Date: 2006-06-05
From: Day 19-Cold Spring Shelter to NOC

To: Day 19-Cold Spring Shelter to NOC
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

June 5, 2006 Cold Spring Shelter to Nantahala Outdoor CenterDay 19. Cold Spring Shelter to Nantahala Outdoor Center (11.5 miles)Around 6:30 a.m., while trying to stay warm, we went through our normal breakfast routine. Even though the weather had cleared, everything was VERY wet. We did decide to wear extra clothing until we got warmer.We headed out of camp. Chris passed us and was moving right along and told us he would see us at Nantahala Outdoor Center. The shelter had been along the Trail leading to the top of Copper Ridge Bald. So, our first job was to continue uphill to Copper Ridge Bald. From there we dropped down to Tellico Gap, an elevation change of about 1200 feet. When we got to Tellico Gap, one of the men who had come through behind Chris was in the process of laying out his gear in the sun to hopefully get it dry. It had warmed up enough at this point that this man had taken off everything but his hiking shorts. He was resting on his sleeping pad while his shoes, shirt, and many loose, wet items were on the rocks drying. After we left Tellico Gap, we headed up another steep hill toward Wesser Bald Observation Tower. The tower is a former fire tower but is now just an observation deck on top of the original structure. From Wesser Bald we began a gradual descent that would take us to the Jump-Up Lookout followed by a steep descent into NOC. Along the gradual descent we came to the Wesser Bald Shelter, where we stopped for an extended lunch break and an important privy stop for Denley. He had eaten WAY too much peanut butter for lunch the day before and it was causing a serious backup! While we were at the shelter, the guy from Tellico Gap showed up and he was all dried out and trying to decided whether or not to stop for the night or go on down the Trail. This shelter was also the day¢s goal for the Hiking Gourmets. So, as we left, we knew we would not see them again.From the shelter, we hiked about a mile and a half of steep little ups and downs until we got to the Jump-Up Lookout. This feature is nothing more than a small rocky outcropping that looks out over the entire valley where the NOC is located. From the lookout to the NOC is a drop of almost 2,300 feet in four miles. Denley, who does not like heights either, was just convinced that we had to go over this rocky outcropping to begin our descent. He was happy to see a sharp right turn in the Trail into a dark shady area that provided a much smaller drop off. We had expected this trail to be steep, but we were not prepared for the next half mile, which consisted of several rocky descents that were almost completely vertical with basically imaginary footholds.   There were a couple sets of steps built into the mountain. One in particular was more like a ladder than steps ¢ so steep! After the first half mile, the scary steepness became just very steep and continued on down into the valley and the NOC. When we arrived at the NOC, our first obstacle was US19, a very busy highway that we had to cross, which seems strange after a long lonely hike. Facing traffic seems weird. As we crossed the highway, we looked up and saw Snake (Chris) walking toward us. We had a delightful visit with him while we waited for Ris« to arrive and pick us up. We had planned to eat at the NOC because we had been told the food was good. Wrong. We decided to look for something a little more appetizing.   So, when our chauffeur arrived, we headed for the nearest town for supper.This is Denley¢s last day on the Trail for now. We have officially completed 133.9 AT miles plus at least 10 more miles of Blue Blaze Trails in search of shelters and water.