AT: Nolichucky River to Dennis Cove
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Based on the recommendation of many other BPLers (thank you!) I took a trip on AT that covered the Roan Highlands from July 7th – 10th. This was my first solo trip and it turned out great. It was a challenging trip with something like 15K feet of elevation gain and I had a more aggressive itinerary than I had ever taken before. I also had the lightest pack I've ever carried (6 lb base) which I think made all the difference to my usually sore knees. I gave myself 5 days to complete the hike but hoped to finish the trip in 4 days.
Day 1: 17 miles – Nolichucky River to Cherry Gap Shelter
I left my house around 4:45 AM on the 7th and headed for the Kincora Hiking Hostel at Dennis Cove. Bob Peoples was waiting for me when I arrived just after 10:00 and gave me a ride to my starting place at the Chestoa Bridge overlooking the Nolichucky River in Erwin, TN. As many others have stated, Bob is a great guy and steward for the AT and I would highly recommend stopping by to talk with him if you ever get the chance. My 30 minute ride with him was a memorable ride as he recounted some of his many great trips around the world and his views on AT trail maintenance.
I hit the trail right at 11:00 AM with this view of the Nolichucky River from the Chestoa Bridge:
As I walked through the Nolichucky River valley the trail was relatively flat with dense forest and many dry stream crossings.
Once I crossed Indian Grave Gap and began climbing up Beauty Spot I came to an area that had showed signs of a fairly recent forest fire.
There were also many areas of wild flowers which colored up the hike:
The climb up Beauty Spot was fairly tough however the view was great and well worth the effort:
Somewhere between Beauty Spot and Unaka Mountain I was startled by a loud, heavy gallop not far from me up the trail. I looked up in time to see a medium sized black bear running away from me up the mountain. It turned out to be the last bear I saw for the trip.
Unaka Mountain is a fairly prominent mountain however there is no view from the top. The evergreen forest at the top of the mountain was very beautiful and I enjoyed my stroll through it's summit.
My first day came to an end as I arrived at Cherry Gap Shelter late in the evening to find "Two Pack" getting a fire ready and setting up his hammock at the shelter. I quickly retrieved some water from the spring, cooked and ate my dinner, and set up camp for the night. Two Pack started his hike at Springer was hiking to the AT's half-way point at Harper's Ferry. I enjoyed listening to his tails of trail magic and the interesting people he had met along the way.
Day 2: 22.3 miles – Cherry Gap Shelter to Overmountain Shelter
I rose from under my tarp around 7:15 to a beautiful morning:
The first 9 miles of the day from Cherry Gap to the Clyde Smith Shelter where I ate lunch was relatively uneventful. It was mostly thick forest walking without to much elevation gain or loss. I caught up to Two Pack at the shelter for lunch. I left before him and figured I'd be seeing him again later as we both planned to end up at Overmountain Shelter however as it turned out he didn't make it to the Overmountain and I didn't see him again during my hike.
The 2700 of elevation gain from Clyde Smith Shelter up Little Rock Knob and then up to the top of Roan Mountain during the heat of the day was some tough climbing that forced me to take a couple of breaks. I went searching for water at numerous dry springs between there and the top of Roan Mountain which began to worry me a little bit but I was able to find water in one spring which I was thankful for as I had already heard the spring at Roan High Knob Shelter was dry.
While the top of Roan didn't offer the spectacular views that I was about to see on the Roan balds, the wild flower and butterfly display was beautiful.
I stopped off at Roan High Knob shelter to have a look at the highest shelter on the AT and then continued down Roan Mountain towards Carvers Gap. From Carver's Gap you head straight up Round Bald which rewards you with 360 degree views once you reach the top. Bob Peoples told me you can see to Mt. Rogers in Virgina on clear day. As you can tell from my pictures I didn't have 200 mile visibility due to the hazy heat but the views from Round Bald and Jane Bald were still some of the best I've seen in the Southeast.
View from Round Bald
View from Jane Bald
About 4 miles later, I arrived at Yellowmountain Gap and the Overmountain Shelter around 9 PM. I joined one other section hiker and 8-10 ATC trail crew members at the shelter. They were great and gave me some water to prevent me from having to wait to purify my water for dinner which was great as I was starving. The sunset was beautiful and we were treated to a lightning storm out over the valley that luckily never reached us in the crickety old barn.
View from dusk at Overmountain Shelter
Day 3: 18 miles – Overmountain Shelter to Mountaineer Shelter
I was off from the shelter before the sun rose over Little Hump mountain.
Early morning view looking east from Little Hump Mountain
As I rounded the top of Little Hump mountain I was greeted with this view:
The two mile bald ridgeline walk from Little Hump Mountain to the top of Hump Mountain might be the best two mile stretch of the AT I've hiked on.
View from Hump Mountain towards Little Hump
It is a pretty solid descent off of Hump Mountain and I began to feel blisters on the inside of both my heels. Instead of being smart and taping them up right away I kept on and ended up with quarter size blisters by the end of the day which made day 4 not quite as enjoyable as it should have been.
There were some unique rock formations on the north side of Hump Mountain that was the high light of the second half of the day:
I was told by several hikers I saw that strong thunderstorms were in the evening forecast so I decided to bunk up at Mountaineer Shelter for the night. I ended up at the shelter with 9 other hikers and enjoyed some good conversation for the rest of the evening as we listened to the thunder and rain.
Day 4: 15.3 miles – Mountaineer Shelter to Dennis Cove (and home)
This was a very different day than the previous three hot and sunny days. It was cloudy and foggy most of the morning but there were some very pretty streams along the way.
Laurel Fork
Hardcore Cascades
As the afternoon heat wore through the clouds, the sky cleared again and I finished the last few miles with a very nice day.
Near Dennis Cove, I passed this abandoned cabin as the trail winds through a clearing in the forest:
My hike ended at Dennis Cove as I left the trail for .2 mile walk up to the Kincora Hiking Hostel where my car was waiting. I gave a $5 donation to Bob and used the shower before heading home.
I finished the hike in my hoped for 4 days. I was quite sore and my feet were aching but it was a very rewarding trip and I look forward to hiking the section from Carvers Gap to 19E again in the future. While I didn't end up camping alone for a night, I enjoyed the solitude while walking alone through 75 miles of some of the most beautiful country in the Southeast and will certainly work in additional solo trips in the future. Thanks again to all the BPLers who gave me trail beta for the trip and critiqued my gear list.
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