THE GARDEN
"Darlin' let's let our hair grow long
We can
work on a farm, maybe live on a mountain.
I got
an old hound dog, likes to run,
He
needs a lot of room and he hates to be chained up."
Just
like me, just like we are supposed to be.
Just
like me, just like we are supposed to be.”
From
“The Garden (Part III)” by Tea Leaf Green, lyrics written by Trevor Garrod
I
chose last weekend for my (nearly) annual wildflower extravaganza dayhike at Roan Mountain.
Roan is one of the best places around for a spring wildflower hike. Typically I go in early May, but with this
year’s early Spring I decided to push it forward a week.
All
of my usual hiking pals were busy with other things on this particular
weekend. However, the dogs, Boone and
Kona, were more than happy to join me. I
planned my hike for Saturday, which was a bit ambitious since I had to pick up
Christy at the Charlotte airport at 6:30 that evening. She was returning after two weeks in
Denmark. Still, I was pretty sure I
could squeeze in the 5-hour round trip drive and a 9 mile hike with an early
start.
I
found a shortcut to the Roaring Fork Trailhead on Google Maps, which shaved a
few minutes off the normal drive. I
arrived a bit before 9 and was surprised to find several other vehicles at the
trailhead. The Overmountain
Victory Trail parking area at the end of Roaring Fork Road isn’t well known,
but apparently it isn’t exactly a secret, either. I like starting from there, as it is a bit
closer to home than Carver’s Gap. It
also provides an easy (1 mile) access to Yellow Gap. From Yellow Gap it’s possible to take
moderate dayhikes on the A.T. to Grassy Ridge, Jane
Bald, Round Bald, Big Yellow Mountain, Little Hump, and Big Hump (aka Hump
Mountain). In the Spring I typically
head for Grassy Ridge simply because the wildflowers en route are simply
outrageous. This time though, I decided
to head the other direction, bound for Little Hump and Big Hump. It’d been years since my last visit to Big
Hump, and I was hopeful that I’d find plenty of wildflowers around Yellow Gap
and Bradley Gap.
From
the trailhead it’s possible to reach the A.T. at Yellow Gap by either the Overmountain Victory Trail (an old roadbed) or a gated
gravel road. The gravel road passes the
old barn A.T. shelter, but I generally prefer the Overmountain
Victory Trail. I took it uphill along a
small stream lined with wildflowers. The
dogs spent most of the first ½ mile in the creek, before we turned away from it
on a switchback through an open meadow.
There is a nice view here, but the morning was overcast. Beyond the meadow we continued climbing
through the woods on the old road.
Before long we reached Yellow Gap and a five-way intersection. From here the A.T. heads left towards Jane
Bald and Carvers Gap and right towards Hump Mountain and Damascus. Another trail to the left descends to the barn
and joins the gravel road leading back to the trailhead. The Overmountain
Victory Trail also continues ahead into Tennessee, down to another trailhead
outside of the community of Roan Mountain.
I
turned right on the A.T. and followed a couple of thru-hikers up the steep hill
towards Little Hump. This stretch of
trail follows the edge of the woods along a vast meadow that provides views of
Grassy Ridge, Big Yellow Mountain, Yellow Gap, and the Roaring Creek
valley. The thru-hikers soon left me
behind, which was a bit humbling considering I was only carrying a
daypack. I blame it on frequent stops to
photograph the many wildflowers along this stretch of trail. Coincidentally, those frequent wildflower
photo stops occurred along the steepest climb of the hike.
The
A.T. between Yellow Gap and Little Hump had some of the best flowers of the
hike. There was really only one variety –
White Fringed Phacelia. However, the lack of variety was compensated
for by the sheer volume of flowers. I’m
sure there were literally millions of blooms along that stretch of trail. In some places the flowers were so thick it
looked like fresh snowfall.
