farewell marionthon

The family @ Mountain Farm on Thursday (Celo Knob beyond)

The most exciting news is that Lily and I got teaching jobs in Transylvania County, and we'll be moving to Brevard in July! This move is bittersweet as we'll be leaving behind faces and places that we love. Marion has treated us well and I know we'll miss it.

The "Farewell Marionthon" was one last tour around some of my favorite local haunts before our move.  With weekend temperatures projected to soar above 100 degrees in town, I felt compelled to return to the highest Appalachian ridge for the third time this week... This time on foot. Besides, a porch-to-porch round-trip trek was still a bit of unfinished business for me.

Map generated from 59 GPS waypoints. View Farewell Marionthon in a larger map

I got a late start on Friday morning (10AM), but made quick progress along the roads following the Mt. Gibbes 100K route out of town. I was pouring sweat and worried about my water supply until I came upon a church's spigot. A full-body immersion in Curtis Creek preceded the beginning of the trail journey (~70% of the circuit).

Delicious raspberries and blackberries grew in abundance along the trail. Another full-body immersion in Jarrett Creek preceded the long hot climb up Heartbreak Ridge. Near the top, I spooked a large bear and began thinking about how to secure my food overnight. By 7PM, I made it to the same campsite below Potato Knob that Lily, Uwharrie and I enjoyed back in January. Although not quite as cold as back then, I knew this spot would be a good place to test out the latest fastpack gear revisions:

After a pleasant night and relatively leisurely morning (by fastpacking standards), I got going up over Potato Knob and Clingmans Peak, taking a far better line than what Brandon and I chose on Monday. By 8:30AM, I was at the Mt. Mitchell Restaurant having a luxurious hot breakfast before the obligatory summit push.

As expected, the return to Marion via the original Marionthon route was very challenging due to another record-breaking hot day. I took full advantage of every water source that I could. If a source was big enough to submerge my overheated body, I didn't think twice! The notoriously dry latter half of section 9 and first half of section 10 along the MST proved difficult, but I was able to persevere and finish the porch-to-porch round-trip "Farewell Marionthon" before 7PM! No fossil fuels were consumed during this $10 self-supported 100K+ journey.

"I think I'll mow the lawn tomorrow."