The past few months had been filled with loads of fun with
friends and family. I took a trip up to Gatlinburg/Smoky Mountains with one of
my day 1’s…
Spent the holidays with the fam fam…
Rang in the New Year
and 2.0’s old man birthday with a camping/running adventure at Savage
Gulf with 2.0 and Silversnatch…
Enjoyed a weekend in a cozy cabin and racing Run Bum’s
Cloudland Canyon 50 miler…
(ps: this pup ran the entire 50 miles... true statement)
Played on blasé Oak Mt trails with new and old friends…
And most importantly… got to spend a lot of quality time
with my Dark Princess…
As much as I had enjoyed the past few months… my soul was
longing for a quiet, peaceful weekend… and this short sunset run up the Bartram
Trail was the beginning of just that. With the wifey out of town for a
conference… I had the weekend to myself. No schedule. No one depending on me. Nowhere
to be. Free to roam as I pleased.
"I love not Man less, but nature more."
I descended back down the gravel road to my car in the soft
purple glow of twilight. Normally this would be the part of the story where I
head to a secluded area or trail head and set up my bed in the back of my Honda
Element… but this weekend my normal room in Hotel de Andrews got upgraded to a penthouse
stay in Wingo Loft.
I’ve often said that I don’t need much more than a place to
lay my head… and that’s practically the reasoning behind Hotel de Andrews. Believe
it or not… when I visit the mountains I spend most of that time in the mountains. If I can get away with staying somewhere free
and can put the $20 I would’ve spent for a spot at a campground towards a tank
of gas... whiskey… or candy… I’m all the
better for it.
OLG: “Now there’s no furniture… and no running water… but
you will probably have power and heat… and maybe even a porta potty out front.”
Z: “Sounds perfect!”
I pulled up to the cabin and was flooded with memories from
an amazing weekend a few summers ago. And sure enough… there was a porta
potty…
I unlocked the door, flipped the breaker and turned on the
one working light in cabin (which was located in the hallway downstairs).
I set up camp in the top upstairs corner (Wingo Loft)...
I cracked open my final beer of the night and turned off my
makeshift nightlight…
The night was as clear as crystal and the massive windows provided
a beautiful view of the silhouetted mountains across the valley. I sat legs
crossed on my sleeping pad, sipped my French Broad brew and counted
shooting stars until I could no longer hold my eyes open.
If happiness is not having to set an alarm for the next day…
then what do you call waking up without an alarm with a view? Heaven?
The 21 mile route I had planned along the Appalachian Trail
was secluded and with a lot of snow/ice still in the higher elevations… I
figured I wouldn’t cross paths with too many people. I almost always run as
minimal as possible… but I tend to over pack when it comes to long, solo
outings in the backcountry… because shit happens and I always try my best to
follow rule #1: don’t die. So far… I’ve been successful.
Though I would spend most of the day in shorts and a short
sleeve Lululemon tech shirt… I packed a light Patagonia baselayer, my Outdoor
Research Helium 2 jacket, an extra buff and a pair of gloves. I also threw in
an emergency blanket, my Mini Sawyer water filter, some TP, a few gels, a Clif
Bar, and a 12oz soft flask (which I didn’t have to use) as a backup for my 20oz
handheld. Now if this would have been a
21 mile route at Oak Mountain State Park… I would’ve packed a pocket full of
gels and a handheld and wouldn’t have thought twice about it.
After christening the porta potty… I headed into Bryson City
for some mountain fuel.
After breakfast… I leisurely made the beautiful drive out to
Tellicho Gap.
I chatted with a few backpackers that were heading northbound
along the AT for a weekend trip before I started up the short climb to Wesser
Bald. It didn’t take long before I was at the fire tower…
I climbed up the stairs and enjoyed the expansive blue sky
views… I had the entire tower to myself.
After a few minutes I dropped back down to Tellicho Gap and
started the climb southbound along the AT. The trail out of Tellicho was a
mixture of ankle deep snow and ice…
But the snow deepened the higher I climbed. With the
exception of about a mile… I spent the entire day in ankle/shin deep snow with
the occasional patch of ice. My Salomon Sense Ultra 4 SG gripped
fantastically. I was never worried about traction (although I did take a few
fun tumbles). Though there were no fresh tracks on the trail… I could tell
someone had been out there the day before. They had left rather deep dug out
imprints that made finding a running rhythm tough. I quickly accepted the fact
that most of the day was going to be a slow moving run/hike/trudge due to the
snow. It didn’t bother me too much because A) I was in the mountains playing in
the snow B) the race I have in May is also going to be a slow moving
run/hike/trudge so getting acquainted with moving slow was definitely needed.
