AT: Sam’s Gap to Hog Back Shelter

Sam’s Gap Trail Headed / Flag Pond Rd & I-26 / Flag Pond, TN

5/4/2019 / 6 miles / 1,178 elevation gain

Recently my travels landed me in the beautiful City of Kingsport, Tennessee. Kingsport is located in the Northeast corner of Tennessee and is a nature lovers paradise with 360 degree views of the Appalachian Mountains.

As you can expect there are many hiking opportunities in and around this area. The famous Appalachian Trial (AT) on its journey between Georgia and Maine is roughly an hour south of Kingsport and I could hear it faintly calling my name. So I arranged a rendezvous at Sam’s Gap.

I arrived at the Trailhead around 11:30 am, the weather was mostly cloudy and warm but heavy storms were expected later in the afternoon. With that in mind I chose to hike from Sam’s Gap to Hog Back Shelter. This would be a 6 mile round trip with the first 3 being uphill (of course).

The trailhead started at a small parking area on the south side of Flag Pond Rd near Interstate 26. Once parked you will see the AT crosses under the I-26 bridge continuing north directly behind the parking area. My hike would be southbound so I would start with a short road walk and enter the forest about 1000 feet past the bridge. It is very well marked and easy to find.

As I entered the woods the trail was alive. The annual warbler migration was in full swing and I could hear a variety of calls. I didn’t get but 20 feet into the woods before spotting a Chestnut-Sided Warbler and an American Redstart, this was a great start. I wanted to stay longer and see who else was visiting but I needed to stay ahead of the weather so I pushed on.

It had been over a year since my last walk on the AT and it felt good to be back. In all reality the AT is just another path in the woods but for some reason it is special and there seems to be a little more excitement when hiking it. The trail was wide and very easy to follow especially with the iconic white blaze appearing every 100 feet.

Roughly a half a mile up the trail is the Moye Rest Memorial. It was erected by the Moye Foundation to commemorate the transfer of the Moye Family’s property to the National Forest so the AT could pass through. The Moyes (Atlanta, GA) obviously found this area special and openly recognized it as a place where they experienced peace and personal encounters with God. It was obvious why they felt this way.

As I moved up the trail, I was excited to see that the forest floor was full of spring wild flowers. Not only was the tree canopy full of fresh, new and shiny leaves but the ground was also adorned in a stunning gown. Trillium (white & pink varieties), Sticky Geraniums, May Apples, Purple Violets, Dwarf Larkspur and more lined the trail and it was stunning.

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At the two mile mark you reach a spur trail (blue blaze) to High Rocks. Most of the hike to this point was deep in the forest with no real vistas so I decided to take the detour. I was not disappointed.

It is a very short trail terminating at a rock outcrop giving an awesome view south toward the Smokies. The area is small but the views were huge.

I had High Rock all to myself so I took a much needed rest. While soaking up the views I was treated by a visit from a Black and White Warbler. As the name suggests this species of Warbler is white with black stripes. Or is it black with white stripes? Either way he was a great site and he gave me a great song and dance.

After nearly 2 miles of hiking uphill the trail finally revealed some downs including a few steep areas with switchbacks. I was glad to have a downhill stretch but knew that what goes down must come back up but I was willing to deal with that when the time came.

Hog Back Shelter was less than a mile from the High Rocks junction It is the typical shelter found along the AT, consisting of a 3 walled structure, privy, water source and a place to tent camp.

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These shelters are sturdy but definitely on the primitive side however they do provide a great place to escape the rain. To the left of the shelter was a water source and to the right a path leading to the privy with an outstanding view for those that need to “think.” What it lacks in privacy it makes up with the view. LOL. Speaking of the weather I opened my phone and was shocked to find the storm was almost on top of me. It was time to get moving and hopefully get back to car before it hit.

It was a three mile trip back to the trailhead and I am glad to say I made it to the Jeep just in the nick of time. The storm was a whopper, with torrential rain, wind and lots of lightning. I would’ve been drenched.

If you are interested in a moderate short hike with awesome views I would recommend Losing Track of Time on the AT at Sam’s Gap.

~Slow-LEE Hiking