Date: 2017-03-10
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

To: Nantahala Outdoor Center
Miles today: 5.9

3/10/17 Nantahala Outdoor CenterMiles hiked: 137.0, Miles to go: 2052.8What a difference a day makes. The lightning storm came in with a with a flash and a bang, high winds, and rain; but, it was fairly short lived. I actually slept pretty well, with only a small amount of sliding on the incline. And the guy next to me quit snoring. I knew I had a short day into the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) so I didn't rush out of camp. I let the high winds dry my tent while having a leisurely breakfast. I left at the same time as two other 50-something hikers, Rooster and Hydrator, and ended up hiking the 5.9 miles to the NOC with them. It was a pretty epic hike along a narrow ridge with a precipitous drop off either side. We reached the end of the ridge at the Jumpoff. The Jumpoff is an incredible rock formation that juts out at the end of the ridge, with 240 degree views. It was incredible! Then we started the drop into the Nantahala River Gorge, a 2200 ft drop with some fairly technical rock scrambles that took all of our concentration. To add to the stress, the wildfires last Fall had ravaged the trail through this section, making the treadway pretty unstable in places. It was epic! Albert Mt all over again - minus the rain. In fact, during our hike, the sun broke out and gave us a beautiful day to hike. Constant conversation with Hydrator and Rooster made the hike pass quickly. Rooster has a good friend who was recently diagnosed with ALS, so he is hiking to raise awareness of ALS and raise money for ALS research. Check out his website at http://Hike4Roger.com. We reached the bottom and arrived at the NOC. It's a really cool place on the Nantahala River that offers all kinds of outdoor recreation like whitewater rafting and zip lines. In fact, this was the site of the whitewater canoe events at the 1996 Olympics. They have a restaurant, a well stocked outfitter, general store, laundry, and bunkhouses. It's another landmark spot on the trail. I had reserved a bunk and planned a Nearo as a rest day. The term "rest day" is a misnomer. There are always chores to be done: laundry, shower, restock food, repair/replace equipment, eat. We did all those things and had a pleasant day of it. As Rooster, Hydrator, and I sat down to dinner, Tiptoe and Right Move came in. We invited them over and we all had a great dinner discussing our adventures so far on the trail. When I returned to the bunkhouse after dinner I found that I had been joined in the eight bunk room by two more people - Tiptoe and Right Move! How cool. Spring has begun to arrive in the Southern Appalachians. We are seeing tender green shoots and little purple flowers poking up among the ash and char of the burned forest. Insects are buzzing around us throughout the day. Buds are appearing on the trees. And I heard my first neeker breekers in the pond near the bunkhouse. On the flip side, we are all watching the weather and evaluating. Forecasts are calling for 6-8 inches of heavy snow in the mountains tomorrow night. We are all debating wether to head out tomorrow and risk getting stranded at a shelter or just take a zero day at the NOC. It appears for awhile at least, I have found a pretty cool group to hang with. I had a reader ask if we actually call each other by our trail names. In the beginning, as we were all still a little uncomfortable in our thru hiker skins and hadn't all acquired trail names, we still used each other's given names. Now, as most of us are beginning to feel more comfortable on the trail and have done something to acquire a trail name, the given names are fading away. In fact, I don't know Rooster's, Hydrator's, Tiptoe's, or Right Move's given names. I think trail names serve a couple of purposes. First, in a world where we share space so intimately in shelters and hostels (most of the privies don't even have roofs or doors), trail names give us just a little piece of anonymity. Second, it makes us all part of the thru hiker tribe. And, finally, it separates us from our real world selves and allows us to be someone a little different for a short while. I'll keep you posted about the upcoming Winter storm and how it affects our hike.