Just got back from a trip to Roan Mountain Tennessee where we celebrated a friend’s birthday. I got a special treat when I got to meet three of the thru hikers on the Appalachian Trail at Roan Mountain, Tennessee. I’m an avid follower of the Trail Journals and these guys were so nice. They told us that they were going to hike seven more miles so they could stay at the next shelter, which is Yellow Mountain Barn or Overmountain Shelter at Carver’s Gap in North Carolina. Their trail names are Saint, Frost (perfect for the day!), and NoBo (short for North Bound to Maine).

Roan Mountain is just a beautiful place! I really wanted to hike the Bald but it was just too cold. The temperature was in the low 20’s and really windy—ice and snow blew past us as we walked up forest trails.

Here’s the Appalachian Trail marker at Roan Mountain. One hiker hurried to the restroom that was an in-ground facility saying she had not seen a “privy” in miles. Yikes!

Beautiful trees at Roan Mountain.

Here’s the Bald at Roan Mountain. Even if we had hiked to the top, we would not have been able to enjoy the 360 view because of the clouds and the snow.

When I left Marietta last week, I knew I needed to get my head wrapped around the fact that I was going to return to the feel of winter. I had heard the forecast and no amount of blooming Atlanta Cherry trees would change what we were about to enter.

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