Date: 2006-03-26
From: Wayah Bald

To: Wesser, NC (Nantahala Outdoor Center)
Miles today: 16.8
Weather: broken clouds

Last night was my coldest night on the trail so far. When I woke up at about 3am I checked the temperature and it was 8 degrees. Luckily I was able to stay fairly warm in my tent and sleeping bag... but it was still cold. Breaking camp was not fun, I was freezing and there are lots of things that I need to take my hands out of my gloves to accomplish. By the time we started hiking I was frozen to the bone. The the thing about hiking in the cold is that you don't usually stay cold for long. Since I left camp wearing basically every item of clothing I brought with me on the trail by the time I started up the first hill I was burning up. Thus began the stripping process. I would take off clothes until I was no longer hot and then continue hiking... usually no more than a half mile up the trail I was be burning up again so I would stop and take off more clothes... this process would continue until I finally felt like I was at a comfortable temperature or until I ran out of clothes to remove.For the first part of the hiking today I was miserable. The up hills were all too steep and too long and the down hills were either too steep or not long enough. I couldn't seem to find my happy place that I have had an easy time achieving almost every other day on the trail. The group I was hiking with hiked about 11 miles to the shelter we were planning on staying at. We got there fairly early so we just kind of relaxed and read the shelter log. I also noticed an Edward Abbey quote that someone had written on one of the benches in the shelter and it really cheered me up. It reminded me of all the reasons I want to hike this trail and reminded me that I am doing what many only dream of doing.Moments later another group came into the shelter and one of the hikers announced he was going to continue on the remaining 5.5 miles to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). I immediately jumped at this opportunity and said I would go as well. Now to clue you in... the 5.5 miles to the NOC is mostly down hill and very steep. Over the last 3 miles you drop almost 3000ft in elevation.The hike to NOC was much more pleasant for me... I was able to get into a groove and remembered what it was like to enjoy hiking. Once we arrived at NOC we immediately went to the restaurant and I ordered the double 1/2 pound burger with cheese, bacon, french fries on the side, drank 7 cokes and for dessert: hot fudge brownie. Also while we were there we talked to the manager of the restaurant and he said that we could stay in the "dog houses" for free if we wanted (they aren't really dog houses, they are little huts where the river rafting guides live in the summer time. they don't have heat but they do have electricity.). We jumped at the chance of sleeping in a bed for free.Some of you may be wondering what the quote was that cheered me up... so I have copied it below. Enjoy!   "One final paragraph of advice: Do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am, a reluctant enthusiast... a part time crusader, a half hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it while you can. While it's still there. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for awhile and contemplate the precious stillness, that lovely mysterious and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over your enemies, over those desk bound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards!"~Edward Abbey