Date: 2007-05-21
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 21.7
Weather: clear sky

Food is on my mind today; and, I'm not talking about oatmeal. I'm thinking about real food. 5.6-miles North of here lies the Nantahala Outdoor Center, a place I have visited numerous times while growing up. Today, whitewater rafting/kayaking isn't on my mind: food and a new water-filtration system are on my mind. The Aqua Mira drops, I think, are the culprit in a series of stomach cramps I have experienced. No diarrhea have I experience, just stomach cramps. I make it a point to keep ImmodiumAD in my homemade first-aid kit, which has helped suppress the cramps. I fear the chemicals in the Aqua Mira has been killing off beneficial bacteria that lives in the stomach. I have decided that it's best to spend some money on a water pump. So, off I truck, full-speed ahead to the N.O.C.Just shy of two-miles North is a magnificent vista titled, according to Wingfoot, The Jumpoff. Below, I can see Nantahala Lake, which seems to be more than 5.6-miles; but, I trust my sources and push on, hungry as a hippo!Before long, I can hear traffic, and construction work. I bypass A. Rufus Morgan Shelter, and checking up on the Trail Gossip in the Register, as I want my stomach to remain a good friend of mine... again, real food is on my mind!Through the trees, I can see the highway, and the buildings, all part of the property of the N.O.C. Entering public places like this can be awkward at times, as I know I'm this gangly-looking fellow, complete with an untrimmed beard, and splendid BO, making me appear as a homeless person, I'm sure. Despite any reservations I have when entering public places, they're always proven wrong! People see a beard and a backpack, and automatically associate me with this great Trail, and flock to me, peppering my ears and mind with questions about this, that, and the other. I first head to the outfitter, and am treated to wonderful service by a short-haired girl (I can't remember any names today!). I end up purchasing a new mouthpiece for my Camelback, the first of which was halfway eaten by a mouse my first night, resulting, if you weren't already aware, of my trail name; and, a Katadyn water pump. I then head to the Rivers End restaurant and catch the breakfast buffet, replete with eggs, bacon, sausage, fruit, waffles, cereal, and juice! In the course of my stay, I probably drink an entire pot of coffee, and devour two full plates, each overflowing with eggs, bacon, waffles, and fruit; I also eat two bowls of cereal. My beautiful waitress teases me about my eating habits. I smile, and challenge her to do a long-distance hike, guaranteeing her that she, too, will be eating much like me! Before leaving, I thank her for her beautiful eyes (they were SO beautiful!), to which she responds, with face a-blushing, "Thank you! I've never had a hiker compliment me like that!"So, I've hiked 5.6-miles, and am planning to do 16.1 more. I have heard horror stories about the climb out of the Nantahala Gorge, a 3,300-foot climb in 8-miles. I reason it can't be as bad as everyone says, since it's 8-miles in length!Boy, was I proven wrong! By this time, I was consistently averaging 2.5-miles-an-hour, regardless of the terrain. Well, 7-miles exactly, one finds themself at Sassafras Gap Shelter. It takes me 3 1/2-hours to make this much of the climb, and there's still 1.2-miles more to go before the full exit from the Gorge, atop Cheoah Bald. I know there're 9-more miles to go, which will result in my finishing after dark. I don't like the prospect of this, but I do like the prospect of sticking to a relative schedule. The main reason I want to finish the 9-miles, is so I can make it to Fontana Dam tomorrow, with ample time to go into the Village and restock my food supply for the first 40-miles of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.So, I go to the shelter to rest and eat my dinner. This way, I figure I can enter camp at Brown Fork Gap Shelter, and go right to sleep, disturbing any other potential campers as little as possible. Here, I meet Black Beard, and soon Josh (Piano Man), whom I camped with at Wesser Bald (the gentleman by himself), and met officially on the bridge across the Nantahala River. We hang out some, and I think they think I'm crazy for being willing to push on for 9-more miles, finishing after dark. I tell them that I'm not content to hike but 12-miles today, when I've been hiking for almost two-weeks!After eating and cleaning, I replenish my water supply, and hike North. The climb up Cheoah is steep, but enjoyable, as I feel rested. The views atop the Bald are beautiful, but I don't stay for very long, just snapping a few pictures, before pushing on. Based on my bad experience with the late-comer hikers at Wood Hole Shelter in Georgia, I really strive to practice tact as best as possible regarding the experience of other hikers.As I hike, it slowly gets darker and darker, especially as the ridge-walking wraps around the side of a mountain where the sun is thus blocked. I know Stecoah Gap, crossing NC143 can't be much further, and I decide to not stop to get out my headlamp until I reach the highway crossing. I can soon hear traffic, and am exuberant, as this is one of the few times when the sound of traffic actually means the road is nearby!I want to down a Nalgene's worth of water before pushing on, and hunt and hunt for the water source, mentioned in Wingfoot. I have no luck, and angrily give up. I then look in Wingfoot again, in the reference section, and he has detailed directions to the water source. I'm already too tired to care, and realize I do have plenty of water in my Camelback, so I push on.Back at Sassafras Gap Shelter, Black Beard lets me look at his map (I don't carry them on me) and study the elevation profile. I know I have two more steep climbs after crossing this highway, and I'm NOT looking forward to it, being in the dark, and with the bad history with my knee at the end of the day. I push on, and immediately my knee begins hurting again, stiffening up. I take two ibproufens, and push forward, slowly, doing my best in the dark to step over the rocks rather than trip over them like a stereotypical drunk Irishman (I'm 1/3 Irish, so I'm allowed to crack that joke!). I go up and over the first steep climb, relieved to have the first one down, and not looking forward to the prospect of yet another one! I'm overwhelmed with joy when, just on the right, I see a sign for the shelter! So far as I can tell, I've only done one climb, despite the maps elevation profile showing two distinct ones! I've made it, in the dark, with a stiff left leg! I'm completely exhausted, as it's now 10:30pm, and I'm used to having my lights out at 10pm at the latest!I go down the spur trail to the shelter, hoping against hope that no one is there, as I really don't want to disturb any sleepers! I see two bodies and one tent! I endeavor to be as quiet as possible, respecting the space of those present, and assuming they are asleep. After removing my pack, I begin looking for a level spot of ground where I can pitch my tent. This gap is narrow, and all of the ground area is slightly sloped, thus being uninviting for a tent. From the shelter, I hear a quiet voice say, "There's room in the shelter!" I quietly thank this kind lady, whomever she may be, and put my sleeping pad and bag on an open spot on the shelter floor. Hanging my food from a tree is more difficult than it should be, and after a seeming eternity, that un-fun task is complete. "These other hikers hate me already, what with all the noise I'm surely making!" Back at the shelter, I climb into my sleeping bag, and pass out within minutes, I'm sure.