Indy Lady Hikers: 2007

Our annual hiking trip took us this year to three states: Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. Some days our hikes took us across state lines while we were walking! One of the highlights of the trip was the blooming of the rhododendrons and they were breathtaking. The week was filled with adventure and rest and laughter and food - all the ingredients for a spectacular week for the Indy Lady Hikers :)

Thursday, June 14th
We started out on Thursday, June 14th from Durena's house. The amount of gear we squeezed into the bed of the truck was astounding, we even brought the kitchen sink!We drove all day and reached Damascus about 3:30 in the afternoon. We wandered around town for a while and ate at the new Mexican restaurant.

A storm began brewing while we were eating and by the time we headed up the mountain, the rain was steady. After about an hour's drive (slow, curvy road winding it's way UP) we arrived at Grayson Highlands State Park and as if scripted, the rain tapered off and finished just about the same time we were ready to put up the tent!With all five of us working it was no time at all until we had the tent and screen house up, our gear unpacked and the food safely stowed in the cab of the truck. We settled down to the occasional sounds of light rain on the tent and drips from the leaves above. We did a much better job setting up (note to self - always stake the bottom of this tent FIRST) and we stayed dry all night.

Friday, June 15th
It was cloudy and overcast when we woke up and Durena got a fire going while Pat brewed the coffee :) We had individual breakfasts and headed out for a hike about 10:00. We did a 10 mile loop, heading first along the AT to Rhododendron Gap. On the way up we saw our first wild ponies - including a new baby and some very young ones.

We took our time on the trail and stopped for lunch at Rhododendron Gap - the blooms were spectacular and we marveled as we enjoyed our lunch in the sunshine.

For the next few hours the sun shone, the terrain was relatively level and we gazed upon acres of pink rhododendrons, wild ponies and mountain peaks. We stopped for our next break at Wise Shelter where several others were doing likewise. There was a group of gentlemen with mostly full packs having a coffee/tea break. They spoke with deep southern accents and it was funny to hear that accent remarking "I like that Earl Gray tea". They were a group of middle aged men who spent a few days together every year on the trails.

We continued on the trail and the forest became very foggy, misty and dark. We could hear thunder in the distance and wasn't long before we had to break out the raincoats. We only had a couple more miles to go so we hurried and finished.

It continued to rain for a while after we returned to camp and we sat inside the screenhouse and had coffee. Pat cooked dinner - tacos and nachos. We gave her a hard time about the dessert (applesauce!) but found Durena's cookies and my chocolate/peanut butter/malted milk balls :) When the rain stopped we built a fire and took turns at the showers (outstanding for a campground - with heaters in the walls!). We sat around the fire until Durena realized the bottom of her shoe was melting!

Saturday, June 16th
We slept in this morning and then sat around the morning campfire and had coffee. Durena cooked up a fantastic breakfast (sausage, scrambled eggs, fruit and bagels) on the newly christened camp kitchen (thanks Kathy and Pam!)

We took our time getting ready and headed out to hike the Pinnacle Trails upon the advice of our new camp friend Taylor. On the way to the top of Big Pinnacle we met a girl coming down and it turned out she was Wayne Henderson's daughter. Now we knew there was a music festival later today, but weren't familiar with any bluegrass names. Wayne lives in the area and sponsors the festival. It was to be the 13th annual concert. We reached the top and it was mostly a cloudy view so we descended and continued on the trail toward the visitors center. The weather cleared and we sat on an old stone wall and enjoyed the sun and a snack. On the way back we saw some spectacular orange rhododendrons and because Pat and I were wearing orange, we stopped for a photo op!

We had a delightful hike back - lots of ferns, long soft grass and dappled sunlight shining through the trees. We climbed back up Big Pinnacle and the views were amazing this time. It's always surprising to me to look down and see how high (or how far) we've come, one step at a time.

We finished the hike and went back to camp to change out of our boots, grab a snack, a cold diet coke and our camp chairs and make our way to the Wayne C Henderson Music Festival at the picnic area of the park. We enjoyed the bluegrass pickin' and two step dancin' - it was like a southern version of Symphony on the Prairie. A bluegrass legend played, Doc Watson, along with another band featuring Bobby Ingano (from Hawaii, playing the steel guitar) and finally Wayne himself who we met earlier while we were strolling the grounds.

