Last weekend I spent two days hiking right at the corner of eastern Tennessee and southern Virginia and it was epic! I’ve got a full recap of my hiking adventures for you in this post. Everything was under three hours from Charlotte, NC!
DAY 1: HUGHES GAP TO CARVERS GAP ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL
On the day that we departed, I walked Finn to school at 7:30a and then came home to do my final preparations. One of my hiking friends picked me up from my house around 8:30a and we set off for Hughes Gap Trailhead in eastern Tennessee. The drive was about two hours and 45 minutes and after a detour due to I-85 being shut down for a wreck, we arrived at the trailhead around 11:30a where we met two of our other friends who had driven up separately.
We were a little surprised to find the ground covered in a dusting of snow but it made for an absolutely gorgeous hike. Conditions were great and temps varied between low 30s and low 40s depending on our elevation and time of day. The sun was shining abundantly and I was never too cold.
All geared up and ready to go!
The group photo above was taken by a “trail angel.” It’s through-hiking season on the Appalachian Trail and we came across a trail angel at the Hughes Gap trailhead. They will sit at various places along the trail and provide “trail magic” by providing snacks and supplies to the through hikers totally out of the goodness of their own hearts. So cool.
We did an out and back from Hughes Gap to Carvers Gap. It was a lovely hike that I would recommend to anyone! AllTrails says it’s six miles but we finished our out and back right at 13 probably due to wandering to see this and that.
One place we stopped to explore was the old Cloudland Hotel site.
“After the Civil War, the part of the southern Appalachians along the Tennessee-North Carolina border became home to numerous inns, spas and hotels, all touting the health, recreational and educational benefits of a visit to the mountains.
Among the most ambitious and at the highest elevation of any was the Cloudland Hotel, opened in 1885 on top of Roan Mountain, on the border between Carter County, Tennessee, and Mitchell County, North Carolina. Its 6,391-foot elevation allowed for one of its key promotions: Spectacular views into five states (Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina) and of about 100 peaks of more than 4,000 feet.” – source
The hotel was abandoned in 1910 due to the burden of upkeep and was mostly in ruins by 1915. So wild!
Views at the old hotel site atop the mountain.
The trees were so pretty flocked with snow!
After leaving Cloudland, we continued on until we reached Carver’s Gap. Last time I was here I was riding the struggle bus BIG TIME so it was nice to be feeling good for this hike.
We turned around and made our way back to Hughes Gap. The snow was mostly melted for the last couple of miles so we did some trail running – which was a first for me on these hiking outings!
Stats for a solid day on the trails! We are so fortunate to live in Charlotte and to be able to drive to the mountains and get this kind of mileage done in a day!
DAY 1: DINNER AT SMOKEY MOUNTAIN BAKERS
Someone in our group got a hot tip about the wood-fired pizza at Smoky Mountain Bakers in Roan Mountain, Tennessee. Good thing we received this recommendation because we’d never have found this place on our own. It was off the main road and seemed like you were driving to someone’s house.
Not going to lie, it was a little random (chickens out in the yard, dirty mops in the under construction bathrooms, eclectic decor) but they served delicious homemade baked goods and pizza.
I built a pie with sausage, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, spinach and pesto and it totally hit the spot after a day on the trails!
DAY 1: OVERNIGHT AT THE BROKEN FIDDLE HOSTEL
(photo from The Broken Fiddle Facebook page)
We drove a little over an hour from Roan Mountain to Damascus, Virginia to overnight at The Broken Fiddle Hostel. We arrived just before sundown and were welcomed by host “Treehouse.” He gave us a quick tour and then we got settled in.
The Broken Fiddle offers 12 bunks, two private rooms, a shared kitchen, a shared bathroom, an outdoor shower with hot water and a porch/backyard area. The four of us shared one of the private rooms and several of the bunks were occupied in the bunk room by AT hikers.
I took a quick shower and was asleep shortly after 9p. One of our friends brought a white noise machine and that was KEY for sleeping well when sharing a room and having multiple people in the house with thin walls. I also took half of a Unisom because I just didn’t know how I’d sleep and wanted to be rested for the long hike we had the next day.
