Roan Mtn Nov 21 2008

[Joshua8200]

My buddy and I hiked to Round Bald (he was doing pretty good to make it that far...as he was way underdressed for the conditions). I had hoped to hike out further.



The real fun though was on the way back I saw a couple of tracks in the drifts on the side of the road where someone was swerving into the snowbanks. And I thought man, "That last one went really far off the road and was really deep." No sooner than I had thought that we rounded a corner and there was a this Toyota Land Cruiser Limited stuck off the side. I don't know how long they had been there, but we stopped and got out and the guy got out and asked if we had any rope...As I surveyed the scene I could see in the passenger seat this guy's girlfriend/wife/significant other/...arms folded and not looking happy. So the only thing I could think of was my dog's leash...Now I know what you're thinking...my dog's leash? Yes, it's an old section of climbing rope that I cut off to use. So I proceed to pull out this 6-8ft section of 10.2mm rope and say that this will do. I can see an incredulous look, but I assure my friend and this guy that it will work. I proceed to rig up the rope to his tow hitch and back up just a few feet from his car. Hooked the rope up and quickly pulled him out of the ditch. Anyways...just really funny. Because we gave him a quick wave and let him on his way. I'm sure his girlfriend was giving him enough grief.



Here's the couple of pics:





My buddy from school standing in a drift, this was actually in the trees. Anywhere there was enough of a gap in the trees drift of now were at least shin and knee deep:





Out in the trail there was probably only 6-8in





But in other places the snow was mid thigh





It was so cold (temperature on at the Carvers Gap sign read 8degrees F), I couldn't get any more pictures up top. The winds were strong enough to push me around pretty good. I'd guess on the conservative side that winds were 40mph. My hands would literally turn numb in the time it would take to try to take my gloves off and snap a picture. The camera batteries were fresh...and they were zapped after 4 pictures.

[Tmiller72]

Your friend went hiking on Roan Mt in a leather/vinyl jacket?? Good lord no wonder he was frozen!

[Joshua8200]

@Tmiller72 154442 wrote:Your friend went hiking on Roan Mt in a leather/vinyl jacket?? Good lord no wonder he was frozen!



I really didn't know what to say. I didn't want to make him feel bad/stupid. He probably just didn't quite realize how 'serious' the weather up there can get...but I had told him that raysweather.com was saying highs of 10-13degrees F on Sugar and Beech.



And in all seriousness I thought I was going way overkill with the gear I had. I didn't expect the snow drifts to be so deep. The cold temperatures I think could have been managed...but cold and hiking through knee-thigh deep snow drifts...

[skipink]

I once went cc skiing at Roan Mountain and while were out it began snow/sleeting pretty hard. When we got back to the car, the roads were complete ice. As we came down the mountain, I was doing just fine until I came around a banked curve and there was a Floridiot in the middle of the road waving his arms for us to stop as he had slid off the road. I had a choice of sliding into the ditch or hitting him. I should've hit him.

[bamapilot]

So now ya'll are both in the ditch, how did you get down the hill???

[teledave]

Joshua8200;154441 wrote:






"Hurry up and take the picture before I freeze in this position."



Snow hiking in jeans and leather jackets,

so hot right now.

[skipink]

Had a Subaru front wheel then so it was pretty easy to get out. We almost ran into the back of his car though. I wasn't all the way down the bank so I had a chain and a 4X4 pulled us out. He couldn't figure out why I was mad. Acted like I should have been glad to stop and help, which I would have been glad to do if I wasn't in the ditch.