Welcome back!
I know that you have not heard from me for a while and this is partially due to my uncertainty regarding the next chapter in my life after graduation. As a fair warning, I would like to let everyone know that this piece is not (YET) about my postgraduation decision. I am going to tell you about my spring break and what we did.
After some last-minute planning, we headed to the mountains in North Carolina. We stayed in an Eco Retreat for one night close to Mount Mitchell and then we moved to a hotel in Banner Elk. After our arrival and unforgettable microwave dinner at the Eco retreat, we explored the place and planned our hike for the following day (Monday). During Sunday’s drive, we have already noticed that the weather was very different from Chapel Hill’s. The mountains still had a lot of ice and snow, but the weather forecast predicted nice weather for Monday. After I made some raspberry jam sandwiches and we packed our backpacks we were ready (at least we thought) for the hike. For some still unknown reason, I thought that the Mount Mitchell trail was the challenge I missed in my life. For a bit of background that is one of the (if not the) hardest trails in the area, since Mount Mitchell is the highest peak on the east coast of the USA. It lies at 6684 feet (2.037km) and the hike to the peak is 12 miles (19.2 km) over which hikers gain 3684 feet (1.12 km) elevation. It took us about 4.5 hours to reach the peak, for which we had to cross multiple biomes (such as a temporal forest, some rhododendrons, a pine forest, and a winter wonderland where rocks and roots were covered in ice). It was extremely hard since not only that we had to cross rivers, and streams, and hike on ice but we got caught up in a snowstorm that followed us along the way. I fell on the way up I wanted to give up many times. There were only 3 other people on the trail that day due to the harsh conditions. Once we reached the peak we were in the clouds with extreme wind/cold and no view whatsoever. Still, it was worth every moment. It was also at the peak when we realized that we still had half of our hike left. On the way down while we knew the route we did not know how hard it was to move on icy rocks and rocky floors. I twisted both of my ankles mildly when we had about 4 miles left. In addition to such minor injuries due to the extreme slopes, every single step hurt our knees and hips. After an unimaginable amount of support, we made it back to the car before sunset. Without any breaks on the way down, the hike took us around 9 hours.
The same night we drow an hour to Banner Elk. After an early morning interview, we spent Tuesday on some schoolwork and recovery. It was super challenging to even get out of bed and we were in a lot of pain with every movement. We also explored a local pizzeria that had amazing cheese pizza and as such made our dinner memorable. On Wednesday we were still recovering but we drove around the area, including parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and we went to Tenessee for a short while. We could make up for the lack of view from Mount Mitchelle and we got to see multiple small mountain villages. That night we decided to go for another hike on Thursday.
While it was not easy to convince me we decided to hike Grandfather Mountain through the Profile trail, which was another strenuous and super muddy hike. We started the 8-mile (12.8km) hike at 9.15 in the morning. Towards the summit, the temperature was still below freezing and therefore the ground was frozen. Once again we hiked multiple biomes and a lot of rock stairs. This trail was more maintained but also icier. We had to pay attention during every step to avoid falling. Near the peak, the temperature started rising (since it was close to noon on a sunny day) and therefore, we had ice falling from the trees above. We had to climb up some (ice-covered) rocks, and ladders to reach the top. It gave us a beautiful view and the temperature was very nice, with minimal wind. This allowed me to have my summit apple at the top. I would have never imagined how much an apple can mean until these hikes, but I am sure that from now on I will always have one with me for the peak. After about 40 minutes at the peak, we headed down. The trail was extremely slippery and the steps were massive. It took us 40 minutes longer to get down than to hike up. Since the temperature was rising the ground melted and everything was covered with deep mud. We got to the car approximately 6 hours after we started our hike. While it was challenging it was one of the prettiest state parks I have ever seen with amazing scenery at the peak. I am glad we decided to struggle through Thursday’s hike regardless of all the pain and tiredness. To close the night we ordered pizza again and we watched a movie.
On Friday after a much-needed long sleep and another interview, we headed home. It took us around 3 hours to drive back to Chapel Hill. This week was truly one of the hardest and most beautiful times I have experienced in my life so far. I am not going to say that I would hike Mount Mitchell again any time soon, but I am already excited to return to the mountains for more trails, more hikes, and more ice/snow/storms/mud/snakes, and pizza nights.