The day had a bit of a rough start, but after a quick detour to the Shining Rock things were looking up. All I had left today was make it to camp at Cold Mountain... but out here things are easier said than done.
Music featured in this video: "Flashback" by Monplaisir, "Epical Drums 03" by Grigoriy Nuzhny, "Snowdrop" by Loco Joe Goldfingers, and "Salt Creek Sandwich" by Not Quite Yesterday
Trail Journal
Still keeping with the theme of the series here's yet another list of my favorite Bluegrass songs.
Bluegrass on the Blue Ridge Vol. 3
10. "May Your Life Be Sweet And Simple" by Blue Highway
9. "Blue Side Of The Mountain" by The Steeldrivers
8. "House Of The Rising Sun" by Doc Watson and Richard Watson
7. "Moon Over Memphis" by Balsam Range
6. "Black Lung" by The Dead South
5. "Fire On The Mountain" by Iron Horse (You probably know the Marshall Tucker Band version)
4. "Dixie" by Huckleberry Flint
3. "Bounty Hunter" by Mike Cross
2. "Lord Don't Forsake Me" by Alison Krauss & Union Station
1. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" by The Seldom Scene
April 21st 2021
Ivestor Gap to Camp Daniel Boone
10.1 miles, 16.1 total
(PART 3 picks up here)
The morning was off to a rough start. No question about it. I couldn't wait to getting off the balds and into Shining Rock Wilderness. Way off in the distance, I could see that white outcrop of quartz peaking through the trees. Things were looking up.
During the Fall, I wanted to take another crack at Black Balsam and even wander up into Shining Rock Wilderness. Almost everything I read when prepping and planning my route mentioned the book Cold Mountain by Charles Fraizer. A wounded man's journey home through the mountains of North Carolina in the height of the Civil War? You have my attention.
So I decided to give it a read.
Wait! Isn't there movie? Yeah, BUT I refuse to watch it. I don't want the way I pictured the story in my head to be muddled by Hollywood's interpretation. Too many books have been ruined for me by the movie adaptation. This is one I love too much to let that happen again. If that makes me a literary snob I suppose I'm okay with it.
In Cold Mountain, Fraizer tells his own legend of Shining Rock. And while it's meant to drive a lot of plot later in the story, I found it way more interesting and compelling than the traditionally held myths of the place. It rode the line between fact and fiction just enough that when I stood in front of those massive quartz walls for the first time, logically I knew nothing miraculous was going to happen, but in the back of my mind I wondered if maybe, just maybe...
But, you didn't come here for book club you came to hear about how the Art Loeb kicked my butt. As I split off the Art Loeb to follow the spur trail up to Shining Rock I started joking with myself.
Alright, I know I just ate lunch so they definitely won't let me in. BUT maybe they'll crack the gate just a little and let me get a quick glimpse at that secret valley.
I wandered around the base of the rocks marveling. When the sun hits them just right they REALLY do shine and sparkle. I dropped my pack next to a log and scrambled up to the top. Talk about an incredible view! There's a lot of incredible views on the trail but THIS is one you have to see.
After the quick detour, the path was easy for a bit. Stairs Mountain gave me no trouble. Then I came to a camp site in The Narrows. There were several false paths branching off that slopped down into the brush and off a ravine. I circled the campsite a couple times before finding what looked like the path. Crisis averted.
About 15 minutes passed and I decided to check the map. The arrow on my GPS app had jumped BACKWARDS, and I was headed back up Stairs Mountain.
How?!
I backtracked to the campsite where I got turned round, and crossed off the paths I tried before. To the right I saw one I hadn't tried before. So, I took it. Three huge blowdowns blocked the way. I climbed over the trees to find nothing on the other side. No continuation of trail. Nothing. The GPS said I was going the right way, but like the other false paths it sloped down off the hillside.
Maybe it's been rerouted?
I followed the invisible trail a couple more feet. Thorns and branches grabbed and tore at my hair, backpack, and clothes. It reminded me of the scene in Snow White when the ghoulish trees are trying to get her at every turn.
I stopped moving.
Clearly this is wrong. What do I do? I guess try to climb back up the way I came and sit down at that campsite until I figure out what the heck is going on.
I stumbled up the steep slope to a flat path above. I checked my location on the app again. The arrow showed me back on the Art Loeb and moving towards Deep Gap. I could have followed it back to see where the trail picked back up, but I really didn't feel like getting lost AGAIN. So, I kept moving.
The rocky climbs on exposed ridgeline that followed really caught me by surprise. "The Narrows" is a very appropriate name. The trail was pencil thin at some parts. I wearily pushed on while Alison Krauss & Union Station sang:
"I can hear, the angels singing
I can see those pearly gates
Oh my Lord, can you hear me?
I need a place where I can rest"
It sounds dramatic, I know. But in the moment, I was so exhausted (physically and emotionally) I thought I must be dying.
I had what I can only describe as a "Mandela Effect" moment. I could have sworn a year or two prior I read about a third shelter on the trail, specifically at the base of Cold Mountain. The disappointment was overwhelming when I found nothing but the wind whipping across the exposed gap. After the trip, I tried finding the site where I read about it, and OF COURSE couldn't find it anywhere. But here's what has me really confused I distinctly remember seeing a picture of it! Same three-sided construction as the other two, but the background was completely different. Even weirder, a little while after the hike I talked to another backpacker who asked me about the shelter near Cold Mountain. She even mentioned reading a blog post about it that matched what I remembered seeing.
So I reached Deep Gap with two signs in front of me and a decision to make.
If I camp another night and obey the fire ban, I'll have wind and freezing temperatures to contend with.
But if I keep going...
Do I even have 3.8 more miles in me?
Doesn't matter. As long as I have enough daylight.
I did a little mental math.
If I hike at a 2 mile an hour pace, I can probably make it to the car by 8.
And if I do make it home tonight, I can have pancakes and take a hot bath.
Don't remember much after that, just that the trail was rocky, there were faded red blazes on some of the trees, and lots of stream crossings. At the trailhead, I stopped to take a not so victorious picture in front of the sign. I headed down the gravel road towards my car, got it, and didn't look back. I made it home sometime after 1 a.m. and literally fell into bed covered in dirt, blood, sweat, and tears. Pancakes and a bath would have to wait...
