Roan Mountain and our last hike on the AT

 

View of Roan Mountain

 

We had so much fun and were so busy exploring on our travels east and north this year that we lost track of time.  Here it is time to head home and we haven’t seen and done everything we wanted.  The southeastern seaboard and Gulf Coast will have to wait for another adventure.  Although it is a little sad to think that this year’s journey is coming to a close, we are looking forward to time in Texas with friends and family.  We’ve missed everybody!

Late fall in the Blue Ridge Mountains

So instead of heading to the coast, we left southern Virginia and headed to Tennessee to Roan Mountain State Park located in the southeast corner of the state near the North Carolina border.  We had hiked the Appalachian Trail up on the ‘balds’ near Roan Mountain earlier in the summer and thought it was gorgeous.  Heading back home now, Roan Mountain would be one last chance to hike the AT and say goodbye.

 

Some fall color can be found in the lower elevations

 

We arrived just barely in time on Tuesday afternoon as the state park was closing for the season that Friday.  The weather was chilly and rain was supposed to move in late Thursday.  Our first day, we explored several trails in the park.  The leaves were falling fast but the trails were still beautiful and we didn’t see another soul out hiking.  The campground was practically deserted as well.  One of the pleasures of fall camping besides the beauty is the quiet and solitude.

White blaze on the tree marks the AT - our last hike

The next day, we took our final AT hike.  Being one of the higher points on the AT, Roan Mountain’s deciduous trees were bare of leaves.  Since we had hiked that section of the AT before, we decided to hike a lower section of the trail to the northeast of Roan Mountain State Park.  We drove through rural Tennessee to reach the AT and passed many small farms with a few cows, chickens and gardens.  Many people live as best they can off their little plots of land much as it has been done for many years in Appalachia.

 

Winter is on the way

 

 

The first half mile or so of the trail was very close to these small farms.  Both David and my families came from Tennessee in the early 1900s.  My grandmother used to tell us about coming to Texas from Tennessee in a covered wagon when she was around 3 years old.  Eight siblings made that trip with her and two more were born in Texas.  What an experience!  I had not thought of it before, but walking the southern parts of the AT this year did feel like coming full circle.

 

Falling leaves

 

Our hike was cold and windy but beautiful with leaves raining down on us.  It really felt like winter was on the way and it was time to head home.  We visited with one southbound AT hiker, Slim, and he was planning to be in Georgia by Thanksgiving.  Lots of hikers and travelers are headed home. 

 

 

View of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the AT

        
We have some exciting news!  We are going to be ‘park hosts’ at Government Canyon State Natural Area near San Antonio for the months of February and March.  Our commitment is to volunteer about 20 hours each week and stay at the park in our RV.  It should be a lot of fun to help in the campground and in the nature area.  We are looking forward to being in the San Antonio area for two months and catching up with all our friends.

 

The end of the trail...

 

 

David’s Stats:

Days Hiked   2

Total Miles Hiked    9.87

Ave. Miles per Day      4.94
Total Elevation Gain       2,384
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  1,192