Sampling the Appalachian Trail with Angie
Daily photos follow notes…
“The 14th State Challenge is a great way to visit some of the Appalachian Trail‘s most iconic places in bite-sized pieces.”
We followed the “suggested destinations and hikes by state” that my Superior Sister, Angie had found. We were longing for another adventure after finishing the 300+ miles of the Superior Hiking Trail in the fall of 2024.
Day One: It turned out that the best route from the Charlotte Airport was to start at our lodging in Boone North Carolina late the first day. Turns out we had arrived to an atmospheric river event which was dumping a river of water while we wove through the mountains! We had a nice sleep in our trailer lodging. It was comfortable with some odd features and some sweet ones.
Day Two: We headed to Shady Valley Tennessee to do our first suggested hike. Even though we increased the mileage it was still a short easy hike. The rain held off! We saw wonderful views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, cows, chickens. through-hikers still damp from the day before, blue sky and a trail through the woods quite similar to our beloved SHT. We would see glimpses of Tennessee later in the trip as we twisted through the Great Smoky Mountains National National Park. Next, we made the long drive to Hot Springs, North Carolina and had dinner at the Smoky Mountain Diner, famous for serving through hikers, Our plan was to do a second short hike after eating but the rain was bucketing down and we headed to a beautiful cabin in the hills near Mars Hill, North Carolina. I want to go back and sit on the porch there for a week someday!
Day Three: We had to make up our Lovers Leap Hike. A perfect hike with uphills, downhills, a section along the muddy river and some local information from a guy from town. We drove the winding roads of the Smoky Mountains National Park to get some views from the official viewpoint…which was daunting to walk up to! Of course we were barely able to see views due to the Atmospheric River effect! Finally, we visited, Nantahala Outdoor Center. It was very impressive to see all of the kayaking and the sheer size of the place! We did a lot of driving between short stops to hike!
Day Four: Georgia day! We drove to Neal Gap, a mountain pass where the Walasi-Y Interpretive Center was built in the 1930’s. It is the only place on the Appalachian Trail that goes through a building! Trees in front were decorated with hundreds of pairs of hiking shoes. One source said they were a celebration of finishing the route when hiking from the North. A guy working at the center said they were shoes rejected when they didn’t serve their purpose well during the first 30 miles. The best hike of the trip was our last, Woody Gap to Big Cedar Mountain. A bit of strenuous climbing and some easy paths brought us to a wide rock slab called Preaching Rock…we shared the view with a couple of hikers camping nearby.
Day Five: With a little time to kill before getting on the plane we chose to go to Amicalola State Park to see the old start of the Appalachian Trail and a 700 foot tall waterfall. Breathtaking! Wonderful! Splendid!
So three out of 14 states completed…the next trip will likely be the same time next year. since Angie is making Doug and I go to Italy with her and Torben in October. Life is tough!
Day One: Boone, North Carolina Post Office, lodging and view…
Day Two: Shady Valley, Hot Springs, Smoky Mountains, Mars Hill….
Day Three: Lovers Leap, Smoky Mountains National Park and Nantahala Center
Day Four: Walasi-Y at Neel Gap and
Final Day: Amicalola Waterfalls
Sensations of a Cotswold Hike
Brambles and itch weed and thistle
Mud squeeching up the sides of our shoes
Trails beside streams, beside meadows, between hedges
Made of earth and rock and bits of quarry stone
Tired feet, sore backs, a fall or two
Magical forests with sun filtering through, transforming the leaves to impossible greens
Hills that burned thighs and calves as they were climbed with the reward of magnificent vistas
Hills, forests, rivers, terraced fields, some golden and others green, a jigsaw puzzle of fields and pastures
Hating the rain and the wind driving it into your face
Loving the mist and the wind driving it into your face
Standing atop hills with an exhilarating wind so strong it could nearly knock you over
Escaping both rain and sun while hiking through long arcades in woodlands
Emerging to be caressed by the sun
Hundreds of ancient houses made of the warm Cotswold stone...some of it creamy and some of it more yellow, some looking a little dirty but most of them little masterpieces with gardens that just set them off
Ancient churches surrounded by cemeteries whose memorials span centuries
Stones tipped, cracked, identities of most of the dead no longer discernible
Ivy climbing each stone even as it does the trees in the forest
Moss topping stones and crosses even as it does the rocks and logs in the forest
Hours uninterrupted by traffic or other hikers, sometimes chatting, sometimes playing games to pass the miles, more often silent except to say, “Wow!” or “Look at that!” or “This doesn’t seem like the right way.” or “Do our cards say anything about that?”
The sweet interruptions of conversations with cows, sheep and the occasional horse or goat
Lots of locals walking their dogs winding their ways in and out of our route
The occasional, happy surprise of meeting other hikers or reuniting with those like Chris and Tony from Yorkshire
The pubs, the cider, coke, delicious suppers
Those who greeted us with accommodation for each night; from young to old and from sweet to mad as a hatter
