I love snow, and I also love to chase it too. That is what I did on the last Wednesday in January for the edition of Snow Adventures...this time on the Roans.
I knew there was snow around because I had hiked to Dick's Creek Falls in it. So, while it rained in St. Clair on Monday it was snowing up in the higher elevations. I had decided to go hike "Hump Day" but my plan was for somewhere closer than the Roans. The front runner was Pinnacle Mountain, but when I topped the hill on I-26 in Johnson City I saw lots of snow in the distance so I said: "I am heading to Carvers Gap!"
I knew I had made the right decision as I got closer to the Roan Highlands as I could see snow on them. I have mentioned before, but TN-143 is a well-used road, so it gets cleared when it snows. Anyway, I really start seeing it on the roadside when I reached the Cherokee National Forest sign.
It was a beautiful drive up and I wasn't disappointed when I reached Carvers Gap, there was plenty of snow.
There were three things I was surprised about. First, there wasn't really much wind in Carvers Gap, which is unusual. Plus, number two, the gap was banked in by clouds. However, because of these reasons, I decided to spend the Winter day on the balds instead of heading up towards the Roan High Knob and the shelter. The third thing was the oddest...there just wasn't a lot of people on the trail (only ran into two). This section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) is one of the busiest. I have seen a lot of people on any day of the week and with it being much colder. Oh, I am not complaining, not at all...it was nice.
As I headed up Round Bald I encountered snow and ice on the trail, so I got out the Yaktrax. The top of Round Bald was just stunning. Snow top the Humps and Mount Mitchell.
Then it was to Jane Bald. The last time I had been here in the snow I didn't go beyond Jane Bald, because of wind, but on this day I decided to head up to Grassy Ridge Bald.
It was a fact that this is the most snow I had seen on the Roans. However, the closer I got to the junction of the AT and the Grassy Ridge Bald Trail it was obviously fewer people had gone this far as the tracks got less. Oh, and the snow got deeper. Once I headed right towards Grassy Ridge I notice no one else had been up here. That meant Pete and I had to cut trail to the summit and it was deep in spots.
Once to the top, I had lunch at the Cornelius Rex Peake monument. I had to use the big rock his plaque is on as cover because it was breezy and cold there. I then went to one of my favorite outcrops with views of Big Roan Ridge and into North Carolina.
On the way back I started seeing people. First a couple, then a woman and her dog, a second couple and finally a family heading up as a returned to Carvers Gap. Once back I decided to head south on the AT to see if the branch had frozen over. It hadn't, but I was the first person on the trail unless you count a rabbit and Coyote.
Speaking of frozen, I stopped to gaze at some of the huge icicles, just gorgeous. It is Snow Adventures like this one on the Roans is why this is one of my favorite places...period.
There were three things I was surprised about. First, there wasn't really much wind in Carvers Gap, which is unusual. Plus, number two, the gap was banked in by clouds. However, because of these reasons, I decided to spend the Winter day on the balds instead of heading up towards the Roan High Knob and the shelter. The third thing was the oddest...there just wasn't a lot of people on the trail (only ran into two). This section of the Appalachian Trail (AT) is one of the busiest. I have seen a lot of people on any day of the week and with it being much colder. Oh, I am not complaining, not at all...it was nice.
As I headed up Round Bald I encountered snow and ice on the trail, so I got out the Yaktrax. The top of Round Bald was just stunning. Snow top the Humps and Mount Mitchell.
Then it was to Jane Bald. The last time I had been here in the snow I didn't go beyond Jane Bald, because of wind, but on this day I decided to head up to Grassy Ridge Bald.
It was a fact that this is the most snow I had seen on the Roans. However, the closer I got to the junction of the AT and the Grassy Ridge Bald Trail it was obviously fewer people had gone this far as the tracks got less. Oh, and the snow got deeper. Once I headed right towards Grassy Ridge I notice no one else had been up here. That meant Pete and I had to cut trail to the summit and it was deep in spots.
Once to the top, I had lunch at the Cornelius Rex Peake monument. I had to use the big rock his plaque is on as cover because it was breezy and cold there. I then went to one of my favorite outcrops with views of Big Roan Ridge and into North Carolina.
On the way back I started seeing people. First a couple, then a woman and her dog, a second couple and finally a family heading up as a returned to Carvers Gap. Once back I decided to head south on the AT to see if the branch had frozen over. It hadn't, but I was the first person on the trail unless you count a rabbit and Coyote.
Speaking of frozen, I stopped to gaze at some of the huge icicles, just gorgeous. It is Snow Adventures like this one on the Roans is why this is one of my favorite places...period.
Those icicles are stunning!
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