Date: 2016-03-13
From: Wesser Bald Shelter

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

Day 21 - 3/13/16 Wesser Bald Shelter to Nantahala Outdoor Center 6 miles7:45am. Woke up and it is pouring outside. Put on all of our rain gear and headed out only to find that it wasn't raining as much as we thought. So hot and humid. We were dying from the humidity while being in our sticky rain gear.This was the most beautiful day of hiking I think we have had. Mint green moss hung from every tree as if it were hair. It blew in the wind which made the effect even more believable. Lots of downhill rock scrambling. Came out to the most breathtaking view at the Jumpoff. Clouds were low and interspersed among the mountains which gave the scene an "other-worldliness" feel. We were simply awe-struck by the beauty.Right before this vista Corncob was telling us that he was troubled by subletting problems at home and needed a bit of positive vibes today. After bringing this up we immediately stumbled upon this view. Needless to say it helped brighten his mood. It's as if it were fated.From there, Turtle and Rusty joined us on the rest of the downhill. We eventually shed our rain gear and continued on the 6 miles of downhill toward the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). Corncob introduced the game of 20 questions which turned frustrating bc he had picked an exceptionally hard "thing" which turned out to be a firework.The miles went by quickly and we stopped for a snack at the Rufus Shelter (0.5 from the NOC). Rusty stuck with Cheetah and I after that and he told us about some of his vulnerable moments on the trail. He is using the AT as a way to reintroduce himself into a social world outside of work and family. I liked thinking about how many use it as a way to isolate themselves form the real world even though it is one of the most social atmospheres I have every been in. I think Rusty has it right.Walking down into the NOC was interesting. It is a kayaking and white water rafting haven. It was interesting to be around other people besides hikers. Turtle's father met him there and we threw all of our bags in his van and headed to the restaurant. It was called River's End and sat right on the Nantahala River. There were about 12 of us eating together. We also saw AK & Quick. I got a burger and fries and Cheetah and I split a brownie supreme. The best part was the 3 glasses of chardonnay. I had been craving a nice cold glass of chardonnay for about 2 days. After lunch I walked over to the bunkhouse office and purchased a bed for Cheetah, Corncob and myself. $22 a person. Lorax walked over with me and he gave me a beer. Afterward I did mine and Cheetah's laundry with Rusty and Corncob. Rusty is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. I love how forthcoming he is about his emotions. I walked over to River's End to buy Lorax a beer to repay him for earlier. Sat and talked with them a bit. He fought fires out west and was a Sig Ep at Utah. They are (the Mayor, Schwepps, Lorax) getting off the AT around the Smokies and heading out west to thru-hike the PCT late April.Walked back to the bunkhouse and took a shower. Then went to the common area to get the bottle of wine Cheetah picked up for me. AK pushed the cork in bc we didn't have an opener. I stayed there for a long time. I drank a lot of the bottle plus a couple beers. I became a crazy UK fan and argued with Schwepps for an hour about how much Duke sucks...whoops. Fun night though. Don't think I will allow myself to do that again unless there is a zero the next day. Cheetah and I went to bed around 11:30pm.Also, while we were all checking in/settling in Cheetah was in our bunkhouse (called Fink) and I was in the restroom right by our bunkhouse. All of a sudden, Ria hear's a desperate cry of "SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP MEEEEE!!!!" She rightfully freaks out and runs out of the bunkhouse expecting to see someone in dire need of help. Instead she saw Rusty Bridges carrying all of his stuff along with a 6 pack of beer and a 20lb. broken box of food sent from his mom. As soon as he sees Cheetah he says, "OH CHEETAH THANK GOD!" Of course Cheetah starts dying laughing bc he is a sight to see and she thought it was an actual emergency at first. I came out of the bathroom at this exact moment and joined both of their laughter. Rusty couldn't find his bunkhouse and was exhausted after hiking up those stairs with a million things in his arms.