We arrived back at camp and had a cup of coffee. Debbie began her dinner and it was awesome - salad with chicken, apples and walnuts in a raspberry vinaigrette dressing and hot dogs roasted on the fire. Dessert, of course, was s'mores!

Sunday, June 17th
Another morning with a campfire and cooked breakfast - this time it was bacon and eggs. We got packed up for a hike and our destination today was the top of Mt. Rogers, which is the highest point in Virginia. On the way up we met the president of the Highpointers Club where the goal of the members is to reach the highest point in each state. We had lunch at the summit and relaxed for a while before heading back down using the AT to the Crest Trail to the Rhododendron Gap Trail where we climbed the big rock and enjoyed the awesome views.

We picked up the Wilbur Ridge Trail and took it back to the AT which led us back to Massie Gap. We saw fewer horses today and lots of interesting people and families. On the way back to the campsite we stopped at the camp store to have a quick look around. Back at camp we broke out the snacks and diet cokes, lit a fire, took showers, relaxed, had coffee and had dinner. My turn tonight - Lipton noodles with vegetables (new!) and tuna and herb focaccia bread from Trader Joes. We discussed next year's possible Yosemite trip and spent the evening relaxing around the fire. S'mores again of course!

Monday, June 18th
Breakfast on our own today while relaxing around the morning campfire with coffee. We took a short hike today to the Cabin Creek Trail - another beautiful walk through a tunnel of rhododendrons next to a creek, my favorite type of trail. We wandered up along the creek and came upon a series of small waterfalls. There was a sign pointing to the overlook but we couldn't find any obvious spot so Durena and Debbie and I climbed off trail until we got to the very top and then climbed out onto the rocks and watched the water for a while.

It was slick climbing back down - Debbie was in tennis shoes because of some blister problems and I grabbed each of us a makeshift walking stick - mine broke in the middle of a sentence and when we stopped laughing we made our way to where Jan and Pat were relaxing and waiting for us. We finished the trail together and back at camp we had a quick lunch before we set to breaking down camp and packing up the truck. We finished in about an hour and drove down the mountain to Damascus. No-one could get cell phone reception (still) so we made our way to a pay phone and called Heidi. She was still an hour or so away so we wandered around town again and discovered an awesome new coffee shop called "Mojoes" where a few of us indulged in the "Lucky Leo" which is espresso, ice cream, caramel and chocolate blended like a milkshake. Oh my.

We wandered next door to an outfitter's store and Durena recognized "Larry" from our AT trip in 2001. We had just talked about him because Durena brought her journal from that trip and had the picture he had previously presented to the "Indiana Ladies". He shared with us that he had turned his life around since then - had a spiritual experience on the trail, turned himself in, served 14 months in prison, was now living in Damascus and beginning to get some of his writing published on some local websites: Traildays and the city of Damascus.

We walked back to the B&B, The Lazy Fox Inn, where Heidi was reading and waiting on the front porch. We checked in with Miss Ginny and carried our stuff upstairs to the three bedrooms. We dropped our bags and headed to the Blue Blaze Bike and Shuttle to move our reservations an hour earlier the next day. We spent some time at Mt. Rogers Outfitters and then drove to the edge of town to Pizza Plus, for a salad and pizza buffet. When we returned to the Lazy Fox we relaxed on the front porch in rocking chairs and then explored the back yard creek, hammocks, and the strangest looking ducks. Bedtime was wonderful as it was the first night on a mattress since leaving home - heaven!

Tuesday, June 19th
We woke this morning to a feast cooked by Miss Ginny! The table was groaning (and soon we were as well) under a load of bacon, eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit (strawberries, kiwi, mango), baked apples, baked pineapple, apple crepes, cheese grits, OJ and coffee. We all enjoyed the meal and our conversation with her - she is at least 83 years of age and bought the B&B in 1991.

We packed up and checked out and headed over to Blue Blaze. We were fitted for bikes and were shuttled up to the top of the Virginia Creeper Trail where we rode 17 miles downhill. We hardly stopped on the way down - a new cafe on the trail had been recommended for their chocolate cake but we were all too full (really!) to eat for a little while longer :) We rode into town and took pictures under the AT sign and then turned our bikes in. We made a quick stop at Mojoes for a coffee on the way out of town.

