We hiked this section on May 21, 2011.
Total hike time: 7 hours 23 minutes
The day started off great with a wonderful breakfast at the Dutch Haus with several thru-hikers (GipcGirl, Mike, husband/wife from TN). We were served scrambled eggs, strawberry stuffed french toast, sausage, and fruit. Lois said that the thru-hikers got bigger portions than the section hikers.
One of the advantages of being a section hiker is that you can pick how you want to attack the trail. Dirigo wisely decided that we should hike from north to south. So, we left Knitting Bull's car at the Tye River and then took the local shortcut, Campbell Road, to Reeds Gap.
The weather at the start of the hike was a bit chilly and it felt good to start out the hike on soft level ground. We quickly reached the Maupin Field Shelter and took a short break to adjust clothing/gear.
Maupin Field Shelter
There is a 3 mile short cut that is just as rugged around the mountain, but we are AT hikers, so we followed the white blazes.
Python was not sure what poison ivy looked like so Knitting Bull was kind enough to point it out along the trail. We were hiking in the green tunnel today and enjoyed seeing the flowers in bloom. Dirigo and Knitting bull saw several pink lady slippers and were on the look out for the elusive yellow ones.
The Mountain Laurel and rhododendrons are in full bloom.
We descended down Three Ridges Mountain via switch backs and at one point the trail got pretty rocky.
We started to see several thru-hikers (Click and several folks we met at Trail Days) and then encountered part of a boy scout troop taking a break on the trail.
We took a long break at Harpers Creek Shelter and talked with several other thru-hikers and the rest of the boy scout troop. There is a beautiful creek in front of the shelter and the boy scouts offered their filtered water to everyone.
We met a thru-hiker named Art Gypsy and Knitting Bull offered her some fresh peppers and hummus. Dirigo also gave her Gold Bond powder.
By the time we reached the Tye River, we were all beat and our feet ached! So, we all soaked our feet in the very cold Tye River. It felt great! The bridge over the Tye River is a suspension bridge and it bounces.
Dinner at the Dutch Haus was $13 for all you can eat pizza – the thru-hikers only ate 3 pieces each.