This is an ode to the wonder of the Appalachian Mountains and represents one of our favorite places to spend a warm afternoon. Max Patch, much like Alt Route Meals, has adapted and changed with the times to be the beautiful place that it is today. Back in the 1800’s this bald was initially cleared to be used as farmland by the local community. Over the years the farming has ceased to exist and now this iconic bald lies along one of our beloved National Scenic Trails, the Appalachian Trail. It is protected and preserved within the boundaries of the Pisgah National Forest and many have discovered its beauty. We thought there could be no better map to represent the front of our packaging than that of Max Patch.
Favorite Memory of Max Patch: It was fall of 2016. I was approaching the end of my southbound thru hike along the Appalachian Trail and I was finally within a days hike of Max Patch! I had been raving about this spot for hundreds of miles. Telling everyone I was hiking with how unbelievable it was. I could not tell you how many times I demanded that we camp on top of Max Patch. There was no other option than to watch the sun set and rise while sleeping under the stars on the summit of the bald. Well, ever so strategically placed was the trail town of Hot Springs, NC only 20 trail miles prior to Max Patch. This should have been a relatively easy day mileage wise at this point in the trail when leaving town, but of course things never go as you may have expected along the trail. Hot Springs sucked us all in for an entire extra day of which we used our time to ‘overindulge’ in the pleasantries of town life which had left us all a little worse for the wear the next morning. Several of the guys took off before me, while I promised I would meet them atop Max Patch later that day. Finally about 11 am I forced myself away form the comfort of the hostel and started the arduous climb to the top of Max Patch. I am sure that I sweated out everything I had drank after about the first 10 miles of the ascent, but I knew I would be cutting it close to make sunset. I kicked it into high gear and arrived to the summit just as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. That moment, we all stood together in silence, having the mountaintop nearly to ourselves, and appreciated a moment that will likely never be replicated. Our journey was drawing to an end, but this moment would live on forever- at least in my heart. It was the embodiment of beauty, of ambition, of accomplishment and awe. It was everything I never knew you could share with people who were strangers only months before. It was love.