Date: 2011-04-03
From: NOC - Nantahalla Outdoor Center day 2

To: Cheoah Bald
Miles today: 7.9

Got up this morning with the knees feeling better but not completely healed. Wearing the knee braces at night helped a little bit since it seemed to stabilize the joint. Today's hike is mostly uphill so that should help also. The challenge for the day is to climb from NOC which is at 1750 feet to Cheoah Bald which is a little over 5000 feet. I just made up my mind to take it easy on the pace so that my breathing rate was moderate. That would allow me to go the distance without stressing the body too much. The first part of the climb took us up to swim bald. There is then a descent to a shelter followed by a climb up to Cheoah. I started with just "Thimble" and we were later joined by several others by the time we finished. "Thimble" was quite tired from a 16 mile hike the day before. In fact, when she got to NOC last night, she could hardly stay awake. We climbed up to a rock ledge called the Jump Up which had a spectacular view of the Nantahalla Gorge. The river could be seen winding its way to the outdoor center where we started. There was a clear view of about 3 or 4 tenths of a mile of the river. The view of the NOC was blocked by the very mountain we had just climbed. Off in the distance, the route that was hiked going to the NOC could be figured out even though the path itself wasn't visible. Even the rock outcropping from where I viewed the gorge on the way down two days ago was visible. Beyond these familiar features there were mountain ranges beyond mountain ranges. It was truly a breath taking view. We sat on the rocks with our feet out of our shoes and socks, enjoying the view and sunning ourselves at the same time. Though I tried to describe this experience, capture it with a camara, it cannot be appreciated until one goes to the very spot we were at. Once there, the difficulties of climbing out of NOC were forgotten. The realities of further climbing were set aside. It was just a time of enjoying the awesome creation that was set before us. Well, after an hour or so, we got up, put out packs on and continued climbing up the first mountain. The last part of the climb was the most difficult since the grade got steeper. There is a camping area on top of Cheoah Bald but there isn't a water source. All the water that we would need had to be carried up from the shelter that was passed along the way. Fortunately, it only had to be carried for a mile. On top of Cheoah Bald, there are views that really are better than the one experienced earlier in the day. The east and the west sides of the bald each had their own series of mountain ranges. Peaks behind peaks, valleys obscured by mountains. As before, a truly breath taking view. There were a lot of folks that camped on top of the bald which created some difficulties with getting tent spots. Everyone was very accommodating making it easy to work things out. After dinner, we all gathered at the west side of the bald to watch the sun set. In the morning, we will be able to watch the sun rise. In case you haven't realized, Cheoah Bald is a fantastic place to be. His glory is definitely displayed in all that we have seen today. Some of you have heard me say that this stretch of the trail, from Franklin to Fontana Dam is one of my favorites. I hope you understand why.