Storms over the Roan Mountains

Something that bothers me about social media is the underlying pressure that everything needs to be positive. We look at Facebook and instagram and see what others want us to see about their lives. We only post the highlights and even vulnerability appears superficial. I have felt this pressure whenever I sit down to write this blog, and it is holding me back from publishing more content. I feel as if I am somehow misbehaving were I to complain about how difficult hiking the AT is, or that I am pandering for sympathy, or likes or whatever.

Over the past few days we hiked through the Roan Highlands, which is a set of bald mountains on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee. A bald is a mountain without trees on top. Most of which provide some of the best views that can be found throughout the southernmost section of the trail. This is what I was hoping to do a blog post about, but instead when we walked over the Roan Mountains we got caught in one of the gnarliest storms I have ever experienced.

The skies were as black as night and when they opened up over our heads, hail rained down and we walked through rolling hills without any trees or landmarks to help stifle that furious storm. Lightning was striking all around us and the wind whipped and blew. When the hail stopped, the heavy rains begun washing the earth down with it forming rivers at our feet.

I don’t even remember thinking just running. My feet brought me the that next AT shelter where I have never been so grateful to have a roof over my head.

The next morning

It’s still raining. I knew it would be. I roll over to try and wake Bell up. She just huffs and rolls over. It’s going to be a long day. We have to move or else we will run out of food.

There was a flash flood and high wind warning where we were hiking. This lasted for about three days and we had to do another eleven this morning before we made it to the hostel on the other side of the wilderness. The rain was so heavy that I was never able to pull my phone out until the very last bald. The storm broke but the wind did not. The water was still running down the mountain by way of the trail, while the wind was still pushing you sideways. Here are the few pictures that I was able to take:

That is the face of victory. This is how we looked after making it all the way up and over the balds in a pretty wicked storm and knowing that all there was left to do is walk downhill, eat chicken wings, and change into dry clothes.

Hardship is good for us. Just as the trees need one last winter freeze to harden their bark before spring, we humans need a bit of suffering so that we can better appreciate the simple pleasures of life. After all, sunshine and rainbows can only appear where storm clouds recently passed over . . .

till next time,
​Peter Pan and Lil Bell