Appalachian Trail – Page 2 – Roger Carpenter

November 14, Day 145: The highest shelter on the AT on a very cold night.

Despite not posting for days I am doing very well on the AT. On November 21 I reached mile 1918.2 and landed in Hot Springs, North Carolina! I have hiked 87.5% of the trail and have just 275 miles remaining. The five month anniversary of the start of this long, long journey comes in just two days. The length of time and the diverse collection of emotions, challenges, good karma and accomplishments is foremost in my mind. I am very fortunate!

This post is about a memorable day in the Roan Mountain Highlands. It was good practice for the Smokies which I will reach on about November 25.

When I left the comforts of the Mountain Harbour Hostel on November 14, and the best breakfast on the AT, I was aware the highest shelter to camp in along the entire trail was 16 miles ahead and nearly 6,000 feet of climbing. I questioned the wisdom of trying to reach such a distance and elevation gain after eating a full meal and getting a late start. Plan A was a much lower shelter in 11 miles. But when I reached it I predicted I could make it to the Roan High Knob Shelter at around 6pm, just 30 minutes after sunset. I would have my headlamp ready! This was Plan B, and I went for it.

Hump Mountain, one of the balds in the Roan Highlands.

November 11 on the AT was a special day (11-11 Day)

I reached mile 1797.8 on November 13, a day that started with light, cold rain and ended sunny and quite chilly. On November 14 I will begin the climb into the Roan Highlands and 6,000 feet elevation. But for now I want to write about a unique experience I had on a special day.

I had planned to resupply in Hampton, Tennessee but was unsure if I would buy food and get back on the trail, or stay overnight at a hostel. Most hikers stay at the Boots Off Hostel, but I hiked past it too early in the day. Instead, a walked to the Brown Hardware and Grocery Store owned by Sutton Brown, who also owns the Braemer Castle Hostel. After checking in at the hostel with Sutton’s son, Ben, I walked over to the store and bought enough hiking food for the next two days. As I browsed the store aisles Sutton Brown introduced himself to me. I described how the day, November 11 was special. “Fourteen years ago my lovely wife Cindy and I got engaged. Every year on 11-11 we celebrate by eating cake!” But I noticed that the store did not carry anything close to the Chocolate cake I preferred for the 11-11 celebration.

The Braemer Castle in Hampton, Tennessee

November 9: Tennessee!

On November 9 I said goodbye to Virginia and hello to Tennessee on the Appalachian Trail. With no doubt Virginia gave me wonderful times on the trail and it was a little sad to leave it. The feeling will not last very long. At the end of the day the accumulated miles were 1737.4, and I have hiked 79.2% of the trail! Just 456 miles to the southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia! I am healthy and hiking strong. On November 7, in a push to reach the town of Damascus one day earlier than planned, I hiked 28 miles by starting at 3:45am by headlamp and reaching a shelter at 6:00pm, again by headlamp. The daylight hours are going down and the pre-sunrise miles are routine now. The weather has been fantastic! Cold mornings are usually below freezing and the sun shining through the trees brings welcome warmth as high as 60 to 70 degrees. Rain is forecast for the evening of November 11, but after that much better.

Days 134-136, November 3-5: 75% of the way there!

Where is “there?” Well, Springer Mountain, Georgia and the completion of the AT. On November 4 I walked past a sign that marked that milestone. Now it is up to me to hike the remaining 25%. Over 500 miles remains and I am determined to finish by December 15. The weather is getting colder, days much shorter now. For that reason I am going to cut back on the blog posts. In the evenings now it is more important to sleep and rest my body instead of typing text and uploading photos. I will continue to update the daily log, and you can track my hourly position on the InReach map. The links are below:

See my real-time location produced by the InReach unit I carry and a daily log of my progress on the trail.

If you are using Instagram or Facebook I will post a few photos when time and energy allow.

Day 142, November 1 on the AT: Another beautiful day in Virginia.

