Date: 2017-04-16
From: Wayah Bald 

To: Wesser Bald Shelter
Miles today: 11.5
Weather: clear sky

Day 19 on the Appalachian Trail April 16Miles Today: 11.5Total Miles: 131.1Was aiming for 6:15am this morning but wound up actually crawling out of bed just after 6:30am. Since we stayed on top of Wayah Bald we were hoping to wake up early to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately when we woke up and the fog had set in. Despite not having a view, the valley still looked pretty cool with all the fog rolling through it. Shortly after we woke up, a group of what I assume are locals showed up to potentially see the sunrise as well. They hung around for a while and then headed off. Not in too much of a rush to get on the trail I hung around a bit, looked out at the foggy valley, and took my time getting my stuff together. After everything was packed I spread my Easter eggs filled with candy around the stone structure and the bald. Hopefully they are all found and people enjoyed the goodies inside. I also gave mom a call to say Happy Easter and to catch up for a few minutes. She was on her way to brunch with some other family members. Kinda odd not being with all my family today. I hope they all had a good Easter. Ended up on the trail at 9:20 and started off with a real nice downhill section to get the legs up and running. Since we stayed on a Bald last night we had to dip down into the next Gap which ended up being called Licklog Gap. Not sure who comes up with some of these names but there are definitely some odd ones. After Licklog i was faced with my first real climb of the day and then down into Burningtown Gap. At Burningtown I ran into a few sets of people doing trail magic. With a great selection to chose from, I went with two oranges and then a very kind lady offered to make me a ham sandwich. Having not eaten lunch yet I graciously accepted her kind offer and was soon munching on a delicious ham and cheese. This wasn't ordinary ham from the deli either, this was a freshly cooked ham that she had done up herself. By far one of the best pieces of trail magic to date and it definitely made my next climb up Rocky Bald much easier. Once I reached the top of Rocky Bald there was a side trail to the actual summit. On the sign for the side trail was several graffiti notes saying not to pass up the view and that it was definitely worth the extra climb. Us AT'ers will hike all damn day when the miles count towards our goal of 2000+ but we will hesitate to do any extra walking, especially when it's uphill, for a view, a water source, or even to a place while we're in town. We're the laziest, active people to ever exist. I can say myself that those graffiti notes on the trail sign held true. The view from the top was spectacular and I decided it would be a perfect spot to eat some snacks and take in the view. I also saw my first snake on the trail at the top. It wasn't anything dangerous, but it was a decent sized garter. I didn't even notice it until I got too close and it moved away. I'm lucky it was nothing dangerous as it easily could've reached me with a bite had it been. Lesson of the day: be more cautious and vigilant. Not long after my encounter with the snake Jay and Sarah, a young couple my age (22 & 21) arrived. We've been hiking with the same group of people over the last few days and I've run into them several times all of which have been pleasant. We sat at the top for a while and then the two headed off. I wasn't far behind. After Rocky Bald it was a steep descent into Tellico Gap. I believe it was the steepest downhill section of the trail so far and my knees could definitely feel it. They don't hurt but they ache from all the stress they are being put under everyday. Downhills are when I feel it the most. After the short climb down into the Gap it was time for the final ascent of the day up to Wesser Bald. The climb wasn't too bad. It lasted quite awhile and tricked me with a false summit but before long I made it to the top and climbed up the fire tower at the top. There was no shortage of great views today. This fire tower had a wonderful one as well. Jay and Sarah were already up top taking it in when I arrived. Shortly after being at the top I saw my dad arrive below. I had passed him on the way up. I went down to talk to him and we decided we would walk another 0.8 to the shelter and stay there. I was on my way and he sat for a few minutes. I quickly made it down to the shelter and set up my tent nearby on the flattest spot available. Dad rolled in a few minutes later and decided to push on another 0.5 to the top of a knob to set up his hammock. After I got my stuff set up Jay and Sarah arrived, and then Joe a bit after them. Jay and Sarah called me over to have dinner with them. We cooked and ate together, then hung out and chatted for a while. I hope we continue to hike at the same rate. Jay and I have similar interests in hunting and fishing so we've been getting along great. After dinner we all hung our bear bags and I headed off to my tent to do some journaling. As some of you probably have noticed I have fallen behind. I will be posting several from the last couple days tomorrow. The journaling didn't last long. Another girl came over to talk to me about my tent and some other stuff. I can't remember her name at the moment but I'm sure I'll find it out again at some point. As she was leaving, Joe came over and made his nightly tea. We chatted a bit and had a few good laughs. He may be staying at the NOC tomorrow night to wait for Murph so I might not be hiking with him for a few days. Then it was off to bed. It's now 9:30 and way past my bed time as I'm finishing this up. Tomorrow will be a several mile descent in to the NOC where I will be picking up a food drop and then making a dent in the several mile ascent out of the NOC which no one I've talked to is looking forward to. Oh, Happy Easter everyone