Roan Mountain is in the northeast corner of Tennessee, right near the North Carolina border and where Annie and Jim call home. Dave and I have known Annie since we lived on our sailboat almost 25 years ago. We were dock mates in the marina for over 3 years. The flag Annie is holding in the top picture is her “D-Dock” flag; Judy, another live aboard made us each flags. Such great memories of our time living aboard our sailboat.
Last year, Annie & Jim cared for Murphy when Dave and I were in Slovenia for a guided bike tour. Murphy was so excited to see them–his “butt wiggles” were going full force.
Dave and I (and Murphy) had 4 great days with Annie & Jim. Of course, hiking was on the agenda. There were so many hikes to choose from. Some started from the state park we were camped, which Murphy and I enjoyed each morning. The four of us (well, five, I do need to count Murphy) drove up to Carver’s Gap and hiked up to Round Bald and Engine Gap, hiking along a small part of the Appalachian Trail (AT), right at the TN and NC border. The 2,190 mile AT runs from Georgia to Maine. We saw a few through hikers. What an accomplishment when they finish.
While we were taking a break on Engine Gap on the AT, a large group of kids (aged 10 to 12) joined us. We learned they were from an outdoor Montessori School in Brevard, NC and they had just arrived. After finishing this hike, they were headed over to the same campground Dave and I were in. They were the most well-behaved group of kids. While they were taking a break near us, they all took out essay books and were busy writing. What a great way to learn! I wish I took a picture of them at Engine Gap. I only captured the picture below after we were down off the AT.
The next day, we hiked along an old railroad next to a beautiful gorge where the Doe River winds through, and of course, we took a spur trail down to the water for Murphy to swim.
Annie introduced us to the Roan Mountain Music Hall at The Station. The downstairs is a bar with live music (where Annie & Jim play sometimes) and upstairs in a hostel for hikers on the AT. There is a board where the hikers write in their name and date of stay. There were 9 staying in the hostel that night. I forgot to take a picture of the board so Annie sent me the photo below. As of Saturday, April 27th, 155 hikers have stayed there this year, with the first entry on Feb 2nd. Brr…that would have been very cold hiking in February.
One night at Annie’s, she introduced Dave and I to ramps. Jim had gone up the mountain and pulled up wild ramps. This wild onion has a strong garlic-like odor with an onion flavor. Annie chopped them up and included them in a scrumptious Spinach Frittata. There are several ramp festivals throughout West Virginia, Tennessee, and Virginia – the oldest held in Cosby, Tennessee since 1954. As many as 30,000 people attend the festival each year. Who knew? I had never heard of ramps before. So yummy.
When we first arrived at the Roan Mountain State Park, park, our cell connection was non-existent in the campground and the park had a weak wi-fi signal. Dave had purchased Starlink for our use in Canada and Alaska as we heard many of the areas had poor reception. I wanted to ensure I had connection as much as I could to stay in touch with my mom. Dave put out the Starlink dish and after a few hiccups of setting it up, we were in! I was able to chat with my mom and publish last Sunday’s blog with no problems. Woohoo!
After saying a tearful “see you next year” to Annie & Jim, we headed north, stopping at Panther Creek State Park in Morristown, TN near Sevierville (which is near Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg and the Great Smokey Mountains). This was another excellent stop for hiking. The park could have done a better job at marking the trails…I did get turned around at one point but right as I figured out where I was Dave came out to rescue me. I sent him back to the campsite. I was going to hike back myself! We saw lots of deer on our hikes and Dave saw a fox and a turtle. On our departure day, there was a 4 or 8 hour endurance mountain bike ride (rider choice). One of the riders in our campground said it was a very technical course and quite challenging. I couldn’t imagine riding for 8 hours on a challenging mountain bike course. The youngest rider was a 13 year old girl. You go girl!
That’s it for this week. It was a busy one! Below is this week’s route map. We have just arrived at Fall Creek Falls State Park and will share about it next week. Thanks so much for reading. Let’s catch-up next Sunday!
Love connecting with friends on our trips Brenda, Tennessee never disappoints Dave, and Can’t we stay longer on the mountain Murphy.
Hi Brenda, Dave and totally lovable Murphy – Love the pictures and your adventures are always interesting to read!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for following along Linda! Last week we were in Fall Creek Falls in TN where we took Cody. Such great memories of our adventures with him.
Wow friends all over the place. That is so awesome. Looks like you are dnjoying your travels. Murphy looks right at home with that big stick. lol. Safe travels
Thanks for following along Ron. Murphy says he hopes to meet Daisy one day.
Love that you made use of the Merlin app to identify some birds–Hairy Woodpecker, really? Guess you’ll be singing Chattanooga choo-choo. Interesting place is the aquarium there. Many years ago, my stepson was a diver there. Safe travels!
It was wonderful spending time with you, Dave and Murphy! Yes, Hard to say good bye, but know the next time we’re together, you will have many wonderful stories to tell about your journey on your Alaskan adventure! It was fun sharing some of our Appalachian traditions! Your blog is amazing and the way you document your travels, along with your photo’s, very well done!
Keep the shiny side up! We look forward to seeing you guys again and know that Murphy always has a place to stay when you and Dave are away!
Question? How many miles do you think you will have hiked on your journey to Alaska? Do you think you will have hiked as many as you have driven? I know Murphy will have his steps in! And Dave, just keep on chillin!
Love you guys, miss you more!