Hike started just after 10am. Even in the first weekend in May, the parking lot at Carvers Gap is starting to fill up. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning/afternoon weather-wise. So perfect that I do not think a single hiker broke a sweat. The hike trekked through the fir forest along the AT for 2 miles, past the Roan High Knob AT shelter and the site/remains of the Cloudland hotel. About 1 mile in, there was a recently downed tree across the trail that involved some climbing over. We passed several section or thru hikers on the trail. After 2 miles on the AT, we continued on the Cloudland Trail for another mile to enjoy the Roan High Knob Bluff overlook all to ourselves for a great rest break and lunch. There was a neat splintered tree from a very recent lightening strike on the Cloudland Trail section. Then we hiked back the way we came, for a round-trip mileage of approx. 6.9 miles (~4.5 total miles on the AT). Gary Bond attended (a new member and previous thru hiker) and was a great companion for the trip with myself and my wife, Jackie.
2017 Roan Mtn Bloom Watch
Report from Jess Schaner (Roan Naturalist) is the Catawba rhododendron had great blooms for the festival June 17-18, 2017.
7/23 Hike from Hughes Gap to the Barn Shelter
This is the continuation of the “Hike the TEHCC A.T.” series. We made it to Hughes Gap last month. Now it’s time to hike the balds! If you’ve wanted to hike large sections of the A.T. but avoid the in-and-out, here’s your chance. We’ll need roughly half to help participate in shuttling. This leg will be from Hughes Gap to the Barn Shelter. We’ll take the Overmountain Victory Trail for trail access. Contact tim@tehcc.org for details. Past and future hikes are being detailed at [[Hike Plans:2016 TEHCC AT]]
Special AT Gravel Project on Round Bald, July 9-12
Contact: Carl Fritz
Starting Monday, July 9 we will begin our probably-last big gravel project for the next decade. Last summer we moved about 37 tons of gravel to between Round Bald and Engine Gap. This year we want to move about 90 tons (5 truck loads) between Carver’s Gap and Round Bald. Continue reading “Special AT Gravel Project on Round Bald, July 9-12”
Friday Hikers: AT – AT from Carvers Gap to Hughes Gap, Trip Report
Collins Chew reporting
Event Date: April 20th
We had a great hike on the AT over Roan Mountain today. The day started chilly and foggy but warmed and cleared. Until we started down from the top, we saw no wildflowers, but they began to show up as we descended toward Ash Gap. With each increment of descent, a different assemblage of flowers appeared. We ended up with a really great day of flowers with great diversity. There were carpets of various flowers at different places. The trout lilies were very large as well as numerous. We rolled the relocation with a wheel and mapped it with GPS. It was 0.4 miles longer because of a long switchback added recently. Hikers were: Olin Babb, Kathy and Jerry Case, June Donaldson, Howard Guinn, Carol Idol, Lowell Toof, Jane Whitson and Collins Chew.
Friday Hikers: Carvers Gap to Grassy Ridge, June 17
Collins Chew reporting
We had ideal weather for our 4.8-mile hike from Carvers Gap to Grassy Ridge and return and then another 0.5 mile (about) hike through the Rhododendron Gardens. Along the AT, the rhododendrons were upstaged by a nearly continuous, beautiful display of flame azalea with many colors showing. The rhododendrons were also very nice, particularly near the top of Grassy Ridge and in the Gardens. There were many other wildflowers, including American Mountain Ash, Grays Lily, bluets, ragwort, and more. Many others shared our enjoyment of the day. There was the usual stop for peaches as well. Hikers were: Olin Babb, Lee Bockman, Anne Cosby, Carol and Dave Dunham, Judith Foster, Bob Harvey, Jerry Sluder, Judy and Bill Tindall, Lowell Toof, first timers Rikki Rhoton and Sharon Trumley, and Collins Chew.
The Week Ahead – May 16th
Unfortunately if you weren’t there, you missed HardCore 2011. The work on Pond Mountain was tough but the sense of accomplishment of making trail in those conditions is great. Full write up coming soon. This week it looks like you have some good opportunities to learn and have fun.
- Wildflower Hike to Grassy Ridge on Wednesday starting in the morning
- Club meeting at Eastman (open to outsiders) on Wednesday, main topic the new [[Main Page|Trail Wiki]]
- Hike for your Heart in Bristol on Saturday, a chance to hike and raise money
- Hike Big Yellow Mountain to Little Hump! on Saturday. The details are scarce, but the notice says a celebration about a partnership between Highland Brewing Co., USFWS, and SAHC with refreshments at the end of the hike. Just saying!
Get all of the details from our schedule page.