RETURN TO ROAN
Despite the onset of winter,
Christy surprised me by agreeing to hike last weekend. Normally she avoids winter trips, but
Saturday’s forecast didn’t look too bad.
We were anticipating sunny skies and temperatures in the 30’s. It seemed like an excellent opportunity for
a high-elevation hike before the next storm brought more snow and subzero
temperatures.
My hike at Roan Mountain the
previous weekend, after the season’s first snowfall, was absolutely
beautiful. I regretted that Christy
missed it, so we decided to head back up there. This time though, we started at the Roaring Fork Trailhead below
Big Yellow Mountain instead of Carver’s Gap.
We found the road there in good shape, with only a couple of patches of
snow. The trailhead parking area was
surprisingly crowded with pick-up trucks and a medium-sized bus that looked
wildly out of place for such a remote trailhead.
Dave joined us, along with
the dogs, Saucony and Sasha, as we started up the trail. Both the Overmountain Victory Trail and the
gated jeep road climb out of the valley to join the Appalachian Trail in the
gap between Grassy Ridge and Big Yellow Mountain. We opted to take the trail, following it through the snow along a
small stream. After 15 minutes, we
passed a meadow where a large group was camping. The route continued to climb, and we encountered deeper snow when
we arrived on the ridge and joined the Appalachian Trail.
We climbed to the northeast
towards Big Yellow Mountain. There was
still plenty of snow, despite the brilliant sunshine. The week-old snow wasn’t as pretty as it had been 6 days earlier,
but the day was much nicer. There
wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and the cool temperatures ensured great views
without haze. The vistas were
outstanding, especially back to the west, where the snowy peaks of Roan
Mountain, Round Bald, Jane Bald, and Grassy Ridge towered high above the old
barn that serves as a trail shelter at the head of the Roaring Fork Valley.
We found the best views at
our lunch spot in the open meadows of Little Hump Mountain. Here was a sunny spot where melting snow had
yielded a pleasant patch of grass. It
was a great place to enjoy a thermos full of gumbo, even if it wasn’t really
that cold. Temperatures were above
freezing, and mercifully, there was little wind.
After lunch, we continued on
the Appalachian Trail towards Big Hump Mountain. First we descended through deep snow into the woods and passed a
pleasant camping area. We came near a
spring a couple of minutes later, before leaving the trees behind at the edge
of Bradley Gap. The gap began a long
stretch of open meadows, providing views of mountains in Tennessee and North
Carolina, as well as the snowy dome of Big Hump itself above us.
We climbed slowly through
the snow, enduring a pair of false summits before finally arriving on top. Here we found an ideal resting spot in the
middle of the best view of the trip. We
had 360 degrees of uninterrupted views, with highlights including Mount Rogers
in Virginia, the rugged peaks of Grandfather Mountain, Hawksbill and Table Rock
looming over Linville Gorge, the Black Mountains, and the remainder of the Roan
Highlands stretching off into the distance.
We spent 30 minutes on the summit, relaxing in the sun, enjoying the
view, and throwing snowballs at the dogs.
Time was running out though,
so we had to head back at 2:30. The
hike back was harsh, as we headed west
towards the setting sun. The brilliant
sunshine and reflective snow made me realize why sunglasses always show up on
those lists of 10 essentials. We
survived without them, but it was still a relief when we reached the shade of
the woods. The final descent to the
trailhead was quick, as we took the old road down past the barn shelter instead
of following the trail. We returned to
the parking area at 4:30, after covering 8 miles in 6 hours (5 hours hiking).
We all changed into dry
clothes, except for Dave who had forgotten dry socks. From there, we only had one critical decision to make. Where to eat dinner? We ended up in Marion, where we decided to
try Ivan’s. I’ve been meaning to eat
there for over a year, and this weekend was the perfect opportunity. We parked and walked to the door, where a
sign warned that appropriate dress was required. Uh oh. Christy’s sweatshirt
was dirty, and the last I heard, Dave was considering wearing gloves on his
feet. I was wearing what could best be
described as pajama bottoms. Somehow we
managed to get seated. The meal was
enjoyable, with good food and excellent service. The only drawback was the Muzak, which must’ve been on the same
program as the elevator music I’m subjected to at work. It contrasted badly with a live band that
was playing a private Christmas party in the next room. Oh well, I’m sure that won’t be enough to keep
us from eating at Ivan’s in the future.
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