DiamondDoug
04-25-2008, 10:03
I was up on my section for the second round of spring maintenance the last two days. I have Big Bald to Little Bald on the NC/TN border, about as scenic a section as you can find. This is the report I wrote on my first visit last month: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=34523
This time I left my office in Asheville about 3:30 in the afternoon, drove up through the Wolf Laurel development on the south side of Big Bald and parked my truck on a forest service road about 3/4 of a mile from the shelter (off the trail). I carried in a twelve pack of sodas, brats, rolls and Grey Poupon even. Also some bananas and Little Debbies (everyone knows that Little Debbie is the patron saint of thru-hikers, right?). I even carried in a small grill and some charcoal, and cooked six thru-hikers dinner at the shelter.
The next morning I cleaned out the spring, spread the poo in the privy and picked up all the trash around the shelter before hiking out to the truck. I moved it back to the southern end of my section, at the base of Big Bald, and then hiked the entire section out and back. On the way I repainted all the blazes (and there are a lot of them on those posts on the bald top!) and cleaned out all the water bars with a metal rake. Ran into three hikers and fed them each a Little Debbie.
BTW, if you have never been on this section in the springtime it is just insanely gorgeous. First there are the wide open views from the balds at the start, and then the trail becomes a ridgewalk through a profusion of flowers. Trillium, Trout Lilles and Spring Beauties were all coming up - the Spring Beauties by the millions so that it looked like it had rained popcorn on the ridge.
When I came up over the lower bald heading south towards Big Bald at the end of the day I could see hikers up on top. I threw my pack in the truck bed, left the paint can and rake and gathered up all the goodies I had left and climbed to the top. Miraculously I had the exact number of snacks and bananas left such that each of the nine hikers on top got one.
I stood with them for awhile, pointing out where they had come from and where they were going, and some of the mountains (like Mt. Mitchell, highest point east of the Mississippi) that they weren't going over. As is to be expected of thru-hikers, they wanted to know the weather forecast. It was mostly sunny and 60s when we were on top yesterday, a spectacular time to be on top of Big Bald.
I wished them well and headed for home. It is kind of eerie, being in the company of thru-hikers, then getting in a car and being home in an hour. For a list of all the hikers I ran into the two days I was out, see here:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=606239&postcount=71
This time I left my office in Asheville about 3:30 in the afternoon, drove up through the Wolf Laurel development on the south side of Big Bald and parked my truck on a forest service road about 3/4 of a mile from the shelter (off the trail). I carried in a twelve pack of sodas, brats, rolls and Grey Poupon even. Also some bananas and Little Debbies (everyone knows that Little Debbie is the patron saint of thru-hikers, right?). I even carried in a small grill and some charcoal, and cooked six thru-hikers dinner at the shelter.
The next morning I cleaned out the spring, spread the poo in the privy and picked up all the trash around the shelter before hiking out to the truck. I moved it back to the southern end of my section, at the base of Big Bald, and then hiked the entire section out and back. On the way I repainted all the blazes (and there are a lot of them on those posts on the bald top!) and cleaned out all the water bars with a metal rake. Ran into three hikers and fed them each a Little Debbie.
BTW, if you have never been on this section in the springtime it is just insanely gorgeous. First there are the wide open views from the balds at the start, and then the trail becomes a ridgewalk through a profusion of flowers. Trillium, Trout Lilles and Spring Beauties were all coming up - the Spring Beauties by the millions so that it looked like it had rained popcorn on the ridge.
When I came up over the lower bald heading south towards Big Bald at the end of the day I could see hikers up on top. I threw my pack in the truck bed, left the paint can and rake and gathered up all the goodies I had left and climbed to the top. Miraculously I had the exact number of snacks and bananas left such that each of the nine hikers on top got one.
I stood with them for awhile, pointing out where they had come from and where they were going, and some of the mountains (like Mt. Mitchell, highest point east of the Mississippi) that they weren't going over. As is to be expected of thru-hikers, they wanted to know the weather forecast. It was mostly sunny and 60s when we were on top yesterday, a spectacular time to be on top of Big Bald.
I wished them well and headed for home. It is kind of eerie, being in the company of thru-hikers, then getting in a car and being home in an hour. For a list of all the hikers I ran into the two days I was out, see here:
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=606239&postcount=71