AT in NC: Turning 60 on the Trail

Appalachian Trail in NC – Campsite to Allen Gap – 4/11/18 – 6.9 miles

Up with the dawn

When I hit the trail this morning I understood why my campsite existed – it is the first level ground for northbounders who push on past Little Laurel Shelter.  Starting the day with a climb up Camp Creek Bald felt invigorating, legs pumping, chill receding. Lengthy shadows drew dark ladder rungs across the trail as sunlight worked its way down the slopes.

Morning light, rocky path, cold rhododendrons

 

 

I skipped the side trail to the Camp Creek Bald lookout tower – climbed it in 2015 when completing the Lookout Tower Challenge. A couple of thru-hikers stood at the sign contemplating; I told them the tower cab is off limits but encouraged them to check it out for themselves. For me, the remaining six miles were a big slide down to Allen Gap.

At Little Laurel Shelter, most folks had moved on but some were in no rush, making a habit of a late start and early finish each day.  The shelter is halfway up a ridge, the cleared area isn’t very large, and I didn’t see many usable tent spots. The water is about a hundred yards down from the shelter.  I’m glad I stopped at my sweet quiet campsite last night.

 

My heart and my backpack felt light as I cruised down the mountain, meeting a steady stream of northbounders chugging full steam from Hot Springs, NC on their way to Erwin, TN.  Some nodded in stride, some said hello, and some took a few minutes to chat (they were going uphill, after all). I met a thru-hiker wearing a Virginia Tech shirt. She was a VT grad and her trail name was Eleven (from the Netflix series “Stranger Things”). One fellow named Pete (didn’t care for trail names) stopped in the middle of the trail for a long discussion. Pete is German-Danish, had completed the Pacific Crest Trail (“best decision of my life”) and some of the Colorado Divide Trail.  This was his first time on the East Coast and he declared that the AT is very different but just as enjoyable.

Sights and sounds of civilization increased for the last mile-and-a-half to Allen Gap, crisscrossing gravel roads and glimpsing houses through the woods, and there was one surprising “bump” in elevation. I reached my car before lunchtime and treated myself to a cup of caffeine for the drive home. 

Hey, I’m 60 years old today! Ten years ago I began hiking the Smokies 900. A lot of miles in between but the same old backpack.

Hazel Creek Trail, GSMNP, 4/11/08

“Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.” ~David Bowie