Date: 2018-05-04
From: Winding Stair Gap (Franklin)

To: Fontana Dam
Miles today: 55.0

Ray, Dev, and I started at Winding Stair Gap near Franklin, NC around noon on Monday, April 30th. I was very excited and honored to have some familiar faces on the trail with me for the next 55 miles. We cut our first destination a little short once we reached Wayah Bald the first night. The observation tower had the most incredible views so we decided to actually sleep in the observation tower that night. After the daily visitors left, we set up camp. We were able to watch the sunset over the Great Smoky Mountain National Park behind us, while Franklin began to light up in the valley below to the East. After the sun had set, the moon started to rise in the East. It was a full moon, and as it approached the horizon, it was blood red. The moon was so bright it actually made it difficult to sleep. We also got to see an airplane land on a runway near Franklin during the night. It was an interesting perspective to be above an airplane as it flew by and landed. By far the most beautiful night so far. The sunrise in the morning was just as amazing. I tried to take some pictures, but pictures of these things never do them justice. The next day we started our 3000 ft ascent towards the Nantahala Outdoor Center. We set up camp about a mile south of the NOC with plans to hike in that evening to grab dinner and a beer. Yet we were so wore out we decided to wait until the morning to make our way into the NOC. That night, some sort of plane (very large), flew so low in the valley we all agreed that we thought for sure the next thing we would hear was a crash. We didn't hear a crash, yet after it flew over we heard several coyotes close by howling back at the plane. The next morning, we packed up and headed to the NOC for a nice breakfast before we started our 3000 ft climb back up to the ridges. This made for a total of 9 miles before we started to find flat ground again. We ran into some individuals who had said that climb was the first experience on the trail that made them want to quit. We came into a camp that night that was found to be full so we pressed on for a few more miles and found a pretty sweet spot on top of the next ridge. We were definitely the fortunate ones as we had our privacy and got to witness yet another sunset/sunrise duo from about 3800 ft. Regrettably, the next day was the last with my friends. We started our day with a portion called Jacob's Ladder, a section of the trail that climbs 800 ft over 0.8 miles. This is one of the steepest sections I have come across so far. The rest of the day wasn't so bad and we were able to take our time and enjoy our last day together. We approached the lake at around 7:30, finishing with another 2000 ft ascent over around 5.5 miles.  It was truly an awesome experience to take on these daily challenges with a great group of people while drinking from small waterfalls, communing with other hikers, and witnessing some of the views/experiences of a lifetime. I am extremely grateful and fortunate to have had my friends along for this portion. They hopped on the trail to experience some of the roughest terrain yet, and probably some of the roughest of the entire trail (minus the Whites). Ray and Dev returned home and I am taking a zero today. I will be returning to the trail tomorrow morning at Lake Fontana to begin the Smokies. Ray and Dev hope to join me again near the TN/VA border. Would absolutely love to have them along.