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[at-l] Trip Report: Cold Hiking in the Nantahalas

What do Floridians do for spring break?  This one (and son) headed for the
hills.  The Southern Natahalas in NC to be precise.  Since my son graduates
from college in two months and likely will be moving away, this looked like
a good time for some togetherness.  One of my favorite destinations is the
Standing Indian Basin.  You can hike about 20 miles on the AT between Rock
Gap and Deep Gap, and loop back to your car on one of the side trails, with
a little yellow blazing thrown in.

We left Palm Bay at about 9:30 on Monday morning, and after a stop at the
I-85 REI store in Atlanta, stayed the night in Clayton,GA.  We arrived at
the trailhead about 9:30 the next morning, parked the car, loaded up and
took off.

The temperature was in the 20's, and snow was falling.  It snowed for about
half the day, but snow is more pleasant to hike in than rain.  We also
enjoyed the contrast from the warm Florida weather.  I had hoped to see my
friend, Zeb, who is thruhiking, but he had already passed by.  We did see
about 24 thruhikers in the two and a half days that we were out. [Note to
the Old RidgeRunner:  I think that we saw your friends, "the Spoons", on
Thrusday morning at Deep Gap.  I forgot to get their names but they match
the description that you gave. This couple was from Pennsylvania, and were
taking their time doing 10 or fewer miles per day.  They were well prepared
and looked great.]

Our trip was notable for the cold weather and the snow.  We tented at Betty
Creek on Tuesday night, with temps falling to 8 degrees.  A group of seven
thruhikers had stayed at Carter Gap shleter and said they had a pretty
miserable time of it. It stayed cold the next day.  Wednesday night we
tented on the summit of Standing Indian Mountain, my vote for a "best view"
on the AT.  When we got there in mid-afternoon, it was sunny with
temperatures about 25 degrees.  As we ate, clouds rolled in and snow
started falling.  We climbed into the tent about 6:30.  When I answered
nature's call at 10pm, I discovered that about 6 inches of snow had fallen.
Neat.  We were warmer than the previous night as long as the snow kept
falling.  However, after that the really cold weather rolled in.  He had
the zero degree bag and I had the 20 degree one.  I ended up with all my
clothes on including the gore-tex outer wear. Feet were still chilly but
otherwise we were fine.  When we got up at 7am, a strong wind had blown
most of the snow off the summit. My thermometer bottoms out at zero, so I
figured that it was least colder than that, with a pretty significant wind
chill.  However, I already knew it was cold since my son, who thinks it
reasonable to go out in 30 degree weather in his boxer shorts and no shirt,
complained that he couldn't feel his hands and feet as he tried to stuff
his sleeping bag into the sack.  We decamped quickly to get out of the
wind.  After that it was just a beautiful walk down the mountain in new
snow.

We heard that many of the thruhikers had opted to stay in towns until the
weather passed.  That was probably a good idea if they did not have gear
sufficient to keep them warm. For even a brief rest, you really needed to
bundle up.  Overnight, anything less than a 20 degree bag would have been
unwise.  Almost all the hikers we talked with complained of the cold in the
shelters, but instead of the warmer alternative of tenting (if they had
one), they still preferred the company of others.  Everyone's attitude was
good, and spirits seemed high.  Among the names that I can remember, we saw
Dharma Bum, Viking, and Ultralite.  I had planned to write such things
down, but my pen froze.  They all were looking forward to Rainbow Springs
and/or a trip into Franklin.  Several wre hiking really big days, figuring
that they would at least stay warm while moving.  Unfortunately, it got
harder for them to make big miles because the accunulation of ice on the
trail demanded a lot of caution.

The AT itself was in great condition.  Jack Coriell and his friends in the
Nantahala Hiking Club do a loving job of maintenance in that section.

Frank in Plam Bay, FL

back in sunny Florida and wondering why my neighbors have on sweaters and
jackets.


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