Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.
June 3, 2023
AT miles: 16.7 <SOBO>
Ascent: 2835’
Descent: 2294’
Weather: warm and sunny (mid-70’s) with a thunderstorm after I made the shelter
Hearings: a pack of coyotes howling
High points: the top of Big Firescald Knob and the conversation with Question
At 7 o’clock Nate picked me up at the hostel. He’s a really interesting guy. He has an MBA and was a big poobah at a very large oil company. He wanted a simpler life that reflected his values, so, after a lot of thought, he walked away from the salary, the benefits and the prestige to become a shuttle driver!
I started my morning at the location where I got off last fall — Devil Fork Gap. I had a moderate climb out of the gap.
I passed the graves of two confederate soldiers who were shot while coming home to visit their families. It’s always interesting when history intersects the trail.
I climbed up Big Butt Mtn. (4815’), one of five Big Butt Mountains in NC! This one has no view, but it has fields and acres of blackberries.. It’s hard to imagine that somebody might have actually had a farm up here!
And, to support the idea of a farm in this isolated location, up here in the remote mountains the AT intersects an overgrown dirt road multiple times!
Shortly after descending from Big Butt Mountain I hiked up Firebald Mtn. The trail followed the ups and downs of a very rocky ridge.
The views were magnificent.
There was a cool white flower that I have not seen before, Turkey beard, growing everywhere near the summit.
I wanted to grab a snack and enjoy the views, but thunderheads were gathering, so I hustled down the easy trail towards the shelter.
Little Laurel Shelter is rather run down, but the moment I arrived the rain started, so I definitely appreciate the shelter!
The shelter was crowded tonight — about ten young people headed out of Hot Springs this morning with full resupply. Because of aggressive bears, the shelter between here and Hot Springs is shut, so these poor people had to hike 20 miles with very full packs! Stretch, Chair, Avalanche, Mummy, and some others arrived, wet but surprisingly happy.
When it stopped raining, the wind started to howl. I was glad to be inside the shelter with a solid roof over my head, because the trees were definitely whipping around all night.
Today’s a great day for a long walk in the woods!