Today, after hiking into the Nantahala Outdoor Center, I decided to spend the night in a bunkhouse. The trail goes right through here. I picked up a mail/food drop at the outfitter. The next place I plan to take a nero is in Hot Springs NC. That's about 140 miles from here. Weather conditions could change that of course. It's beautiful today. I hope I have a few days like this in the Smokys so I can enjoy the views.
I would like to thank you for following my blog, and for those that have made comments. I have read all of them. It's comforting to know that so many people are a part of my journey. It makes being alone, less alone.
Today was a smooth day. It was around 25 degrees when I got up. I got on trail at 8:50 am. The deep muddy foot prints on the trail were frozen making walking a little tricky. When I was on the north face of a mountain the trail was still snow covered. The sky was clear most of the day providing nice views. When I got to Tellico Gap there were six slack packers waiting for their ride back to a hostel. A slack packer is someone that hikes without carrying all of their gear. They have someone drop them off and pick them up at the end of the day. The last 5 miles today was mostly steep down hill. Steep down hills are hard on the feet and knees. I hiked briefly with a young lady from upstate NY. She was hiking a little slow for me, so I passed her. Other than her I hiked alone. I don't have my "hiker legs" yet, but hiking up the mountains are easier than when I started. There are usually at least two big ups (mountains ) each day. I'm staying in the A. Rufus Morgan Shelter with five others. It rained lightly the last hour of my hike and continues to rain now. Hopefully the shelter roof doesn't leak. Tomorrow I will be at Nantahala Outdoor Center. It's only one mile away. Depending on the weather I may take a nero. I'm hoping a couple guys behind me catch up before I start the Smokys, which I'll be starting in the next few days.
This morning Dan and Nina cooked me a hearty breakfast. It was great. Anne wanted me to sit next to her. She's a bright little three year old. After breakfast I went through my gear and worked on my blog. Nina graciously altered her plans to drive me back to the trail. Thanks Nina!
I started hiking at 11:30am. The trail today was either snow packed, ice covered, or muddy. Neither of which make for speedy hiking. But, at least I didn't fall. I had two nice views today. The first was at Siler Bald summit. There was a day hiker there that took my picture. The second was at Wayah Bald tower. The view from there was the best view I've seen yet. It was amazing! Luckily there was a clear sky. I could see the Albert Mountain fire tower that I was at 20 miles ago. Today I hiked by myself all day. It's really very peaceful. The time passes faster when hiking with someone though. Yesterday I hiked the last 8 miles with Phys Ed which was nice too. He is a retired middle school gym teacher from Gettysburg Pa. He retired last school year. A good guy.
I'm staying in Wayah Bald shelter. There are three other guys here, none of which I've met before. There's Trail Light, One Two, and Dixie Grits. All are likeable guys. I'm going to turn in at 8:00 pm. Looking forward to another beautiful day tomorrow.
It was 14 degrees this morning when we got up. The good news was that the temperature is supposed to be a lot warmer the next few days. I hiked with Pigpen for the first two miles. The trail took me up to the Albert Mountain fire tower. It was a very big climb. It was very tough! Luckily the sky was clear making for awesome views. I stayed there for fifteen minutes enjoying it.
At Winding Stair Gap, Nina who is a friend of a friend who my sister knows picked me up. Her and her husband Dan offered to let me spend the night in their home, along with their daughter Anne. Nina cooked a great dinner and did my laundry. It was great! Dan and Nina both have thru hiked tge AT and the PCT. Dan also hike 3400 miles across America!
It had snowed most of the night. There was 6-8 inches on the ground where we were. It was bitterly cold. Going forward it was about 28 miles to a road crossing with a town nearby. The cold and snow made it very difficult. This was definitely one of the harsh days. I started hiking at 9:30. There were a couple hikers ahead of me making it a little easier to get through the snow. It was still very slow going. There were places that the snow had drifted to 30 inches. It was a brutal day for hiking but at the same time very beautiful. It was a winter wonderland!
