EISPIRATEN

This was back on November 7th, but I'm finally getting around to writing it up now. I was anxious to finally get out of town and do some hiking after my move from SoCal, but as a west coast elitist I continue to thumb my nose at the lack of high peaks in this part of the country. When I saw there was a section of the Appalachian Trail a reasonable drive away that was nicknamed "The Roller Coaster" I quickly decided that was where I wanted to go for my first time on the AT. If I can't do big sustained climbs I at least want to compensate with distance and some cumulative elevation change. The highest point is only 1,371ft, but the trail goes up and down 300-600ft at a time for most of the 13mi of the point to point, which I figured would keep things more engaging than the limited and not particularly accurate image of the AT in my head (this page by the way offers a good comparison of the AT and PCT). The route had me going south from Snickers Gap to Ashby Gap then turning around and returning northbound on the same section of trail.

I started an hour later than I had planned because I was up late the night before watching election results come in (another disadvantage of this part of the country, Eastern Standard Time!). I started moving at 8:30am and was greeted by what seems to be pretty typical AT terrain, a rocky trail among the trees with a stream running down the middle! This section has quite a few stream crossings of various sizes, some with bridges, others just require some rock and log hoping, with a wet toe here and there being almost inevitable. The side trails to various points of interest are marked with blue blazes on the trees and the main AT is marked with white blazes. The blazes seem overly frequent during the day, but were definitely appreciated for their visibility when I was finishing my hike by headlamp. There were few if any rock cairns because the terrain is rocky enough that they would not be very visible, as well as getting hidden by leaves in the fall. While you are never actually in isolated wilderness, you do have some sense of remoteness because you are typically surrounded by hills and/or trees on all sides. There is probably a farm or road or something within half a mile in any direction, but you usually can't see it. I've read the AT described as a "tunnel of trees" and that's pretty true of the part I was on, though it made the two sections I did pass with a view stand out more.

I have been running more lately and wanted to run at least the easy sections on this trip, but my knee decided it was a good day to act up so less than a third of the way in I settled for hiking the rest. On the plus side since it was a weekday I only saw a couple solo hikers and pairs, then one group of six. Some sections of the trail are very rocky, but most were packed dirt with occasional rocks here and there. Some sections of the AT are apparently pretty much all rocks and roots, so while this requires a little attention, it wasn't too bad overall. The AT also has a system of sleeping shelters along the whole length, which I was curious to see. This section has two, so I took the minor detour to look at the Sam Moore shelter and see what this weird system is like. The structure was actually pretty nice, with a single large sleeping platform, as well as nearby fire pit, table, and latrine. The AT map I brought with me says it is intended to accommodate six people. Other shelters are apparently larger and vary in design, though I didn't check out the other one along my route because I had a lot of miles to cover. The hills were fairly moderate for the most part, some had switchbacks and only a couple short spots were something you would actually call steep. Since I was going south to start it wasn't until after I had finished the roller coaster section that I passed the sign that said:

HIKER WARNING
YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENTER THE ROLLER COASTER
BUILT AND MAINTAINED BY THE TRAILBOSS AND HIS CREW OF VOLUNTEERS
HAVE A GREAT RIDE and WE WILL SEE YOU AT THE BLACKBURN TRAIL CENTER

This certainly seems a little over dramatic and not sign worthy, but at least it gives a shoutout to the noble volunteers. Anyway, the last section had a couple more stream crossings and was pretty soggy in places before finally reaching Ashby Gap, where the AT crosses Highway 50. I had some lunch, took my phone off airplane mode to check the news and see if anything particularly ridiculous had happened in the last several hours, and started back the way I came. The return was uneventful and I finished the last part by headlamp, reaching my car about 7pm. Overall a nice day and a good introduction to hiking in this part of the country.

Stats: 29mi, 10h50m, 7,300ft gain/loss

Route map:



Sign at the Snickers Gap trailhead



Typical trail terrain





A view along the trail with some fall color



One of many stream crossings, most don't have nice bridges



Definitely not slightly staged for contrast



Helpful sign



The Sam Moore shelter



Inside view

Saw a few deer along the way



Second viewpoint along the route



Nice bridge



Weird fungus!



The warning sign came too late, I was already dead



Helpful boardwalk through a soggy area



Example of the white blazes on a tree with an interesting texture



Summit view Turnaround point



Summit beer Turnaround burrito

A nice first adventure on the east coast. The trail covered with leaves doesn't look particularly great for running. It looks slippery with hidden rocks for toe smashing. I would miss the higher peaks, too. I bet you can find some good crags if you want to get more into rock climbing. You've probably missed the best fall colors, but I bet it is quite beautiful when they start to turn. Keep posting!

lol@
Summit view Turnaround point
Summit beer Turnaround burrito

Topographic prominence or die!

Tekewin - The leaves weren't as slippery as I expected and 2/3 of the trail was pretty dry, but I'm sure it would be different after a recent rain! Toe smashing is certainly a concern and did mildly happen a couple times, luckily my current pair of shoes have decent toe bumpers for a little protection. The fact that my knee started hurting and I ended up hiking 90% anyway also helped! I wasn't expecting to run more than 30-40%, but I'm working on it... I actually did look into indoor climbing gyms as something to do during the winter since this place actually has seasons, but they are quite expensive. Instead I figured it'll just be a good excuse to toughen up by running and hiking in the weather. I love a good mountain scramble (North ridge of Iron is definitely one of my favorite routes in the SGs) but for whatever reason real rock climbing has never really grabbed me. I've done it a few times and had fun, but it's got a higher barrier to entry and I think my interests and strengths tend more towards endurance than highly technical stuff.

Nice looking country. Those sleeping shelters are pretty sweet.

But the real question that you failed to address is: can you get a decent burrito anywhere on the East Coast?

Haven't found one yet and have been a little discouraged from looking further, though I have seen a food truck nearby that I need to check out. On the plus side there are several Ethiopian restaurants within walking distance!

The shelter system seems like a mixed bag. On the one hand it would be nice to not have to set up a tent every night, especially when it's raining, which happens frequently during the thru hike season. On the other hand it's not exactly a wilderness solitude experience, but I guess that's not really what the AT is like anyway. Also you still have to carry some sleeping system anyway because you don't know if there will be room for you in the shelter by the time you get there.

Very nice. It's interesting to see the different trail aspects between the PCT and AT. I see tree blazes here, too, where snow levels can get pretty high, like up in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Thank you for posting this report. It's beautiful country. There may not be any high peaks, but there is, at least, rolling terrain. In March, we opened a new section of the Florida National Scenic Trail eliminating a road walk (Micco Landing to Oak Creek). It's 11 miles long with zero elevation gain.