April 7
End: Little Hump Mountain
Miles: 30.2
Total: 2246.7
Lake started hiking before me because he is able to get up earlier than I am. I packed up in the morning daylight and moved out before the other three hikers had exited their tents.
Unaka Mountain was very pretty in the morning. I liked walking through the pine forest on top of the mountain, then descending back down and soon meeting up with Lake again. We talked a bit and then planned to separate as I wanted to go at a faster pace.
As I hiked on I realized that it would make sense for Lake and I to spend Easter together since we are both believers. Also, we could find a church in either Roan Mountain or Elk Park if we timed our hike just right. Lake agreed and we set off together to do a lot of miles in order to get to a town the next morning.
Staying with Lake turned out to be a great decision. My body soon reminded me that I was very tired because I had not been sleeping very well, but I just coasted behind Lake, who took us up and down the hills preceding Roan Mountain.
We climbed Roan Mountain, and visited the site of the old Cloudland Hotel. The site was very interesting, if not a practical place to visit prior to cars and ultralight backpacking gear. On our descent we passed the highest shelter on the Appalachian Trail and then got some trail magic from Eagle Eye and Jennifer, who had bagged up an apple, candy, gum, and other goodies for hikers. Thrilled, we ate almost everything on the side of the mountain.
It was up to me to decide where to camp, and we decided on either Little Hump or Hump Mountain. We could not find any sign of Skrewloose, Lakeland’s acquaintance from the Florida Trail.
Upon climbing Little Hump Mountain we found it to be a tad windy, and I was worried about a repeat of the previous night. I did not want to climb higher, so I found a spot to camp on the backside of the mountain. Soon the wind picked up there too, but we had already settled and it was getting late.
My tarp was set up on a slope again, and I awoke to find my head where my feet used to be as I slid out of the tarp. Frustrated, I wrestled with gravity the rest of the night in the wind, sleeping a little but not too much.