Date: 2008-01-05
From: Nantahala Outdoor Centre (NOC)

To: Wayah Shelter (McDuff), NC (new shelter)
Miles today: 16.5

1873m climbed - 943m down8 hrs 4o C (39.2o F) ¢ 14o C (57.2o F)I woke at 4:20 a.m., to an extraordinarily warm morning, 9o C, due no doubt to a high layer of cloud. I was in no rush to leave as I only had 11.5 miles to cover to Cold Spring Shelter so I didn¢t get away until sometime after 6:30. I put on my yaktrax, as the most dangerous part of the whole trip was first up, crossing the ice covered roads and car-parks of NOC. With that safely achieved, I was straight into the work for the day; climbing. It seemed that it is all I did all day, one climb after the other (1873m). Don¢t know where the 943m of downhill came from. At least it was warm and the snow was melting. It was, in fact, another great day for hiking. Fine with no wind. The smog was rolling back in so views were not much. The trail was clear with no animal tracks. But instead, I had human tracks to follow. I noticed that animals do a better job in following the trail.I can¢t say I particularly enjoyed the day. Too much uphill in soft snow. The snow is melting but there is still enough to make travel hard.Wesser Bald fire towerI called in at Wesser Bald Shelter at around 9:30 to see what it was like. It is small, in snow but with a decent veranda. There were two lads in residence sitting around a fire. They were planning on going to Cold Spring Shelter 6 miles on for the night. This was my objective also.Half an hour later, I met two who had just came from Springer in 6 days, that is six 20 mile (32km) days. They had had a terrible time with snow up to a metre deep, strong winds and temperatures down to -15oC (5oF). One way or another, it looks like Susan and I are missing the worst weather.Lunch time saw me at Cold Spring Shelter after 1400m of climbing in 6 hours over 18 km. This shelter was built in 1933 and is about as basic as they come. It would take 6 at a squeeze so with three in it, it looked like a cozy night. I considered pushing on, but it was too far to the next shelter, Siler Bald, at 18kms and there seemed little chance of finding a snow free campsite near water. So, I resigned myself to a short day and unpacked and got ready for the night. And then, would you believe, two more showed up! So, five for the night ¢ real cozy. But then they told me that there was a brand new shelter 8 km away. So, I quickly packed and headed off. So, here I am, scribbling the day¢s activities in a brand new shelter after an 8 hour day with 1873 of climbing. It has no name but there is a memorial plaque to Ann and Larry McDuff, so I suppose it will be called the McDuff Memorial Shelter.The temperature has been dropping all afternoon from 14o C (57.2o F) at 3:00 p.m. to 4o C (39.2o F) now, so I guess I am in for a cold night again. I¢ve put the water bottles in my pack to stop them from freezing and put my boots under my pillow. I don¢t think it is necessary to put them in my sleeping bag (yet).So, here¢s hoping it doesn¢t get too cold!NOC photo by Boo-BooNOC Bridge over Nantahala RiverCold Spring Shelter - photo by Flint - Brian Shaffer Info from the internet: The Wayah Shelter was completed May 2007. It has a moldering privy and five tent sites. Water is accessible 600 feet AT west. The shelter is 16.3 miles South of US 19/74; 4.8 miles south of Cold Springs Shelter and 7.2 miles north of Siler Bald Shelter. It is one mile AT north of the Wayah Tower. The Shelter was built from funds donated in memory of Ann and Larry McDuff. ---The following internet info was written by Quintin Ellison: After Ann McDuff was struck and killed while riding her bicycle in February 2003, her husband, Larry, spearheaded a money-raising effort to build a shelter in her memory along the Appalachian Trail.The couple enjoyed a minimalist lifestyle together in coastal Fairhope, Ala., that included working on an organic farm in exchange for vegetables. They hiked the A.T. in 1994 after Larry McDuff retired as an IBM salesman, finishing it on his 54th birthday. Their trail names were ¢Annie and the Salesman.¢Their son, Laurence, one of the couple¢s four children, said his parents subsequently hiked the John Muir Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and some of the Continental Divide Trail.A trail shelter, he said, seemed a fitting tribute to honor his mother.¢Dad somehow managed to carry on in his suddenly solitary life by doing things that brought him joy, such as bread making, meditating, and riding his bicycle,¢ Laurence McDuff wrote via email correspondence. ¢Hiking, however, would never be the same without Mom.¢Larry McDuff had no trouble quickly raising the $10,500 needed for materials through family and friends, and worked with Don O¢Neal, trail supervisor for the Nantahala Hiking Club, in selecting a site near Wayah Bald in Macon County.He wouldn¢t live to see the shelter built.On June 13, 2005, McDuff was struck and killed by a motorist while riding his bicycle to work on the organic farm. Wayah Shelter in memory of Ann McDuff