The weekend before last it was supposed to be a significant snow event. Well, Heat Miser had other ideas and while it didn't turn out to be the amount first forecast there was some. Let me just say that the 'some' was in the mountains, so it was on the road, last Monday, to find some. I thought about the Roans, but since it wasn't a heavy snow (about 4-to-6 inches there) and I wanted to avoid driving the two hours. Newfound Gap Road (US-441) wasn't open so I wasn't going there. Then I thought about Beauty Spot, but I went there a year ago, but one place I haven't Sams Gap to Street Gap. I have done this as part of the Sams Gap to Spivey Gap over the Big Bald section hike in July of 2018. I worried about snow all the way to Erwin because I hadn't seen any. On the way up I-26 I didn't see snow until I closed in on the Metcalf East Overlook.
So, once at the Sams Gap Parking, there was snow, about an inch. As I started up, the trail was on the ridge's sunny side, meaning there was decent snow or melting spots. Once the trail started up towards the meadow, which I have since seen called Street Bald, I saw more snow...about three inches. I sat and enjoyed the incredible view of Big Bald. It was here I met my first thru-hiker of 2023, I mean literally because Kenny had the AT Registration Tag #1.
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| AT Thru-Hike Tag (Photo by Kenny Marney) |
After he departed I headed to my turnaround point of Street Gap. Boy did it look different than summertime! It took, less than an hour, to get back to Street Bald it was amazing how much melt had happened. That was even more evident when I got into the woods. I mean there were spots completely devoid of snow. This was the case all the way back to Sams Gap. I was glad I came on this day as it would have been all gone Tuesday.
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| Summer of 2018 & Winter 2023 |
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