Balds: Blog #5

Balds

I’ve been hiking through the NC and southern VA sections of the Appalachians which are known for having balds.  These are mountain tops that have no trees, just high grasses.  I don’t know how they came to be this way nor why they don’t naturally re-forest, but they sure are appreciated.  Without them, the only vistas one would have would be from fire towers.  So far I have had a view from three out the five that I’ve been on (due to rainy weather). When I’m walking on a ridge however, because the trees don’t yet have leaves on them,  I often can see through the branches to the valley below.  If you are ever in western NC and are up for an outing, be sure to visit Max Patch; it’s acres of mountaintop open space providing a stunning 360 degree view on a clear day.  I passed through on a warm, sunny mid-week day and scores of folks were picnicking, strolling about and lying in the warm sun, and some hiker trash were setting up tents so they could watch both the sunset and sunrise.

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  If you look at a map to see where Max Patch is, you will notice that it is north of the Smokies- 150 miles further north than where I was when the previous post was published.  No, I didn’t suddenly have a super burst of energy that allowed me to walk that distance in a week.  Three days before I got there, Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP) had closed down due to their inability to comply with the social distancing guidelines with the high volume of visitors they were having.  Additionally, a couple of the adjacent counties that I was hiking through decided that they didn’t want any non-residents in their counties.  So I got a shuttle on the second to last day of free travel and started hiking north again from outside of the northeast boundary of GSMNP, skipping about 100 miles of the AT.  I’ll be refunded for the permit I have and if I desire, can come back later to hike the missed section.

  This jump-ahead is a little bit like the end of the Fellowship of the Ring.  The hikers that I was accustomed to seeing every few days have gone in different directions; some headed home; some are waiting in motels for a couple of weeks hoping that the GSMNP will re-open; and others have jumped ahead.  I am now in a bubble of hikers that I am meeting for the first time and am getting acquainted with them.

  My skinny little legs are still holding up fairly well.  They are often pain free and I frequently thank God for that.  I have yet to resort to taking vitamin I, a favorite on the trail (Ibuprofen).  

  I have been trying to average about 10 miles per day, but have been inconsistent.  My short day, a Nero, was six miles, while my long day was 14.5 miles, which I did to keep up with a couple of guys that I enjoy being with.  Daily mileage often depends on the terrain and the spacing of the tent sites.  I’m not sure that 14 miles per day is a sustainable pace for me at this stage of my hike. The daily temperatures this past week have ranged from a low of 36’ to a high of 82’.

  As this post is being sent to you, I am re-supplying in Hot Springs, NC, a quaint, hiker- friendly town.  For those of you that live in suburbia, this would be a great village to visit to escape the fast pace of life.

  My next update will likely come to you from Erwin, TN.