Christy, Saucony, and I met up with Myron, Dorcas, and Izaak at the Linville Falls campground Saturday evening. They brought their travel trailer, so it took some creative parking to squeeze our car into the parking area. We pitched our tent, and spent the evening around the campfire. We were surprised that the campground wasn’t full. Fall color was at peak, but I guess the damp, foggy weather kept some of the crowds away.
We got up Sunday morning and met Dave at the campground. Then it was time for the long drive to Elizabethton, Tennessee. Our destination was a section of the AT we hadn’t hiked before. We drove up along the Watauga River, passing a small dam and a fjord-like lake surrounded by sheer cliffs. We drove on, climbing a ridge above Watauga Lake. We pulled off the road at a sign announcing the "Appalachain Trail". Well, the folks who made the sign may not know how to spell "Appalachian", but I’ll bet they can at least get the pronunciation right.
It was already 10:30 when we started up the trail. The hike began with a steep climb, which led to overlooks of – fog. The views of the lake were probably great, but we couldn’t see anything. On the upside, the trees were very colorful and added to the beauty of the forest.
After the initial climb the hiking was pretty easy. After about 4 miles, we reached a series of puddles, which might qualify as a water source in wetter conditions. A final climb brought us to a junction with a blue-blazed trail heading steeply down into the valley. Myron, Dorcas, and Izaak explored it, while Christy, Dave, Saucony, and I continued on to the shelter. They didn’t find water, though the trail continued to descend. I imagine it reaches a spring eventually.
We arrived at the shelter in time for lunch. It was a small but cozy shelter with a tin roof. Behind the shelter was a rocky cliff, which provided a good view of Watauga Lake and beautiful fall color. The fog had finally lifted, just in time for us to enjoy the vista.
On the hike back, we spotted a dead rodent, which appeared to be a northern flying squirrel. It didn’t have wings, but had extra flaps of skin on its sides. I had never seen a flying squirrel, so this was quite fascinating.
We passed two backpackers on the way back down. They were the only people we saw all day. It was another good hike for us, on a lightly used stretch of the AT. The Watauga Lake area has a lot to offer, and I’m sure we’ll return to explore further.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!