I saw a sign with “5 min climb” sharpied into the wood so I took
the short side quest up to Rocky Bald.
Since most of the route up to Rocky Bald was exposed rock…
there was very little snow/ice up top. The view was definitely worth the quick
climb.
I passed through Cold Spring Gap and stopped to check out
the shelter. The book inside had a short message from a hiker that passed
through the day before. I wrote a short message containing my own plan for the
day before starting the descent down into Burningtown Gap.
I passed through an empty Burningtown Gap and continued my
peaceful journey. I found myself pausing every so often to take in the silence.
The snow had dampened all sound and created a stillness I had not felt in
forever.
Eventually I arrived at the steep approach to Wayah Bald…
And finally the tower…
I was somewhat surprised to see people at the summit. I
hadn’t seen a soul on the trail all morning.
A guy looked at his girlfriend/wife: “See! He wore shorts.”
The girl’s dad laughed and looked at me, “She said he was
crazy for wanting to wear shorts.”
We sat around and chatted for a bit while we all snacked and
soaked up the warm rays of the sun. I ventured up to the top of the lookout to
scope out the views…
I wished the hikers safe travels and started my return trip
to Tellicho Gap… falling right back into a tranquil rhythm through the snowy
forest…
As I crunched along singing AFI’s “Love Like Winter”…
I started to notice tracks that weren’t present on the way out to Wayah….
Fresh bear tracks heading in the same direction I was
heading wasn’t exactly comforting… but it didn’t change my composure. It simply
made me more aware of my surroundings since I obviously wasn’t the only one
enjoying this section of the mountains. I followed the tracks for about 15
yards before they left the trail and descended down out of sight.
At Cold Spring Gap I met an older couple doing trail
maintenance. They were responsible for the 2 miles between Cold Spring Gap and
Burningtown Gap. They said they had been working this section for years and we
got into a lengthy conversation about the layout of the area. The older man
explained how there were a few balds that I could bushwhack to if I was
interested. I was… but had no map and at the time had “beer brain” since I was
closing in on Tellicho Gap. I thanked them for the information and their trail
work before cruising back down to my car.
I went back to the cabin to change clothes. I rigged up an
extension cord to Wingo Loft so I could charge my phone for the night…
And started drying out my soaking wet shoes before heading
into town for dinner. Still one of the best Christmas presents I've ever received!
I woke up Sunday to another beautiful sunrise…
I said goodbye to the cabin and made my way over to Winding
Stair Gap.
Since I had to make the drive back home… I planned to keep
the run short and sweet. I decided to wear the Salomon Speedcross Pro
for the jaunt up to Siler Bald.
I figured if the
trails were anything like the day before it would be nice to have that extra
grip on the way back down. To my surprise Saturday’s 60 degree heat wave and
blue skies had melted a lot of the snow.
The sections of trail exposed to the sun were actually free
of all snow and ice, but some of the sections were iced over pretty badly…
which made for slower and more careful navigation.
After a few miles of climbing I passed through Panther Gap…
and like a basic taking pictures of her boots or her pumpkin spice latte with
an autumn leafed background… I too became a boring cliché. I dabbed. I was in
North Carolina… at Panther Gap… so I dabbed… because… Murica.
I instantly felt
better about myself and continued up the mountain. The higher I climbed the
deeper the snow became.
The barren winter trees had provided incredible views
throughout the entire climb up to Siler Bald, but as soon as I popped into the
field to start the final ascent up the ski slope looking field to the summit…
the greyness took over.
Now that I was out of the tree canopy… the wind had picked
up and the temperature had dropped. I hung out on the summit for 10-15mins hoping
the clouds would give way to the 360 views the summit offered…
But I eventually got cold and bored of sitting and decided
to start the trek back down. Thankfully the view at the top is not the prize
for me… my heart and joy is in the journey up and down the mountain.
The sky kept trying its best to open up for me as I descended the ski slope back to the Appalachian Trail…
The sky kept trying its best to open up for me as I descended the ski slope back to the Appalachian Trail…
I finally got to let
loose and enjoyed a faster pace descent back to Winding Stair Gap…
I am a firm believer in spending time alone. For me it’s a reset.
The time spent not talking… but simply being quiet and listening… gives a clear
perspective on the important things and people in my life. Thankfully I have a wonderful wife that is
laid back and supports my adventurous soul.
“It is in solitude… that I ever find my core.”
Run long, run wild and howl loudly!
That tower on Wayah Bald!
ReplyDeleteNice write up man. Good trip
ReplyDelete