Backpacking the Appalachian Trail

OK. I would like to preface this blog entry with a disclaimer:

Both my mom and Aaron's mom get worried when he and I go hiking. We've come to the conclusion that no matter how safe we are in the great outdoors or how often we go backpacking, they will always worry about us. I guess that's what moms do.

Mama, I know I told you that that there were no animals to be afraid of while hiking the AT...but we did have a run-in with some wild animals. We weren't in any real danger and we made some memories that will stick with us forever. Thanks for being supportive of my extremely adventurous spirit instead of crushing it like so many mothers tend to do. I hope these stories don't give you a heart attack.

So...on to the adventures of this past weekend.

Aaron, Robert, and I left town on Thursday evening and headed towards Roan Mountain, Tennessee (only a 2-and-a-half hour drive from our house in Fort Mill). We arrived in the parking lot of Carver's Gap (along the Appalachian Trail) at midnight and decided to hike 15 minutes to the top of the first bald. Our head lamps made the hike easy and we set up the tent in less than 10 minutes. Because the night was so clear (we could see every star in the sky!) and the wind was so strong, we decided to sleep outside in the grass with just our sleeping pads and bags. This is the first sight I saw when my eyes opened the next morning (Friday, July 4th):

I was up at 7am...and no one else wanted to join me in my state of awakeness. Aaron told me not to bother him again before 8:30am, so that gave me some time to take some photos, warm up in the tent, and eat some trail mix. Here are the two grumps as they slept peacefully in the grass:

When Aaron and Robert finally woke up, we made grits for breakfast, disassembled the tent, and re-packed our backpacks. We hiked a total of 5 miles and stopped at a few overlooks and shelters before we were delayed by a thunderstorm at 3pm. Luckily, we had stopped to pump fresh water into our Nalgene bottles and take a break for food and rest at a rustic shelter along the trail. We ran into a troop of boy scouts, 2 hikers who had already hiked 500 miles of the AT in their current trip, and a bunch of other random hikers just out for a few days. When the rain stopped, we continued for 3-and-a-half more miles towards Hump Mountain (our destination for camping that night). Here are some of the sights we saw along the way:

We decided to camp at Hump Mountain on the 4th of July because it's the tallest point along the Appalachian Trail for 8 miles or so. I really wanted to see fireworks...and what better place to view them than from the top of the world? I led the guys during the last few miles of our hike up the side of Hump Mountain. This is what we saw:

When I came to the top of Hump Mountain, I ran into these guys:

These bulls and cows were standing right in the middle of the trail! The sun was setting quickly and I began to get a little worried - Aaron and Robert were about 1/4 mile behind me and had no idea that I was standing in front of 9 wild animals. I just stood still until the bulls went off to the right of the trail and disappeared into the endless sea of grass. I continued on my way and made it to the peak of Hump Mountain.

When Aaron and Robert met me at the peak, we began unpacking the tent so we could get everything set up before sunset. Just as we were putting the last stake into the ground, we saw the bulls approaching us.

At first I thought the bulls were cute and harmless...but as they began to approach our campsite, I changed my mind. Out of all the grass on the mountain, the bulls decided that they wanted to eat the grass that was two feet from our tent. Two or three of the bulls were brave enough to come sniff our tents and nudge them with their noses. That's when I decided I needed to get inside the tent, place myself directly in the middle, and sit still until they went away. There's no way the tent would have protected me from the bulls, but it made me feel better to be out of their sight. Aaron and Robert were sitting outside the tent preparing the boil water for our dinner and they kept a close watch on each of the animals. When they started to get too close, Aaron banged his hiking poles together to "shoo" them away.

This photo gives you an idea of how close the bulls got to our tents. We met this couple on the trail earlier in the day and decided to camp next to each other because we were a little fearful of the bulls.

Once my cow-herding husband directed the bulls away from our campsite, we were able to enjoy dozens of incredible fireworks shows. We stood on the peak of the mountain, turned all the way around, and saw fireworks from every direction. It was definitely the best (and most memorable) 4th of July of all my 23 years.

Roan Mountain, Tennessee is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. The bald, grassy mountains allowed us to see breathtaking views and enjoy the beauty of God's creation. When I'm standing on the peak of a mountain looking at mountains as far as my eyes can see, I don't understand how people might doubt the existence of God.

More photos coming tomorrow...