The Groan on Roan
Well, I went out on the trail for the purpose of an adventure. On day 9 I started to question this idea. What's so adventerous about hiking and sleeping outside? I mean is it really exciting? Or monotonous in some ways? Do I mind the monotony of it all? This was, of corse, hiking on my first completely sunny day of the hike
Day 10 I awake to a cold front having come through. The wind was biting and cold and the best thing to do was to hike and get warm. I knew I only wanted to go 10 miles because the forecast was for snow that night and I didn't want to be at the shelter 20 miles away at 6,225 feet. 1 mile into my hike it began to rain. I put my pack cover on. About 1 mile later it started to sleet and really started to blow. Soon it was snowing. By the time I reached the 10 mile shelter the snow had started to really cover the ground. Few plants were sticking up through the layer of white and the temperature was dropping. It was only 1:30 in the afternoon. The idea of sitting in that shelter with 70% of the inside snowed on, awaiting night time and trying to stay warm was a horrifying prospect for me. When I found out that most people were moving on to the Roan Mountain shelter I didn't care about the 6,225 feet. I wanted to get moving and get warm. I put my extra pair of hiking socks on my hands to keep them warm while I hiked. I started out and the snow got heavier I left the shelter with the temperature at 32 degrees and I still had to go up another 2,000 feet. After 5 miles of heavy struggling in the snow I found a water source that I knew I had to get water from. I hated the idea. I was getting cold, I would have to stop hiking, everything away from my body heat was frozen including clothing, pack straps, shoelaces, water bottle....all of it. The couple I was hiking in front of followed me down the trail and we found a little trickle of water. Barely anything. It was pure torture standing there in the cold without a pack to keep your back warm. It took us half an hour to collect water. Way to long. We had 1,000 feet to go and 1.5 miles. It was gettng late, the storm was getting more vicious and there was about 4 inches of snow on the ground.
When we reached the sheler (one with a door!!!!!!) the door wouldn't open. It was locked. A man called from the inside to wait a moment. He opened the door and there he sat with his 6 year old son in a tent. The tent was smack dab in the middle of the room. We eventually told him we all wanted to set up our tents. We barely fit. At this point I was shivering severely, things were freezing, nd I wanted my sleeping bag and that was it. The temp in the cabin was a thankful 24 degrees. I did the chilling job of going out and peeing in the driving wind and snow and flew back to the cabin into my sleeping bag. I couldn't cook, my fuel pump was full of snow and I really didn't want to cook. I ate a frozen clif bar and frozen granola and tried to get warm. It was the coldest night in my memory. I shivered non stop the whole night, my feet burned they were so cold and I was miserable.
We awoke the next morning to 16 degree weather, 8 inches of snow and heavy wind continuing. I knew right then and there that I had to hike out. It was going to be colder yet that night and I didn't want to be out in that weather anymore. I told the people in the sheter I would like to leave, but tha I would not vnture in that weather alone if anyone else wanted to leave. I needed to be wise, but I wanted to be warm and hiking was my only source of warmth at that point. The couple agreed, we decided to walk out to Carvers Gap and hitch in to Roan Mountain City. We donned frozen socks, boots, laces, packs, frozen tents and poles packed, frozen water.... On the walk the snow had heavy drifts and it was a bit of post holing...but what an adventure! I only had to laugh at myself and my idea of hikig being boring. Dumb me. We hitched a ride into town, I stayed at a hostel and it took me 24 hours to stop shivering. No lie.
The man with his child? Asked us to call search and rescue to get him out when we got reception. He ended up staying at the hostel I was staying at, and he ruined my hiking pole.
I am now sitting in a laundromat, coffeebar, internet cafe in TN. Warm but sick of the rain that followed all that snow.
Day 10 I awake to a cold front having come through. The wind was biting and cold and the best thing to do was to hike and get warm. I knew I only wanted to go 10 miles because the forecast was for snow that night and I didn't want to be at the shelter 20 miles away at 6,225 feet. 1 mile into my hike it began to rain. I put my pack cover on. About 1 mile later it started to sleet and really started to blow. Soon it was snowing. By the time I reached the 10 mile shelter the snow had started to really cover the ground. Few plants were sticking up through the layer of white and the temperature was dropping. It was only 1:30 in the afternoon. The idea of sitting in that shelter with 70% of the inside snowed on, awaiting night time and trying to stay warm was a horrifying prospect for me. When I found out that most people were moving on to the Roan Mountain shelter I didn't care about the 6,225 feet. I wanted to get moving and get warm. I put my extra pair of hiking socks on my hands to keep them warm while I hiked. I started out and the snow got heavier I left the shelter with the temperature at 32 degrees and I still had to go up another 2,000 feet. After 5 miles of heavy struggling in the snow I found a water source that I knew I had to get water from. I hated the idea. I was getting cold, I would have to stop hiking, everything away from my body heat was frozen including clothing, pack straps, shoelaces, water bottle....all of it. The couple I was hiking in front of followed me down the trail and we found a little trickle of water. Barely anything. It was pure torture standing there in the cold without a pack to keep your back warm. It took us half an hour to collect water. Way to long. We had 1,000 feet to go and 1.5 miles. It was gettng late, the storm was getting more vicious and there was about 4 inches of snow on the ground.
When we reached the sheler (one with a door!!!!!!) the door wouldn't open. It was locked. A man called from the inside to wait a moment. He opened the door and there he sat with his 6 year old son in a tent. The tent was smack dab in the middle of the room. We eventually told him we all wanted to set up our tents. We barely fit. At this point I was shivering severely, things were freezing, nd I wanted my sleeping bag and that was it. The temp in the cabin was a thankful 24 degrees. I did the chilling job of going out and peeing in the driving wind and snow and flew back to the cabin into my sleeping bag. I couldn't cook, my fuel pump was full of snow and I really didn't want to cook. I ate a frozen clif bar and frozen granola and tried to get warm. It was the coldest night in my memory. I shivered non stop the whole night, my feet burned they were so cold and I was miserable.
We awoke the next morning to 16 degree weather, 8 inches of snow and heavy wind continuing. I knew right then and there that I had to hike out. It was going to be colder yet that night and I didn't want to be out in that weather anymore. I told the people in the sheter I would like to leave, but tha I would not vnture in that weather alone if anyone else wanted to leave. I needed to be wise, but I wanted to be warm and hiking was my only source of warmth at that point. The couple agreed, we decided to walk out to Carvers Gap and hitch in to Roan Mountain City. We donned frozen socks, boots, laces, packs, frozen tents and poles packed, frozen water.... On the walk the snow had heavy drifts and it was a bit of post holing...but what an adventure! I only had to laugh at myself and my idea of hikig being boring. Dumb me. We hitched a ride into town, I stayed at a hostel and it took me 24 hours to stop shivering. No lie.
The man with his child? Asked us to call search and rescue to get him out when we got reception. He ended up staying at the hostel I was staying at, and he ruined my hiking pole.
I am now sitting in a laundromat, coffeebar, internet cafe in TN. Warm but sick of the rain that followed all that snow.
posted by Noellebellz at 1:23 PM
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