Virginia is the state with the most miles of all other 13 states along the Appalachian Trail. It continues to be very pleasant place to hike. The trail is not very steep in most places, although I am told that will change. The elevations will be higher as I continue southbound. I continue to be alone on the trail except for the occasional section hikers, who I enjoy talking to for breaks in the solitude. Today I arrived at the Weary Feet Hostel where I met a through hiker from Kentucky. He plans to hike for about one or two weeks. Because he is northbound and I am southbound we exchanged information about the trail and where to find water. The trail stays mostly on ridgetops where water cannot collect in ponds. Today there was 18 miles with no water along the trail, so I packed three liters when I left the Hostel in the morning. The photos, below, show why I enjoy hiking in Virginia so much!

One of the largest trees I have seen in southern Virginia.

Day 131, October 31 on the AT: Easy hike!

Leaving Woods Hole Hostel in drizzling rain was hard. But the rain stopped and I enjoyed an easy 15 mile green tunnel hike to the next Hostel, Weary Feet. And my feet were not too weary when I arrived! A hiker described to me recently the Triple Crown of Virginia hotels: Woods Hole, Weary Feet, and Bear Garden. The first two are very nice!

Day 131, 31-Oct. Milepost: 1582.9 miles, Daily: 15.3, Ascent: 1505′, Descent: 2935′, Highest: 4040′. Camp: Weary Feet Hostel 2035′. Easy hike is cool weather, 52 degrees in afternoon. Average on trail 2 mph, which is good for me.

Taking a lunch break at Wapiti Shelter.

Days 129-130, October 29-30: Woods Hole and another zero day

Taking a day off the trail at Woods Hole Hostel was on my mind for a long time. The hostel is just 0.4 mile from the AT along a gravel road high up at 3,355′. It has a very positive reputation as a quiet, peaceful rest stop. Neville, the owner, grows organic vegetables, raises goats and heats with wood. The heat is important because it is chilly! The hike to Woods Hole started in light rain which stopped during the 2,000 foot ascent up the ridge from town. The trail was covered in colorful leaves and rhododendrons sometimes formed a green tunnel with their long, green leaves.

See my real-time location produced by the InReach unit I carry and a daily log of my progress on the trail.

Days 127-128, October 27-28: A 24 mile hike and a zero day!

Pearisburg was my next resupply opportunity and I had cold weather gear waiting for pickup at the post office. My plan was to arrive there on October 28. On the trail very early again my progress was good and the weather was fine. If I reached the Rice Shelter by 4pm it would be feasible to hike 8 more miles to a hotel in town. From the high ridge at 3350′ I began a pleasant descent as the sun sank lower toward the western horizon. By 6pm I retrieve the headlamp from my backpack and switched on the bright beam to light up the trail and Main Street to the Plaza Motel.

The chilly wind did not slow my progress into Pearisburg.

Days 122-124, October 22-24: The Virginia Triple Crown

After hiking into Daleville on October 22 to resupply I returned to the trail the next day with clear sky and a sometimes strong, chilly wind. The temperature changed often depending on how much chill the wind delivered to the AT, which made a circuitous route above a wide, deep valley. One side of the ridgetops had views of the Daleville area, the side of the nice valley. The trail climbed to one of the iconic features of this part of Virginia, Tinker Cliffs.

Day 126, October 26: It’s cold out here and I have a plan!

Day 126, 26-Oct. Milepost: 1532.5 miles, Daily: 21.2, Ascent: 4895′, Descent: 4870′, Highest: 4125′. Camp: Bailey Gap Shelter. Jefferson National Forest, 3515′.

Departed camp at 5:30am by headlamp with plan to hike 21 miles to Bailey Gap Shelter. Chilly wind blew strong as I ascended two ridges, the second at 4100′. Hiked through two wilderness areas and a tedius 5-mile, rocky segment. Temperature fell to 40 degrees in late afternoon. Arrived at Bailey Gap Shelter in 12 hours 15 minutes. COLD!