50 After 50 – Roane Mountain State Park

July.

It was a simple discovery after adding creamer to my coffee. The creamer in our camping box was bad .. so instead of flavoring the coffee – it ruined it. Tossing the ruined coffee out, Mark offered me another cup. I do not drink coffee without creamer .. so processing thru what items we had in our camp supplies, I decided to use the only thing close to creamer  – butter. It was delicious and became a staple for the rest of my week. Improvising, Overcoming, Adapting.. we just returned from a week of tent camping at Roan Mountain State Park in East TN. A butter in your coffee type of week where the unexpected weather changes presented challenges and opened our eyes to new opportunities.

As we traveled I-40 on Monday afternoon, I took a peak at the weather forecast. Storms were moving thru the area, with rain chances predicted; 80 and 90 percent chance for at least three of our five reserved days. Not exactly what we had imagined, but just like the bad creamer in my coffee – we improvised, overcame and adapted – looking for the ‘butter in the coffee’.  What could we do instead, how could this week be fun anyway? And what might we discover that would be even better ?

After arriving at campsite #35 (it was our first time at Roan Mountain), we quickly put up the tent between rain showers and took a peak at the Doe River that ran beside our campsite. With a tarp on the ground under the tent and a large blue tarp to cover the tent – it was up and under covered before the first rain came. Air mattress, sleeping bags, pillows in position. Our most valuable piece of camping equipment for the entire week… the BLUE TARP! It kept us dry thru storms and heavy rains. All our food and cooking gear was kept in our car. We rotated between three covered picnic pavilions to make some pretty amazing meals, played multiple games of SkipBo together, had some great conversations, reconnected and unplugged from daily life all under cover…dry and among the rhododendron blooms, the Doe River, and wildlife.

A couple of short hikes happened on Tuesday… one behind the visitors center under the cover of trees, carefully maneuvering over wet tree roots and rocks where, in the brush, we spotted our first deer. On another hike, on the Roan Mountain Bluff Trail near the Catawba Gardens, we saw only fog at the observation point. With so many ferns, rhododendron and Fraser Firs along the trail, this area had a terrarium feel to it. Keeping our raincoats within arms reach the entire day, not being afraid of the mud – we found some butter for the coffee. The afternoon was rainy so we found shelter at another picnic pavilion, played more SkipBo, and made another tasty dinner. Between showers we watched the waters at the Doe River and admired the colors of rocks along its bank.

The evening brought heavy rains but inside the tent was dry and loud. Most of the night we heard rain and were both pleasantly surprised in the morning that everything was dry inside the tent. Yay for the Blue Tarp! Sunshine was predicted for Wednesday morning so we made a pork chop/egg breakfast on the Coleman stove, then spent the morning at the Miller Farmstead. We strolled around a Monarch Butterfly waystation, through flower and vegetable gardens, saw an outbuilding and so many hummingbirds. It was a beautiful tribute to the farming homestead spirit of the Miller family who settled in this area in 1870 and built a big farmhouse, a root cellar, a chicken house, and barns, all without electricity or running water.

Thursday had some promise weather wise – but rain was also predicted. We decided after breakfast to shower and go explore nearby Boone, NC. Our friends in Boone had invited us for dinner. We left the campground early enough to explore the Blue Ridge Parkway finding sunshine, a waterfall (The Cascades) and an antique store (Appalachian Antiques). Dinner with friends and their four young boys was a fun part of the week.

Friday was amazing! We actually uncovered the tent and packed away the heroic blue tarp. No rain… just sunshine and our opportunity to hike the balds at Carver’s Gap. After a protein rich breakfast, we packed lunches in our hydration packs and spent almost six hours hiking from Carver’s Gap to the Grassy Ridge. Over Round Bald and Jane Bald, along the Appalachian Trail with 360 degree panoramic views and sunshine aplenty. Mountains, treetops, clouds and one snake… it was a great day of accomplishment on the hike with a sense of togetherness and teamwork gazing over such magnificent beauty. We ended Friday with our only campfire of the week – cooking our meal over the fire.

Discovering butter for my coffee was a glimpse into our entire week together…finding something that works in the midst of the unexpected. Tent camping is not for the faint of heart. Our first time in rain, our first time for five nights. Economical, adventurous, a sense of togetherness, and teamwork… we found our butter in it.

Til next time-

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