We drove to Dennis Cove where we hiked down to Laurel Falls and soaked our feet for a while. We watched some families playing in the water under the falls and we all watched in appreciation as a runner made a quick stop to cool down in the water. We hiked back up and drove a little way to check out the Laurel Fork Lodge, where the group stayed the first year hiking together.

We continued on our way to the Mountain Harbour B&B in Roan Mountain, Tennessee where we had rented the hikers cabin. The cabin (hostel) is charming - built in the loft of a barn which still houses horses and goats! There was a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen/living room, and a loft with four twin beds. We met up with "the Kathys" who were staying up in the main house and got caught up while Durena and Heidi made dinner (grilled cheeseburgers). We ate and visited on the deck until it started raining and then we all moved inside and hung out for a couple of hours. It rained most of the night and the sound of the creek and the rain put me right to sleep.

Wednesday, June 20th
We woke up early this morning and headed up to the main house for an outstanding breakfast before we left on our longest hike of the trip - 13.7 miles of trail (plus .3 back to the house). We drove up to Carver's Gap where the weather worsened and we got out of the car into cold and windy conditions. We donned raincoats, took pictures :) and set off along the path.

We saw a few rhododendrons but could not see very far out because of the rain and mist. We enjoyed our walk and stopped at several shelters - the most interesting one was off the AT, at the Overmountain Shelter, where a group of teenage boys had spent the night. We leapfrogged with them the rest of the day until the end of their hike.

Before too long the weather cleared and it was the best hike of the trip. The views were amazing - we thought we should be singing "The Hills are Alive" from The Sound of Music. We walked through the woods, across open fields, up the open mountainside, surrounded by horses, blue sky, white clouds, mountains and valleys. WOW!

Our hike took us about 8-9 hours and when we arrived back we were so grateful that the Kathys had driven up and drove the truck back - that saved about an hour of driving time in the evening. The Kathys had also begun dinner - beef stew and cornbread and it was a hit. We snacked and talked and laughed the rest of the evening before climbing gratefully up to bed.

Thursday, June 21st
We woke up early again this morning and enjoyed another delicious breakfast at the main house. We got on the road for an hour's drive to Erwin, Tennessee for our whitewater raft trip on the Nolichucky River with Cherokee Adventures. Our check in time was 9:45 and we arrived only a few minutes late. At the orientation it was pointed out that the river was low and volunteers were asked for to ride in a one-person kayak (funyak) so that the rafts could carry less weight and navigate more easily. Two guys had already signed up and Kathy V and I decided to give it a go as well.

We got our helmets and lifejackets, rode the bus to the put in point, carried the rafts, funyaks and paddles down to the shore and headed off. The first few rapids were thrilling and I enjoyed being in the funyak. We were told to stay between rafts at all times. We came to the "quarter mile stretch" and the rafts all got into safety positions to guide the funyaks through. We had to follow the directions from the nearest guide and then paddle furiously through the rapids toward the next raft for the next route. As we approached the beginning we had to take out the funyaks and carry them across the rocks. I looked up and saw Heidi on the rocks and at first thought she was there to help me get my funyak across. When I thanked her she told me that she had actually fallen out of the raft and had to swim to the rocks. Oh! The next 10-15 minutes were a little unnverving and involved:

Heidi hitching a ride in a one-person funyak (with a customer) to the raft and then them capsizing and swimming for the nearest rock
Kathy V's funyak getting caught underneath the raft and the guide diving in to help
Kathy S., Debbie and Jan having to climb out of their raft onto a rock in the middle of the river so that the guide could lift the raft off of Kathy V and her funyak

But we all survived - the trip was exciting, the scenery was gorgeous and the lunch was wonderful (the homemade peanut butter was incredible and everyone loved the BBQ). We were on the river for almost 9 hours and we were exhausted when we got home. Jan made dinner (chicken and noodles) and we ate and recalled our day and laughed and relaxed until bedtime.

Pat and Durena's raft

Funyaks

Kathy S, Jan, Heidi, Debbie

Friday, June 22nd
We got up early and had breakfast on our own, packed our things, packed the car and truck and made our way up to the top of Roan Mountain for what else, a view of the rhododendrons! The Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival was scheduled to begin the next day and we were so glad we detoured and made the trip - there was a "handy-cap" trail that we walked and at the end was a deck built out over the edge of the mountain and the view of the blooms went on forever!