Day 47
Start: Stan Murray Shelter
End: US 19E
Miles Hiked: 11.1
Miles on AT: 395.5
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Town Day again! However, today we don’t have a short hike into town. Luckily we have a zero day tomorrow, so it’s okay if we get in a little late. We had a leisurely morning as usual and left camp around 9 am.
As we got on trail, we hiked right into the sunshine. Yep, the skies were blue and clear again on the AT. The morning took on a magical overtone as the sun glinted off the dewy grass. We crossed over the Overmountain Victory Trail, a National Historic Trail with an interesting story. As we kept climbing, the trail opened up to reveal another grassy expanse.
The late morning sun hit us with full force, warming our skin and forcing our forest-adjusted eyes into a squint. It was time for second breakfast, the perfect spot under a shade tree appearing before us at exactly the right moment.
We spent so much time here because it was such an enjoyable and peaceful place. Mountains stretched long and wide on either side of us and the air was dry! It felt so strange after being used to the close damp humidity of the forest.
Getting back on trail, it wasn’t long before we reached another bald. This one, however, was more of a mountain – Hump Mountain to be specific. The pictures don’t do it justice, but its grassy expanse loomed tall before us. As we followed the trail to the top, a few passing clouds provided us shade along the way.
Again, I was transported back to the CDT, where I was surrounded by wide open space instead of trees. We’ve gotten so few of these expansive views on the AT that I had to take a moment to soak it all in. There’s just something about hiking with nothing but the sun and clouds above you.
I skipped all the way down the mountain, buoyed by the beauty around me. Back in the trees, we continued moving down, down, down to town. Today, we were going to cross the NC/TN border for the last time and leave NC behind for good.
Leaving NC was not at all like entering it. Instead of being steep and inhospitable, the ground was flat and we were treated to views of a cute mountain farm. Wow, one more state down! 2 done and 12 more to go; the end of TN is not far away either.
After our border photoshoot, we did our final push to the highway and, as I typically say, it was a slog. We had to descend about 2,000 ft in total. Neither the Janitor nor I particularly enjoyed it, so we split up so we could descend at our own paces and be miserable in peace.
There were a few interesting rock formations along the way, but it was mostly moving through forest. And I know people will say, “You’re on the hike of your life!Why are you complaining about it?” Well, just as with life, there are exciting moments on trail and boring moments. There are times when you just have to get the miles done even when you don’t like them or they’re not at all memorable. Long descents are part of that category for me. But, the highs make up for the lows.
Luckily this descent was smooth and uneventful. We reached the highway and caught our ride. After a quick resupply, we headed to our room to prepare for our zero day.
And that’s day 47.
A version of this post originally appeared on TheTrek.co.