Date: 2017-04-17
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center 
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 20 on the Appalachian TrailApril 17Miles Today: 6 Total Miles: 137.1We didn't go in to today expecting it to be a nearo day. Originally I had wanted to get down to the NOC, grab my resupply, and get a decent start on the climb out which is over 3,000ft in less than 7 miles. Once we got down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center it was a whole other story.I got up at 6:45 this morning wanting to get an early start on the day. Normal breakdown occurred and I was on the trail at 8. Joe was in the process of taking his stuff down when I left and I knew he wouldn't be far behind. Dad camped a bit further down the trail so I expected to see him shortly after leaving. After about a mile in I hadn't seen him yet so I turned my cell service on and got a text from him saying he headed out. Not long after I ran in to him while he was taking in a view. From there on out it was real nice hiking for the day. Today wasn't the typical 2.5-3mph/hr hiking either. Today was technical. Today was full of the hiking I love most. Every step required precision and one wrong step would send you tumbling hundreds of feet down on either side of the trail. We were walking on a ridge and it was spectacular. It reminded me of hiking in the Whites and gave me a taste for what's to come. Most of the trail up to this point has been senseless one foot in front of the other with no care to where you plant your feet. Not that there's anything wrong with that but it gets old after a while and it's fun to traverse some more challenging terrain. After a few miles of descent the trail got a bit easier and I was quickly making my way down in to the NOC. By 11 I was at the base with dad and we decided to sit for a bit down by the river. There were several ducks swimming around and diving for food. I went in to get my supply box and when I came out the river had risen quite a bit due to the releasing of the dam. Not long after sitting around we started to look for a place to camp. We came across some train tracks and decided to walk down them where we saw another hiker come from. About half a mile down the tracks we came across the most amazing camp site right along the edge of the Nantahala River. It was absolutely perfect and I knew I wanted to spend the night here. After getting camp set up we heard from Joe and told him how to get to our campsite. Once he arrived, he loved it just as much as we did and he was perfectly content with spending the night. Before long we were headed to the store to get a 6-pack each. My dad and I chose a 12'er of Terrapin IPA's. Being a fan of the Grateful Dead made it a no brainer. Not long after we were sitting down at the river enjoying some cold brews. It was an afternoon for the books. It doesn't get much better than hiking all morning, getting camp set up and then drinking some cold ones by a river. Absolutely perfect day. Around 5pm a bit of rain began to roll in so we decided to head to the local restaurant and get some food. I had a personal pizza that was fantastic while dad and Joe each had a 1/2lb burger each. Not wanting to go back to our tents in the rain, we headed to what we thought was a bar at the nearby pavilion which actually ended up being closed. Instead of a bar, it was full of thru-hikers and we had a mini hiker bash. Everyone was having some beers, talking and having a great time. By 8:30 the rain had stopped and most people had headed out to their cabins to go to bed. Joe, dad and I headed back to our campsite and I got a decently sized fire going. We sat around that for quite awhile and dried some wet clothes. Now it's nearly 11 and I'm up later than I've been since leaving for the AT. With a big day of climbing ahead of me I'm a little bit worried I won't be getting enough sleep tonight. It's been worth it and I wouldn't change a thing about today if I had to do it over again. It's been one hell of a day. Tomorrow we climb out of the NOC and continue North.