Date: 2007-05-20
From: Winding Stair Gap/Franklin Motel

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 21.6
Weather: clear sky

Yesterday at the Franklin Motel, I asked the receptionist in the lobby about transportation back to the Trail head at Winding Stair Gap, 10-miles West down Highway 64. She hands me a paper from the Nantahala Appalachian Club, with a list of volunteer names and numbers. I started at the top of the list, and worked down until I had an arranged ride. The lady---whose name escapes me, unfortunately---asks me how early I'd like to leave, to which I respond, "As early as possible!" She picks me up this morning, just shy of 8:30am.As is my habit, I purchased too much food; so, I left the surplus in my hotel room. I tell the receptionist when I turn in my key, and she responds, "Oh goody, I'll eat it!" For any readers who haven't noticed yet, my last name is Muir, like that of the late great John. In a setting such as the Appalachian Trail, I'm constantly asked if there's any relation. To my knowledge, there isn't; but, it's still pretty coolAt the Trail head, I head North, hoping I'm cut out for this 20+ mile day, which will be a first for me. I am excited and nervous at the same time; but, I force these thoughts out of my mind, trying to focus on the terrain, which is rising at a steady pace, as is the case when leaving a gap.Shortly after leaving the highway, a wooden bridge crosses a beautiful waterfall! I photograph it, then attempt to do a face-shot of myself, with the falls in the background! After multiple failed attempts, I give up this endeavor, wishing I had a hiking buddy. "You'll hike fast enough to catch up with the other thru-hikers", a thru-hiker alumni assures me. I have yet for this to happen, but I haven't lost hope!I know Siler Bald is coming up, which I've been told is quite beautiful. The climb isn't too severe, but it is up. Along the way, I encounter beautiful yellow lady slippers! I have never seen this wildflower before, and likely would've breezed right past it, had someone not left a note pointing them out! What a rare flower species, a beautiful flower species... no, a breathtaking flower species! The Mind of God is truly a beautiful thing, MUST be a beautiful thing to think up a creation as amazing as this!I have a tendency to stop by most of the shelters, to check up on the register. The Siler Bald Shelter is .5-miles off Trail, a distance which I am unwilling to traverse. The Trail straddles right over the shoulder of Siler Bald, with a short spur Trail to the summit, which I bypass, eager to make the 20+ miles!In Wingfoot, I read last night that the Bartram Trail joins the AT for about a mile-and-a-half. I'm excited, as the New Bartram Trail, which joins the Bartram Trail, goes right through my hometown! Seeing the white and yellow blazes together is exciting, realizing that if I were to follow the yellow blazes South, I could hike home!The climb of Wayah Bald is tiring, as the sun is getting hire, exacerbating the heat. At the top, however, there is a group of senior citizens out for a walk. What a joy to encounter others out for a hike, even if just for a day! I pray to God that I never lose this intense desire to be in the outdoors with my age. The stone observation deck atop the summit provides spectacular views! I can clearly see Siler Bald, which gives an awesome perspective as to the great distances I am traversing! I can also see the Smoky Mountains, and have my first view of Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the entire Trail! It doesn't look like a very killer climb from here, which is what I've been told by many.I begin the descent from Wayah Bald, after eating lunch and talking to some others who have made it up here by automobile. They are all amazed that I have hiked just over 10-miles today already, and am shooting for 10 more before I retire. Shortly after beginning the descent, the Bartram and Appalachian Trails split. Fairwell, my fair friend. Perchance someday I will find myself hiking your entirity.I come upon a sign pointing towards a shelter. I'm immediately impressed by how nice this sign is, and reason it's a new one. This judgment proves to be true, as it leads to a new shelter, which isn't in any of the books yet: Wayah Bald Shelter. Two of the Nantahala Club volunteers are here---again, whose names have escaped my mind!---who are thrilled about the new shelter... and they assure me that mice have already designated it as their new home! Criminy!Sections of the Trail today travel through areas where fires once blazed. I don't know how recent these fires were, but there is much ash still on the trees and ground, and there is a pervasive smell of fire that once was. I remember a family I knew while growing up, whose house burned to the ground. They salvaged some of their clothing, stained with the noxious odor of smoke. After several washes, they realized that the clothes were simply ruined. This is about how the forest smells, as I walk through. What fragile grounds these are.I arrive at Wesser Bald Shelter around 7pm, to find a gentleman camping alone, two ladies sharing a tent nearby, and one lady with the shelter all to herself. I sit in the shelter, perusing the journal entries, checking to see what hikers I'm catching up with.I pitch my tent uphill from the shelter, and cook my dinner near the fire ring, and away from my tent (I've heard horror stories of mice eating through tent walls). Sleep is a welcome friend, one whom I feel as if I have lost touch with. Wait, no, I met with this friend of mine just yesterday; the melatonin is merely having its soporific effect on me, as I have just hiked my biggest day yet: 21.6-miles!