Bud and Vicki Hogan's 1996 Appalachian Trail Journey
June 25
Overmountain Shelter to Buck Mountain Road.........................................11.5 miles
Our two shelter companions had told us that Ray was one day ahead of us. Maybe we would catch up to him before we finished this section. Todays hike felt like we were in Scotland on the moors. Wind on the wide open spaces, over Little Hump and Hump Mountain, blew us along with the clouds and a heavy mist. I hoped for the weather to clear so that we could really enjoy the view, but no luck.
Came down the backside of the Humps, steep walk down. At the bottom, the trail flattened out into a field with another beautiful view. We stopped for lunch.
"EVERY DAY A BEAUTIFUL HIKE, EVERY DAY A PICNIC". What a way to live.
We got to Apple House Shelter. Decided to make a few more miles before we quit for the day. We soon would regret our decision. Just passed the highway the trail quickly turned into a pasture littered with manure. The aroma was quite pungent. You really had to watch your step. The trail was not easy to follow. However, we managed to continue without getting lost this time.
After leaving the pasture, the trail was poorly maintained. Waist high weeds, and difficulty in even seeing the trail. I was beginning to wonder if we were on the AT. We had heard stories about locals being resentful of hikers in the area past Elk Park Road. Something about the government taking the land without the owners permission, or something like that. We were keeping both eyes wide open looking for any signs of trouble.
We were also having trouble locating the water sources, and it was getting late in the day. We needed to set up camp. We walked behind a small cemetery, then we got to Buck Mountain Road. What's this. A Baptist Church. This place must have a spigot somewhere. Sure enough. Behind the side building was an outside water tap. Best source of water we've had in a while. This water source is to convenient. We've got to find a place to camp nearby.
We backtracked the trail a few hundred feet. I knew that there was a road nearby, but who in their right mind is going to come up here looking for hikers, there's no shelter or campsite anywhere. We set up our tent right on the trail just before the woods. Great place. Big open pasture. Can't see the road. We ate, and got settled into our tent for the night. It was still very light, but the sun would be going down in about 20 minutes.
Just then there was a roar of an engine. We looked out of the mesh door of our tent to see a pickup truck careening up the pasture right at us. OH, CRAP!!!! We're dead!! The truck does a circle around us , just missing our tent, and us, by just a couple of feet. I'm out of the tent before the truck comes to a stop after completing a 360, and coming to rest less that 15 feet from us. The truck had two guys in their late teens or early twenties, and a teenage girl. None of them look like rocket scientists, and they weren't. I say in a half-demanding, half-friendly tone, "What's going on?" I know that if I get belligerent, that there is going to be trouble. My best option to to be friendly, without being apologetic or weak.
These kids are just out joy riding. They talk for a while, telling us more than we had wanted to know. They told us about collecting ginseng roots out in the woods for a living. They said that it is was very profitable, about $400 a pound. We found out later that "collecting" meant poaching and "in the woods" meant the National Parks and National Forest. Highly illegal. All I knew was that I would be glad to get out of this area as soon as possible.
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