The Highlands are the highlight

Today was a day that I had been looking forward to since the beginning of the tour. The crew would climb Roan Mountain, enter Carver’s Gap, and finally break into the Roan Highlands.

The highlands are supposed to offer some of the most expansive views of the Appalachians with blooming rhododendrons covering the landscape. I had seen pictures before and was beyond excited to see them.

The view from the shelter towards the forest.

We woke up to the sound of rain on the canvas. I unzipped the tent to see, well… not much. A low fog had completely settled in, severely limiting all visibility in the forest. I checked the forecast to see if it was supposed to clear up at some point during the day. The meteorologist, who has not clarified anything so far, said that the sky was supposed to clear up in the afternoon.

Chipper, very warm in his sleeping bag.

The crew made a plan to walk to Carver’s Gap and wait for it to clear before heading to the highlands. Chipper seemed to have other ideas, as it was difficult to convince him to get out of his sleeping bag and walk in the rain. One after another, we all finally left the shelter to walk at our own pace and find ourselves in the gap.

White glow on the trail ascending Roan Mountain.

The climb up Roan Mountain was absolutely phenomenal. The rain was a constant light mist that cooled you as you made your way up the hill. We have learned to start loving these types of rainy days. It’s not humid enough to soak into everything you own, but enough to feel a little cold when you’re standing.

Damage to Helene closer to the top of Roan Mountain. It is very sad to see all these trees destroyed.

The forest was a collection of beautiful pine trees and rocks covered with moss. I loved every second. The dark, dank grove was filled with fog that absorbed the sounds of my excitement. I stopped to take pictures almost every 2 minutes or so. It reminded me of the nicer sections of The Smokies, but without the really bad moments. The moss was almost reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest.

The Appalachians are truly extraordinary for their diversity of landscapes. You can go from lush deciduous forest to mossy, overgrown pine to full-blown open forest, all within a 10-mile stretch. I have loved these mountains my entire life and I am glad that this trail brings even more joy and awe to them.

I waited for Jessie at the top of the mountain and explored the view of the old Cloudland Hotel. I guess in the 19th century you could stay there for $2 a night and possibly have one of the best views of the Appalachians. Pretty amazing.

Carvers Gap sign surrounded by fog.

When Jessie caught up to me, we started heading to Carvers Gap and meeting up with everyone else. They had to keep going because the wind at the top was becoming too cold to stay still. (Everyone was also excited about the legendary vault toilet that was supposed to be in the parking lot.)

It didn’t take long to get down the mountain. We all sat in the parking lot looking at the mountains and waiting for the clouds to pass. After an hour sitting there, we accepted that there wouldn’t be much to see.

Big Dripper walking through highland fog.

Jessie, Big Dripper and I set off to ascend to the highlands. Unfortunately the fog was very persistent. There was a brief segment, when we were still below the tree line, where the sun peeked through the clouds. I got so excited that I started running up the mountain with a full backpack to try and catch a glimpse, but the dull gray won out once again when I finally made it above the trees.

What we were supposed to see versus what we actually saw.

We had to laugh at the irony of a white wall behind a picture of a wide panoramic view. The signs were certainly mocking us. Although we didn’t get the panoramic views we were hoping for, it was great to see the highlands in a unique way.

Jessie in the fog. I was about 10 feet away from her when I took this.

The terrain was still beautiful and the fog reminded me of walking in the Scottish Highlands. If I moved more than 20 feet away from Jessie or Big Dripper, they would completely disappear into the fog. It was very creepy and beautiful.

A wonderfully mysterious tree behind the tree line.

We had given up on seeing the view and continued towards the shelter. We had bumped into Rambo again who had gotten a zero again after hurting his knee. He also had some choice words for Helene’s detour. We chatted with him for a while and we all found our way to our tents and went to bed early.

View of the climb to Little Hump Mountain. The people in the picture are section hikers that we encounter frequently during the day.

We were very happy to wake up to a perfectly clear sky. Our second day in the highlands was going to be much more picturesque. Since it was going to be a shorter day of walking, the whole group decided to walk (mostly) together in a big line. It didn’t take us long to reach the tree line and our jaws dropped.

The whole team having a snack on top of Little Hump. (From left to right: Chipper, Jessie, Squirrel, Big Dripper, Russell and Rambo. Salamander was behind the camera.)

Our first climb was to Little Hump, which offered absolutely delightful views of everything we had missed the previous day. There was no direction you could look and not see something beautiful. We all stopped for a snack at the top of Little Hump in preparation for the climb up Hump Mountain.

A view from the base of Hump Mountain. It was interesting to be able to see the entire climb ahead.

Everyone walked in a long line for the long, exposed climb up The Hump. From time to time we stopped to climb the rocks or just admire the view. This was by far my favorite climb so far. Something about the outdoors and the beautiful panorama was simply exhilarating.

The hiking line on our way up Hump Mountain.

When the entire crew had reached the top, we celebrated with a group lunch. It had to have been the best day on the AT so far. The hike was beautiful, the company was wonderful, and the weather couldn’t have been better.

Jessie looking at a distant mountain range from the top of The Hump.

The trail to the other side of Hump Mountain provided another angle for grander views. Although Big Dripper took a few falls on the way down, at least he knows how to fall in style.

Big Dripper, Russell and Chipper after Big Dripper falls.

It was a little sad to be below the tree line again, but the forest and rocks in the area were still a delight. We ended up walking to the highway to get to Roan Mountain, Tennessee.

We had to walk on a narrow shoulder of the road for a while (which was sketchy and horrible) until we reached Mountain Harbor B&B. It ended up being a pretty… strange experience, but I’ll save that for another post.

So far it has been our best day on the AT and we feel lucky to have made such good friends in such a wonderful place. This trail is pretty good at times.

This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!

For more information, visit the About page of this site.