able to drive to the 4700 foot trailhead on the windy, snowy, dirt road? It took us a while, but we were able to safely reach Mooney Gap. On the way we passed the trailhead for Pickens Nose, honest, that was the name. I would also be going by the side of a mountain today named Big Butt. The temperature today was supposed to soar from the upper 20's to the upper 50's so I'm sure most of this snow will be gone by the end of the day.
Lynn dropped me off and I started today's section. It was my first sunny day since I started this last leg of the journey. I was quite pleased since I did not want to miss the view from the top of Albert Mountain. The last .3 miles to the summit was quite steep.
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Nearing the tower on the summit
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The summit is somewhere around 5200', so I was already on today's highpoint.
There was an awesome view.
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On the drive here we saw signs for Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory. At the summit of Mount Albert there was a large sign that stated what that was.
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The 4015 acre basin below has been a world-famous forest and water laboratory since 1933. Here, a variety of forest cutting experiments have increased flow of pure water by almost a half million gallons per acre per year without increasing soil erosion or flooding. These classic experiments have shown that the forest ecosystem can be managed without ruining the pricless water it produces. Research continues to learn how these forests can best be managed to serve the public's water, timber, wildlife, and recreation needs. |
In Runtrails' journal she mentions that this was the first tower she came to on the Appalachian Trail. Seeing I am working my way south, that meant that this would be my last. Let's climb it. For a video click here.
Big Spring Shelter was just a little off the trail so I stopped. At 10:00 a.m., I was surprised to find it stuffed with thru hikers who were still inside their sleeping bags. I guess they weren't in any hurry to play in the snow today.
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The next few miles of trail were quite gentle and I made great time.
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Rock Gap Shelter was a little off the trail and probably cost me a tenth of a mile roundtrip.
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Sign at a parking area in Rock Gap
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The trail crosses Old Route 64 at Wallace Gap before heading up.
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After heading up and over Rocky Cove Knob, I made my way down to Winding Stair Gap on Route 64. I was greeted by three trail angels.
They were from Coweeta Baptist Church. Each Wednesday they go out to a different spot and give out goodies and cold drinks to the hikers. I wasn't expecting any trail magic on this leg of my journey since the area was fairly remote so this was a wonderful surprise.
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I met a couple thru hikers named Ashley and Hatchet. They were getting off the trail and would be spending the night in Franklin. Maybe I would run into them.
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"Are you through for the day?" I was asked by one of the trail angels.
"No, I'm meeting my wife at Wayah Gap." I replied.
"At what time?"
"6:00"
She checked the guide book that she had handy and added "You are going to be late."
"Oh no," I said. "My pack is real light. I'll get there with time to spare."
On the go again.
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Today's section of trail was quite high. This was today's LOWEST elevation.
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After crossing the road, I came to a little bridge with a small waterfall. For a clip click here.
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The next few miles were mostly uphill. I reached the southern side trail for Siler Bald Shelter. This shelter is a half mile off the trail so I didn't visit it.
I met two section hikers who share a trailname: "The Sister-In-Laws"
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After chatting with them for a good ten minutes, I continued on my way.
Some hiker today had some fun building a little snowman . . .
. . . and a snowdog!!!
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As I reached the northern side trail for Siler Bald Shelter, I saw another side trail in the opposite direction. This led to Siler Bald. Liz, a section hiker I met yesterday, highly recommended it. It was .2 miles of wide open trail. Up I went.
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Almost there
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Marker on the summit
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For a 360° video clip of this awesome spot click here. This was such a relaxing spot. I was ahead of schedule for meeting Lynn, so I just laid on the grass and took a short power nap. I then hiked back down to the A.T. and began my descent to Wayah Gap. Most of the snow had melted today, but apparently this side of the mountain didn't get much sun.
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My faithful crew came in to meet me.
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As I finished today's hike, I noticed my knee was a little sore. Uh oh. It was deja vu all over again. Back in 2006, I had the same thing happen. It meant I would have trouble with my knee the rest of the trip, and I still had 6 more days of hiking!! I guess 60 miles in 3 days was a little too much. You would think after 2000+ miles on the A.T. that I would know better by now. Nope. After the 2006 incident, I bought two knee braces just in case this happened again. I've brought them on every one of my A.T. trips since, EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE. The next few days I have smaller sections. If I slow the pace, maybe it will be all right.
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As we reached the trailhead at Wayah Gap, I noticed a sign.
It read: Warning! Bear reported to have taken packs along the trails from Deep Gap to Wayah Gap. The bear displayed "no fear" of humans. Exercise extreme caution. Separate food and follow backcountry recommendations.
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Seeing we ended today's section at Wayah Gap and the weather was gorgeous, Lynn and I took the road up to Wayah Bald to see what I missed yesterday. FYI - Wayah means "Wolf" in Cherokee.
Road to the parking area at the top
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There was still some snow, but not like yesterday.
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Ha! Yesterday, I had no idea that the walkway to the tower was paved.
There were several inches of snow up here yesterday.
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Lynn before the tower
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The tower on 4/8/2009
The tower the day before
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Well, it was definitely worth coming back to see what I missed.
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There was a map identifying the different mountain. The one in the center all the way in the back is Standing Indian which I will be climbing tomorrow.
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Info on Wayah Bald:
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How long this mountain has been called Wayah Bald, no one knows. Fire, drought, grazing, and/or insects have all been theorized as factors in creating these treeless areas. Cherokee legends suggest that balds may have existed for a long time, although some argue that many of these areas were cleared by white settlers. |
That evening we ate at Shoney's. I could here people at the table behind me talking about the trail. I turned around and sure enough it was Hatchet and Ashley who I met earlier in the day. We also got to meet two other thru hikers: Soundtrack and Pop Tarts. What did all these hungry thru hikers chose to eat? The all-you-can-eat buffet of course.
Miles to go: 95
After today's hike I received the following email from my friend Cath Goodwin:
Now the countdown is REALLY on 95 - 94 - 93 - 92..........
Go Eric Go !!!
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