Christmas 2018 Adventure | Day 1, Roan Highlands

I want to end 2018 on a high note, and the holiday season grants me just enough time off for an epic road trip adventure. Fortunately for me, I happened to have a list of reasons to drive far and away. This morning, I woke up at 4 am, consulted my list, and ended up driving 500 miles to Carver’s Gap so that I could hike 5 miles of the Roan Highlands.

Driving There

The drive to Tennessee was about 8 hours, including stops for gas and bathroom breaks. The cadence for these sorts of drives involves a stop every 2-3 hours.

I stopped at the visitor center for Roan Mountain State Park to see if I could get any trail maps. The center was closed for lunch, so, as per usual, I winged it and continued on.

Once I arrived at Carver’s Gap, there was no wasting time. It was already 2pm and if I wanted to camp tonight, I’d need to set up camp before dark, which meant I needed to hustle to a campground within the next 90 minutes.

The Trail Was Picturesque

The scenery matched that of the Grayson Highlands. Actually, the entire landscape was the spitting image of certain parts of Grayson with the only notable differences attributable to seasonality. Mountains and treescapes this time were smothered with thick blankets of snow and less noticeable, somewhat devious, sheets of ice. It was cold. It was windy. When I saw other hikers wearing snow shoes I almost yelled out, “D’oh!”

Nevertheless, this change of season didn’t alter my appreciation for the trail and its beauty. Rays of sunshine speared through the sky onto rolling hills as if the gates of heaven had been accidentally opened. I smiled throughout the trek. I didn’t mind.

Summiting the Balds

Round bald is about 300 ft above Carver’s Gap. This provides a great view for short day hikers (there were surprisingly a lot for a Sunday afternoon).

Jane Bald is roughly the same elevation, but you drop about 200 feet before climbing back up.

The climb up to Grassy Ridge Bald is about 500 feet from the bottom of Jane Bald. At the end, there is a plaque dedicated to Cornelious Rex Peake. The locals like to point out some funny grammar trivia with the plaque – see if you can spot the error!

It’s Better to Live and Fight Another Day

I knew it might rain because I had been checking the forecast for days. But I was not at all prepared for the ominous dark clouds that covered my path. As I summited Grassy Ridge Bald, I almost ascended into the clouds as my spine tingled and my heart raced. The trail is nice, but no good that comes from this is worth the risk of racing against hyperthermia at best, and playing with the wrath of lightning at worst. I decided to turn back after reaching Grassy Ridge Bald, and I’m glad I did because it started to rain ice. I would only find out the next day that Grassy Ridge Bald is actually where the trail ends.

The trail was deep with snow, the wind was fierce, and freezing rain made the ice-covered trail even slippier. I reached my car cold, wet, and ready for food. Ready for warmth. Ready for rest. Ready to come back tomorrow and beat the mountain.

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