If it is the third Saturday in January, it is time for the 1st winter backpack of the year... only it isn't really winter. Weekend temperatures soared to a warm 50 degrees and in place of cold crunchy snow, the skies sent down rain, winds and low hanging clouds. We stalled for time at the Tellico Plains Pizzeria hoping that the rain would dissipate, but it didn't! Well fortified in various gore-tex products we finally gave up sky watching and headed up the Cherohala Skyway to Trailhead #95, gateway to our destination, Bob's Bald.

From left: Duane, John, Ron, Terri and Barbara at the trailhead

Duane followed the tail lights of Ron's Ford Focus wagon around the very curvey Skyway. John and I joked, somewhat seriously, that we hoped Duane would not follow Ron if he headed over the side. Duane noted that he was on high alert for that very situation. We arrived at the trailheat about 1:30 pm, safe but somewhat disoriented from curves and near zero visibility.

John (blue-black jacket, Duane(to John's left) and Ron (to John's right) on Bob's Bald

The 3.1-mile hike to Bob's Bald was not too difficult, a couple of short, steep up sections combined with gentle climbs along the ridgeline. Our biggest challenge was the relentless rain. Many trails in the Cherokee National Forest are not well maintained (i.e. no water bars) so the water formed a stream running down the trail, occasionally pooling in flat areas. At times we had visions of the West Coast Trail as we scrambled over bare roots, slick rocks and through mud.

We kept our rain gear on for the entire hike. While the gore-tex was meant to keep us dry from the outside in, it also kept much of our perspiration on the inside. We arrived on the Bald damp and a bit chilled from the high wind. We couldn't see much through the clouds but Terri and Barbara had been here before and directed us to a campsite slightly downhill from top.

Setting up the tarp: John (blue jacket), Terri (in navy) and Duane (in red). Good thing for bright colors, otherwise we would blend in with the clouds.

Because of the weather, tarp erection was first on our list of camp tasks. Our tarp engineers always come up with new, unique designs using guidelines predetermined by the configuration of trees and ground. We were not disappointed with this set up and enjoyed a dry, relatively wind free set-up. Thanks guys and Terri!

John on tarp duty. Terri's tent is visible in the background.

Duane is somewhere under the hood and hat. When Duane is along, he serves as head tarp engineer.

Terri holding down her side of the billowing tarp. Is that a smile or grimace on her face?
Barbara brought along her little Jack Russell terrier, Sparky. He continually entertained us with his high jumps and leaps. He is really styling here in his red gore-tex jacket!

Will and Kim hidden in fleece and rain gear. Note the puddled water behind their tent.

Will and Kim arrived about an hour after the rest of the group. Will thought he would fool Mother Nature and begin hiking at the time the weather channel designated as "clearing skies." Unfortunately there were no clearing skies in the afternoon.

Ron and his camera

A campsite with a spectacular view...at least for a little while!

Just before sunset, the clouds blew out revealing the magnificent scenery beyond Bob's Bald. Everyone became a photographer, as the low hanging clouds floated about the valley.

And then the sun began to set. The blues and pinks illuminated the clouds in the valley and we all stood about feeling very lucky to be on this mountain watching this incredible sight.

Barbara and Sparky enjoying a hot drink.

Finally we settled in to eat dinner. Lots of creative meals! Terri had a backpacker's grill and made a grilled hamburger. We were all a bit jealous, except Will, our resident vegetarian. He and Kim had veggie burgers. John and I fixed grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, a perfect meal on a rainy day.

We sat under the tarps, laughed, told stories and teased each other. There is a nice ease among this group of people, developed over a number of backpacks together. Occasionally we would peak our heads out from under the tarp and look at the twinkling stars. Around 8:00 pm, someone noticed that the clouds were rolling in. After that, it didn't take long for the stars to disappear and the low clouds to blanket us again. Oh well, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and that alone made the trip to Bob's Bald worthwhile. We headed to bed about 9:45 pm.
Kim bundled up in wool, fleece and gore-tex heading to the tarps for breakfast.

No one was in a rush to get up on Sunday morning. It was cold and the Bald was enveloped in clouds. Most people climbed out of their tents about 7:45 am with the exception of Ron. He was up, packed and sitting under the tarp before most of us opened an eye. Good news! It wasn't raining.

From left: Duane, Beverly, John and Terri.

We enjoyed a relaxed breakfast, packed and broke camp around 9:30 am. We remembered the hike to Bob's Bald as all uphill and were quite surprised to discover that it was not. We peeled off our fleece about midway through the hike to the trailhead.

The hike out was quick and we were in Tellico Plains at the Towne Square Bakery and Restaurant by 11:40 am....a must stop for incredible pizza and a fitting end to a great January backpack