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  1. #1
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    Thumbs up VIDEO: The Roan Highlands Appalachian Trail NC/TN



    The Roan Highlands are a unique section of the Appalachian Trail and one of the best backpacking destinations east of the Mississippi! In 1898 John Muir visited the Roan Highlands and declared the area to have "the most beautiful deciduous forests I ever saw." While John was enjoying the forests in the area, it is the balds that capture the most attention - the origin of Roan's balds is a mystery but they have existed in this state since pre-history and the leading theory suggests they are due to a mixture of climate and herbivores.

    I covered ~19 miles over 3 days on this out-and-back from Carver's Gap to Big Hump in the summer of last year. The first 2 days were beautiful and sunny, on day 3 a hail storm blew in. You never know what kind of weather will pop up across the balds and the uncertainty is part of the reason I always do this hike as an out-and-back instead of a straight shot to 19E in order to maximize the time on the balds.

    Hope you enjoy and thanks for watching!
    Layne
    Last edited by Layne; 12-23-2021 at 20:40. Reason: typo

  2. #2
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    Beautiful country! Is that part of the trail crowded?

  3. #3
    Phantom Grappler's Avatar
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    I think this is where I trekked with my son and granddaughters. There was an uphill in the balds. Just a bit more to the top…nope, false alarm
    Uphill some more, I could see the top—again it was not the top…this went on for about three crests in the balds…that I thought was the top—looked like the top…instead there were more crests to climb

    Each bald crest looked like the top

    That night we camped at The Barn, there were other campers there too

    I don’t remember the proper names of where we were
    Very scenic
    And of course me and Jesse, both vowed to work on getting lighter total pack weight. Jesse is in his prime, but he carried some of both his young daughters’ gear!

    Great fun, we did cross the NC TN border on AT

  4. #4
    Senior Member soul embrace's Avatar
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    love the roan mountain area.
    There's magic in the woods,
    if you know where to look for it.
    -Pete's Dragon

  5. #5
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    Beautiful area!

    Looks as if you were well equipped for the weather. Much closer to the cloud base up there so it's a lot more fickle.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by lorazepam View Post
    Beautiful country! Is that part of the trail crowded?
    Yes this is a very popular stretch of the AT for section hikers and day hikers alike

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phantom Grappler View Post
    I think this is where I trekked with my son and granddaughters. There was an uphill in the balds. Just a bit more to the top…nope, false alarm
    Uphill some more, I could see the top—again it was not the top…this went on for about three crests in the balds…that I thought was the top—looked like the top…instead there were more crests to climb

    Each bald crest looked like the top

    That night we camped at The Barn, there were other campers there too

    I don’t remember the proper names of where we were
    Very scenic
    And of course me and Jesse, both vowed to work on getting lighter total pack weight. Jesse is in his prime, but he carried some of both his young daughters’ gear!

    Great fun, we did cross the NC TN border on AT
    You’re spot on! There are multiple “false summits” on the trek up to Big Hump. They can be disheartening but they also give one the chance to take a quick break and turn around to soak in the view.

    The Overmountain Shelter (big red barn) is unfortunately closed now due to being unstable but was still standing last time I hiked thru. Tenters still set up in the big field beside it and hammockers take the woods in the back.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by cmoulder View Post
    Beautiful area!

    Looks as if you were well equipped for the weather. Much closer to the cloud base up there so it's a lot more fickle.
    Roan might be the most unpredictable weather in NC (in my opinion). It’s just different up there and each bald can have their own separate thing going on at any given time. My first trip to Roan years back the forecast called for a low chance of scattered showers - it rained nonstop the entire day. Total crapshoot there up in cloudland

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by soul embrace View Post
    love the roan mountain area.
    You and me both, a special area

  10. #10
    Senior Member soul embrace's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Layne View Post
    You and me both, a special area
    i been going there every year since 2019 sometime multiple times. Roan mountain area, Damascus, Grayson Highlands, Hot Springs MC and Max Patch is my favorite places on the AT that i've been on. Laurel Falls close to hamption tn and not far from roan mountain is a pretty hike also.
    There's magic in the woods,
    if you know where to look for it.
    -Pete's Dragon

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