Date: 2014-07-16
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Brown Fork Gap Shelter
Miles today: 17.0
Weather: overcast clouds

My day started with a REAL breakfast at the same restaurant along the same river as last night...although it didn't seem like the same river. At dinner last night I watched kayakers practicing their skills in the rapids near the restaurant. They were maneuvering between boulders and performing flips in their kayaks. This morning the river was less than one foot deep. The river comes from a dam which is almost shut down each evening, so every night the water depth drops from several feet to several inches. The speed changes from churning rapids to a calm stream. It was hard to believe it was the same river. I really wanted to hang around past 9:30 when the river flow would be "turned on" again, but I had a long climb out of Nantahala Gorge to conquer today. I finished my breakfast of pancakes and sausage and eggs and juice and hit the trail. I had a 3200 foot gain to do climbing out of the gorge. Most of it was a fairly steady, moderate gain. But I had seen a section on the map labelled, "Jacob's Ladder" starts here. I wasn't sure if that meant climbing with hands and feet, but it sounded intimidating. I could tell from the elevations shown in the trail book that it was significantly steeper. I could also see that it was sixth tents of a mile. I was feeling pretty good that I hadn't had a climb yet where I had to repeatedly stop to rest, although I did choose strategic times to stop got a drink of water, and with all the water u was consuming, of course I had to stop to pee. One if the most convenient things about bring on the trail us that when you have to pee, you just stop, turn to the downhill side of the trail and let it flow down the mountain side. Hopefully it is a habit that quickly goes goes away when I am back in civilization.After a few hours I came to a lookout. I had a great view back down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. I was surprised that I was so far above it. It looked very small from my current altitude, and I was still climbing. I began to wonder if I would know it when I hit Jacob's Ladder. Well I did know it. Switch backs turned into a zigzag pattern where both the zig and the zag were angled up the hill. In Multivariable Calculus it would be referred to as walking along the gradient. Whoever designed the trail looked for the steepest in line and built the trail in that direction. If the incline changed, the trail zigged or zagged to realign with the steepest incline. I looked at my watch when the "Ladder" started so I could estimate if I were nearing the end.   I had been doing twenty minute miles. The six tents of a mile took me thirty minutes, but then I reached the top. It was about 2:00 but with my big breakfast, I hasn't eaten lunch yet. And what a great lunch site I had found. There was a log to sit on, there was a field of tall phlox, the sun was out, it was about 78 degrees, and the view was amazing. I sat and ate and took some photos, then I moved back under a tree bad rested in the shade before dividing I needed to move on. I wanted to get in fifteen to seventeen miles so I could get to Fontana Dam tomorrow, so I moved on. I went about thirty yards when I saw an opening in the other direction, so I had to take the short dude trail and check it out. Then I realized the time again and moved on. I went about thirty more yards and I came upon some Turk cap lilies. They are bright orange, six feet tall, and one if the few lilies native to North America. Of course I had to stop and get done more photos. Every time I had my camera packed away, I would come across another lily and have to stop and get the camera back out. Finally I left the mountain top and headed down the trail.Seventeen miles from my breakfast location I stopped for the day arcBrown Fork Gap Shelter. It was pretty crowded with a group of scouts and their leaders, but the next marked campsite was 3 miles further, and I hadn't seen a lot if unmarked campsites on the trail today. I found a spot for my tent between the two tents belonging to the about leaders. They could not believe I was planning to hike to Fontana Dam and the Smokies tomorrow. They had spent two days hiking from the NOC and planned on another two to get to Fontana. My wife was on her way up from Florida to meet me at Fontana Dam so I had extra motivation. I shared the scouts campfire with them, had a great supper if rehydrated chili, and spent my last night in my tent.