Quick tip on Unisom: I learned about it when I was pregnant because it’s one of the only safe things to take for sleep. It’s actually just an antihistamine (doxylamine succinate) that makes people sleepy. It works SO well for me and no hangover the next day.
Whatever I did worked for me because I got over eight hours of sleep and one of my highest sleep scores ever. Winning.
DAY 2: BREAKFAST AT WILSON’S CAFE
We got up shortly after 6a and got dressed and ready for the day. We said goodbye to The Broken Fiddle and were the first patrons at Wilson’s Cafe when it opened at 7a.
Breakfast was everything!!! A hearty start to a long day!
DAY 2: MOUNT ROGERS AND APPALACHIAN TRAIL LOOP
Day two – the before picture! Temps were in the mid 30s but it was WINDY and forecasted to be windy all day but a little warmer than the day prior. I was bundled to start but quickly lost my hat and puffy coat.
Our route for the day was a loop which is always my preference over an out and back. We did the Mount Rogers and Appalachian Trail Loop on AllTrails which was measured to be just a little under 22 miles with almost 3,800 feet of climb. I would 1,000% do this trail again. It was phenomenal.
We had everything from forest to grassy balds to evergreens to babbling creeks. And there were WILD PONIES when we passed through Grayson Highlands State Park.
This hike takes you to the top of Mount Rogers which is the highest peak in Virginia. It’s worth noting that there’s no view at the summit – it’s all trees – but the hike up is so lovely and lined with the best smelling fir trees.
Our group at the summit minus one who was off running extra miles. Two of our other Charlotte hiking friends joined us for Saturday’s outing.
Geographical marker at the summit.
While there was no view at the top of Mount Rogers, this hike has plenty of other opportunities for views for days!
This whole hike was magical but the 2.8 mile portion of the AT through Grayson Highlands State Park was just unbeaten. Grayson Highlands is known for its wild ponies and while we only saw two, it gave me all the good feels. There are about 150 wild ponies who call Grayson Highlands home and their job is to graze the grassy balds to keep them maintained. You can read more about them here.
The AT is never without surprises and this was a fun cave/rock formation that we hiked through.
I took this photo in the final couple miles of our hike as I was feeling euphoric to be in the home stretch and grateful to have kept up with my friends this time around after how hard I struggled during our 50K at Carvers Gap last month.
The after photo!!!!!!! So dirty, ready to sit down but happy, happy! I felt very challenged during this hike but also very strong. Just like the day prior, we mixed in trail running intervals which is something I’m really going to have to work to get used to. I do not like the feeling of the hydration pack on me and it was mentally hard for me to switch between walking and running so much. I also wiped out a few times which was a little unsettling. I’ll get there!
Final stats for the day! It was a lot of climb! Also, one of the many reasons that I love my Garmin Venu watch is for it’s outstanding battery life. It made it through both of these days of hiking without a charge. My AppleWatch couldn’t even make it through one while pulling GPS like this.
DAY 2: RETURN TRIP
We got in the car to head back to Charlotte around 5:30p. Friendly reminder to download your driving directions prior because there are many places in the mountains where you get no signal to load your driving directions home! We stopped at Chick-Fil-A on the way and I walked into my house shortly after 8p. It’s an easy trip up I-77 to get to this part of Virginia and I can’t recommend it enough!
THE END!
And absolutely cannot wait to do it again! I’m so, so, so very fortunate to have found these hiking friends and be welcomed into their amazing adventures! I have learned so much from them over the last nine months about strategy, logistics, gear, technique – and life! They’re the best! <3
I’m totally interested in these hiking experiences. I’m not there quite yet but I hope to be able to do some hiking like this in another year or two when my baby is a little older. Beyond a good base level of fitness, do you do any special training for these hikes?
I live in the high desert of New Mexico at about 7500 elevation. My hikes involve ascending to about 12,000+ feet and they are challenging to say the least. I get the burger (or chicken probably!) at the end. So satisfying to finish a hike. What a cool group:)
Hi Jen,
How did you meet your hiking friends?
Came here to ask the sans question! Would love to hear how you found this group.
*same
Jen! This was such a joy to read. And super inspiring. Right now 6 miles tends to be my long heights- ha, so you have me excited about the idea of training towards doing something like this in the coming years. Thanks so much for sharing this adventure; looked amazing!