Appalachian Trail 2005

Summary

Links http://www.tehcc.org/, http://www.appalachiantrail.org
Location (near) Erwin, TN
Dates hiked July 28 and 29, 2005
Pictures http://mpickering.homeip.net/gallery/at05
Distance ~30 miles

GPS files

  • Track file in gpspoint format
  • Track file in GPX format
  • Waypoint file in GPX format (elevations may not be accurate)
    • IRONMT is Iron Mountain Gap, where the trail crosses NC226/TN107
    • CHERRY is the Cherry Gap Shelter
    • CURLEY is the Curley Maple Gap Shelter
    • NOBUSK is the No Business Knob Shelter
    • NOC is the Nantahala Outdoor Center
    • NOLICH is the Nolichucky River
    • SPIGAP is Spivey Gap, where the trail crosses US19-W
  • Photo waypoints in gpspoint format
  • Google Earth .kmz file

Description

This was my first hike on the Appalachian Trail, and I loved it. I spent two days and one night on the trail, and covered about 30 miles, traveling south. I'd hoped to spend a third day, but there were storm predictions and I was already wet, plus my backpack started falling apart within the first hour of hiking. I definitely want to get back up there for another go.

I started at Iron Mountain Gap, NC226 becomes TN107, at the North Carolina/Tennessee border. To reach the crossing, I used Google Maps to go from "Langford Branch Road, Burnsville, NC 28714" to "36.142051667 -82.233316367" (the coordinates for the trail crossing). Google Maps was wrong when it said from NC-197 to "Bear right at NC-226"; this takes you further east to Bakersville, NC. You want to go left, which takes you north on NC-226 (which seems natural when you're there). The trail crossing isn't obvious, but the waypoint is accurate. It's right at the NC/TN border. There is a small place to get off the road, and a big sign on the left (as you're traveling north from NC to TN) marked "Pisgah National Forest". The trail is just behind the sign. We passed the right by the trail, and even though I had the waypoint and my GPS with me, I didn't see where it was. We finally spotted a double white blaze on a nearby road sign, and white blazes leading down the shoulder of the road where the trail crossed. A gravel road continues from the parking area into the forest, but you don't need to drive down it.

Once I found the trail, I set off. The first thing I noticed was that it's not flat. Not that I expected it to be, but parts of it are just plain tough, and in those parts, every single step became an effort. I was glad my local outfitter had loaned me some trekking poles for the hike; I would not attempt to hike up here without them. There are lots of places where you have to step over rocks and tree roots, and it's just not possible to keep the same pace I've gotten used to in Florida hiking.

I met several people, most of whom were traveling north. A little while after lunch, the weather started to turn, and I got my poncho out just in time. As I was approaching Beauty Spot, the thunder was really picking up, and the last place I wanted to be was on an exposed mountaintop in a thunderstorm. I headed back down to a campsite, and talked with a nice family from Paris, Texas, who were on a hiking trip with their church. After about an hour, the thunder let up, and I continued hiking. I reached Curley Maple Gap Shelter around 7:00 PM, and stayed there for the night.

At the shelter, I met a guy who was an engineering major at UNC, and was taking the summer off to hike. He had been on the trail for several weeks already. There was also a man from Arkansas there with his son, and they had been on for a little over a month. I thought that was really great; what a way to spend your summer vacation. They were all headed north.

The next morning, I set off for the descent to the Nolichucky River. Things were still wet from the previous day's rain, and this was a pretty dark section of the forest. I really enjoyed this section of the hike; the trail ran for a few miles alongside a stream, and had a different character entirely. After crossing the Nolichucky River, I prepared for the climb that was ahead, and it actually wasn't that bad. You could see down to Erwin every so often, and it made the climb much more interesting.

After some winding, I reached the No Business Knob Shelter around 2:00 pm and took a break. My cell phone worked here (but not for much longer), and I called to arrange a pick-up at Spivey Gap.

There was a little more climbing, and then a descent to Spivey Gap. My cell phone and GPS stopped working at this point, but I was confident I would reach Spivey Gap on schedule. After crossing a gravel road, the trail ran parallel to a stream for a while. Eventually, US 19W became visible through the trees, and the trail finally descended to the road. Again, the trail crossing is not immediately obvious. There is a small pull-off area next to the crossing, and there is a small sign, but you would probably drive past it if you weren't expecting it.

Lessons learned:

  • When it rains, just about everything gets wet. I lined my sleeping bag's stuff sack with a garbage bag, and I wish I'd done that for more of my things.
  • After it rains, nothing dries out. I had hoped to wear my day 1 clothes on day 3 (had there been a day 3), but there's no way they would have dried. There's not a lot of direct sunlight on the trail, and things tend to stay damp.
  • There's lots of climbing. I tried to plan conservatively, and made my mileage goals, but it was hard work.
  • The waterproof trail maps are great. The envelope they came in was falling apart because of the moisture, but the maps themselves were unaffected.