We hiked this section on January 30, 2011.
Fortunately, the parking lot at Blue Mountain Lakes road had been plowed but the road down to the AT was still closed due to snow. We all decided to strap our snow shoes to our packs.
Dirigo, Knitting Bull, and Python started down the Blue Mountain Lakes around 8:30 AM. Someone had been cross country skiing down the road so we decided to step in their tracks. It took us a little over an hour to reach the AT and we took turns reassuring each other that we were almost there and yes this was the last hill.
Once we reached the AT, Python put on her snow shoes because she was tired of slipping around in the snow (9:45 AM). The trail on the AT had already been broken for the first half mile by someone wearing boots. It was a beautiful day – the sun was shining and there was very little wind.
After this point, we had to break trail until we reached the power lines (3.1 miles later).
Breaking trail
Initially, Dirigo and Knitting Bull followed behind Python with their boots but eventually they too got tired of slipping and put on their snow shoes.
We all agreed that we needed to conserve our energy so we took turns breaking trail throughout the hike. At times the snow was heavy and almost knee high so it was hard work breaking trail. This was Knitting Bull’s first experience hiking in deep snow and she did great! She really earned those bragging rights today!
Knitting Bull
We talked about how hard it must be for the thru hikers to trudge through the deep snow in the Smokey Mountains – they are a lot tougher than us! We also thought about how hard it was for people who climb Everst.
After a couple of miles, we started to get into more rugged terrain and it was harder to find the white blazes. Sometimes we were all doing 360’s to look for the blazes. We took short breaks to rest and eat but never stopped for more than 10 minutes because we would get too cold.
We did not see any landmarks on this hike until we came to the power line. There was an American and POW flag just in front of the power line.
Power lines
We saw foot prints all over this area and wound up losing the AT. Python found one trail that led down the ridge but there were no white blazes. Dirigo and Kniting bull followed another set of footprints and eventually found the AT again.
The trail down the ridge was steep and slippery even with snow shoes on.
Dirigo leading the way
When we reached the bottom, we turned left and saw the beaver pond to our right. At this point, we could take advantage of someone’s tracks so the hiking was easier. We crossed over a wooden bridge which was the outlet of the beaver pond.
As we were hiking up the ridge, we started to hear cars so we knew we were close to Blairstown Road. Everyone was happy to reach Blairstown Road! It was a tough hike but we did it! Great hike!