After the Patch

We recently learned of the current news stories, and we're devasted about the VA Tech tragedy. Our prayers go out to the entire community and their family members.

Also, we hope that people up and down the East coast are safe after the recent storms. We had no idea that the crazy weather we experienced at high elevations was so widespread.

On Sunday, we walked through light rain in the morning. We were fortunate to receive Trail Magic from Apple in his large dome tent. We spent about ten minutes in the tent eating hot dogs and chatting with other hikers. In that short time in the tent, the weather changed drastically. When we headed back out to hike, the temperature felt much colder. The rain changed to sleet, and we braced ourselves to summit Max Patch. We had no clue how exciting the conditions would be up on the bald.

We've heard that Max Patch is a favorite spot for hikers. Apparently, there are beautiful 360 degree views with great shots of the Smokies we just completed. On Sunday, however, there were white out conditions. The high winds made it feel like the sleet was nails against our faces. A wooden trail marker blew over right before our eyes. Ron replaced it, but we don't think it stayed up much longer. We couldn't see any of the painted markers on the ground (rocks) because of the sleet accumulations, so we accidentally summitted twice!

When we finally made our way off the bald, we were somehow off trail. We followed a road for about 45 minutes in heavy snowfall before finding the AT again. Luckily, we only had a short walk under tree cover to the first shelter. Some of our hiking buddies were there, and we ended up squeezing 10 people and 5 tents in a shelter that is meant to hold 8. (We pitched our tents in the shelter since the high winds made the snow blow like crazy inside.)

We were with the best people to help us laugh the chills and shivers away. Imagine 9 guys and 1 girl in a tiny shelter. One little tent actually had three guys inside. We couldn't stop laughing at their comments.

The next day we learned that the winds up on Max Patch actually topped out at 120 mph. A lost hiker was rescued from the summit, and there were reported cases of hypothermia. We're counting our blessings that Ron and I are a team to look after each other and work together during decision-making moments. We're relieved that all hikers are accounted for and safe. Maybe one (mild and sunny) day we'll return to Max Patch to check out the view. Until then, we're enjoying our stay in Hot Springs, NC, where hikers actually follow the trail markers right on the sidewalks. We're enjoying natural 102 degree mineral baths, diner food, ice cream, and billiards. Last night several male hikers, including Ron, were on losing billiard teams and had to wear the tiny pink Hot Springs t-shirt. I think they all not-so-secretly enjoyed it because they wore that sucker and pranced around for a while. "Crazy Bear" Rob liked it so much that he even purchased a spaghetti strap t-shirt to wear around the late-night campfire...

We'll spare you the pictures.

Good news: We have our official trail names. I'm Rhododendron because it's my favorite plant. I love hiking through the rhodo tunnels on the trail, and when it's cold I curl up, just like their leaves. Crazy Bear named Ron G.G. for Gentle Giant.

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Happy Trails