The
sky was still overcast when I reached the edge of the meadow below Little
Hump. I decided to save the photos for
later, since the forecast called for clearing skies in the afternoon. I climbed to the summit of Little Hump,
passing a number of tents among scattered boulders just before the top. That is a great campsite, but it’s very
exposed to bad weather. At the summit I
discovered that the trail to Bradley Gap has been rerouted. The old route went straight down the
mountain. The new trail loops through a
grassy Beech forest before wandering back out onto the bald below the summit. Another switchback leads back into the woods
and on down towards Bradley Gap.
A
few minutes later we reached a series of springs that had turned the trail into
a mud pit. Kona chose this moment to get
a case of the “zoomies”. The “zoomies” is
the term we use when one of the dogs starts running full speed in random directions
for no apparent reason. The zoomies are good fun for all involved, except when they
occur in a mud pit. By the time Kona was
finished she was covered in mud, and Boone and I were both splattered, too.
A
few minutes later we passed a substantial spring. We stopped there so the dogs could
drink. I took the opportunity for more
flower photos, as the hillside was a true wildflower garden. The trilliums were a bit past their peak and
the Mayapples weren’t blooming yet, but the Trout
Lilies and Spring Beauties more than made up for that. A few minutes later we passed a nice campsite
in an unnamed gap before climbing gently to a ridge. At this point I left the trail and climbed up
through the woods towards an open meadow above.
Before long I emerged on another bald, with fantastic views of Big Hump,
Little Hump, Grassy Ridge, and Roan Mountain.
As far as I know this bald doesn’t have a name. For the last ten years I’ve referred to it as
“Diamond Bald”, since this was where Christy and I got engaged.
The
dogs chose our engagement spot for a full-blown wrestling match. They eventually tired themselves out, and we
hiked down the grassy ridgeline towards Bradley Gap. We rejoined the A.T. just before the gap and
started up Big Hump.
This
was the busiest part of the trail on this day.
I was passed by more thru-hikers, and then the group of kids camping on
Little Hump passed by on their way back to camp. Later I ran into more dayhikers
and backpackers. This stretch of the
A.T. is exceptionally popular, and for good reason. It’s widely considered to be one of the most
scenic stretches of the entire route.
Early
on Kona barked at everybody we passed.
She’s still a puppy, and is rather jumpy. Fortunately, as the day went on she started
to get used to seeing other people. I
was a little leery about taking both dogs on such a popular trail, but
ultimately it was good to get her socialized to other people.
The
climb up Big Hump is long but relatively gentle. As we ascended the clouds finally started
breaking up. By the time I reached the
summit it was a warm and hazy but generally pleasant afternoon. From the top I was treated to views of
Grandfather Mountain, Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, and Mount Rogers. Back in the other direction were more views
of the Roan Highlands.
I
had lunch on the summit and took some photos before heading back. My return hike was much faster, as I restrained
myself from taking photos of the same wildflowers. At that point the sunny conditions made
wildflower photography less than ideal anyway.
I
returned to Yellow Gap and followed the Overmountain
Victory Trail back to the trailhead.
While the A.T. was busy, I didn’t see anyone on the Overmountain
Victory Trail. I returned to the car at
3:30. I headed straight home, and
despite getting behind an excessive number of extremely slow drivers I made it
home by 6pm. That gave me enough time to
take a quick shower before heading to the airport. However, I was still late arriving, as
Christy’s flight was early (!) and her luggage was waiting for her when she
reached baggage claim. Why is it that I
always have to wait 30+ minutes for my luggage at the Charlotte airport?
Christy
had a great trip even though she was chaperoning teenagers most of the time. She spent most of her time in Denmark,
staying over a week in Hobro. She also spent a few days in Copenhagen, one
weekend in Lubeck, Germany, and an evening in
Sweden. Most importantly she brought me
back several gifts, including that Viking helmet I’ve always wanted!
I
enjoyed a great day in the mountains, after a week of being chained up at
work. I’ll have to put those chains back
on come Monday, but I’m already looking forward to my next chance to escape.
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