I made it to Carter Gap shelter at 5:00 pm. By six I was in my sleeping bag. I decided to go into Franklin NC tomorrow evening. I wanted to get my sleeping bag dried from the snow that had blown into the shelters.
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| Wanderlust |
Last night I stayed at Blue Mountain Shelter. I got there at 5:30 pm. I hiked the last two miles with Head Bone. We have similar hiking speed, so hopefully I'll see him from time to time. He's a friendly guy. His wife is picking him up at a road crossing b/c he lost his money and credit card. He's staying in town a couple nights. He asked if I wanted a ride to town, I told him I was going to stay on trail. I can tent for free, and like someone I know always says, "free is for me ".
There is a group of Veterans thru hiking. There were eight of them at this shelter.
It was raining this morning so I waited to start hiking until 11:00 am. There was a dense fog most of the day. This afternoon I talked to Oaks and Sweet Pea at an overlook. They took my picture and I took theirs. They were a young couple in their twenties.
At the campsite I'm at now there are three other guys. I got here at 6pm. I got in my tent at 8pm. It started to rain soon after. Most backpackers go to sleep around 9pm. That's considered "hikers midnight ".
Tomorrow I'm taking a nero. That's when you do a low mileage day. A zero is when you don't hike at all for the day. I'm only hiking about 6 miles.
I'm picking up a food drop at Blueberry Patch Hostel, and stay there if there's room. I should be there mid day. It'll give me a chance to rest up.
Its almost hikers midnight. Lights out!
Sleeping on a mattress indoors last night was great. There were 15 people in one room on bunks. I met Headbone there. He is from NC. I also met a guy named Jeff from the Hampton's in NH (I wonder if he knows George??) I started hiking at 9am.
I saw two hikers at an overlook. The guy named Bird Man took my picture. Many great views today. Cold but dry, the sun tried to come but didn't make it.
As I was coming down Wildcat Mountain towards Hogpen Gap I could see a paved road with a parking lot with a couple cars. As I got closer I could see several backpackers, one being Headbone, at the back of a car. There was more trail magic to be had. Robyn and Bran, from Dalton Ga. were there with Powerade, water, home made brownies and moon pies. It was a nice treat. After talking to them for 10-15 minutes I hiked on to Blue Mountain shelter. It was full so I setup my tent. I hiked the last two miles with Head Bone.
We are supposed to get rain tonight and tomorrow. I may not get many miles in.
Last night we stayed at Woody Gap. There was a constant strong wind from 11 pm until this morning at 9 am. The temperature was in the teens. The wind chill must have been near zero. The loud sound of the wind and the cold made it difficult to get much sleep, and an even more difficult time getting out of the sleeping bag this morning.
About an hour into our hike we came to Preaching Rock. An overlook with an amazing view of mountain ranges as far as the eye could see. While it was cold, it was clear and sunny. Three dayhikers there offered us bagels with cream cheese and lox, which we gladly excepted.
At mid day while stopped for a break in a sunny location I took my tent and sleeping bag out let them dry out. They had gotten ice and a little snow on them last night. It looked like I was having a yard sale.
Later we came to Blood Mountain. It was a 1,000 ft climb over 1.3 miles, which is a big climb. The view from there was very nice in all directions.
I made it back to Mountain Crossings hostel where I was able to take a much needed hot shower. A church group was serving lasagna at the hostel. It was very good!
I started hiking at 8:45 am. It must have been in the low 30's overnight and was chilly starting out this morning.
At 11:00 I came to Cooper Gap. There was a clearing next to a gravel road. I saw 5 one-gallon jugs of water setting by a tree. There was a lady and man at a car there offering the water and beef sticks to the 6 hikers that had stopped there.
I met a guy from Bellfountain Ohio. He is a retired police officer. Hopefully I'll see him up the trail. He seemed like a good guy. I met a lady named Nax and her dog Capt Nemo. They are from Alaska. All are thru hikers.
Time to eat!
I'll sleep good tonight.
