Truth be told, the original plan was to head to the Humps, but decided I wasn't really ready for that trip and it would be a good decision for many reasons I will touch on. So, instead, I decided to go up to the Roans instead.
I first drove up to the Roan Gardens area to run the drone and then hiked out to Roan High Bluffs. It had been a couple of years since my last trip out there. This time, I did the shorter hike of a mile out and back. I did this so I could put up the drone to good results.
The trip up from Carvers Gap was harder than in the past. I know I keep getting older, but a 40-pound pack doesn't help. I don't know how it got so heavy. I mean, my Big Agnes is lighter than my Kelty Salida. Well, this weight issue is something I need to figure out.
Because of my lack of hiking and heavy pack, I decided to keep my original plan and camp first at Jane Bald and then head to Grassy Ridge Bald on Thursday. One thing I have to say about the day was when the sun was out, it was abnormally hot for the Roans. Luckily, as soon as the sun started to set, so did the temperature, and it made for a pleasant evening.
When I turned in for the evening, I didn't expect problems, but I would be wrong. When I went to bed, I had to blow up my sleeping pad (REI Rails), which wasn't unusual. What wasn't is waking up in the middle of the night after the pad deflated. Not all the way, but enough, and no, it's not fun having to blow it back up at 3 am. When I woke up in the morning, I knew it had a hole but found no sign of it. So, because of that and other reasons, I decided to cut the trip short. Pete wasn't happy, but I placated him by going up to Grassy Ridge Bald, and he was content. Also in the morning my sunrise was blocked by clouds and before long, I was shrouded in them. So, Thursday's views weren't like the day before.
Anyway, while shorter than I wanted, it was still a great overnight, and I found a new place to eat in Roan Mountain (Smoky Mountain Bakery) for pizza...win and win!
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