Two of my favorite seasons are happening now...NHL Playoff Hockey and AT (Appalachian Trail) Thru-Hiking. So, what better way to celebrate the latter than a hike on the AT on Wednesday.
I started from Hughes Gap, a spot I have wanted to hike out of for a while. If I had known the road was paved all the way I would have gone here before now. I went against the grain and started hiking south on the AT. That means I passed a number of AT Thru-Hikers, which is always cool. While uphill, the trail wasn't a killer one, more gentle than some other spots I have hiked.
Besides Thru-Hikers I also saw plenty of wildflowers, mostly Spring Beauties. One Spring Beauty stood out as it had seven pedals (there only supposed to have four). It looks like a Spring Beauty and a Rue Anemone had a love child. Oh, there were also a few Trout Lilies too.
My main goal on this hike was 2.3 miles in for the views just below Little Rock Knob. The vistas here give great views of mountains thru-hikers have passed like Big Bald and Unaka Mountain and ones to come like Pond Mountain. Also visible are Pinnacle Mountain, Buffalo Mountain, and Johnson City.
From here I was heading on about another mile to the Clyde Smith Shelter. It was here that I got a little turned around and hurt my pride in the process. When I went down to the lower outcrop I noticed it connected to what I thought was the trail. So, I started down but it was steep, overgrown and there were no white blazes. Just as I figured out I was going on a disused trail I slipped on a slick rock and ended up on my Wood Booger.
The trail had been rerouted since my AT Guide was published. While adding between one and three-tenths of a mile it looks easier than the steep straight up path of the old trail (which you pass the startup). The hike to the shelter is mostly downhill, but not too steep. The shelter is a typical Tennessee Eastman Hiking Club shelter. It was built in 1976 by the US Forest Service and sleeps six, the tarp is to keep out the cold. But no privy, just a shovel.
This was my turn around point. The uphill back to the outcrops on Little Rock Knob wasn't too taxing. It was here, at one of the outcrops, I had lunch with another thru-hiker I passed (no he passed me).
The rest of the hike was a pleasant downhill. I got winter views of the peaks of the Roans through the trees. Once back at the car I picked up some of the trash at the trailhead. I will say that you won't find this hike, of around 6.5 miles, in any trail books that I know of, but it is well worth one's time. I know I will be coming back to Hughes Gap sooner rather than later.
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