Date: 2019-04-09
From: Nantahala Outdoor Center

To: Stecoah Gap/ish
Miles today: 13.6
Weather: light rain

Ahhhh finally settled and writing this. What a long day. We got out of the cabin at 10am. They planned that because they all wanted a slow start, but it made me anxious. The drivers were late and showed up at 10:15. We got down to the NOC and I was debating what to do in terms of mileage. I was quite emotional this morning again. Whew it¢s been a lot of crying lately haha. But the weather was good and I needed to get going so I did, around 11:30.The day would consist of a lot of uphill and I knew that while at the NOC. It was going to be a lot of climbing. Most people planned to stay at Sassafras Gap Shelter, which was about 7 miles from the NOC, but uphill the whole way. Because I¢m a day behind in my scheduling since I stayed at the cabin, I had to figure out a new plan, and that was to stay at Brown Fork Shelter. It would be a 16 mile day. Unfortunately, because of our late start, I kind of knew that it might not be possible, at least not possible in daylight. I took my time through the 7 miles of uphill, and mentally I was doing well. I knew it was coming and I was going for it. I stopped for water at a great water source, but it was like a mini waterfall, so I got a little wet trying to fill my Platypus bag. Honey Buns and Red Wiggler showed up. I was really happy to see them. Red Wiggler told me he¢d cry with me anytime if I needed a cry buddy. He¢s so nice. I guess I must have looked upset, because a man walked by me and said ¢smile, God loves you¢. I met a few other people there and was on my way. I ate a Clif bar, but had skipped breakfast because of the cabin/timing situation. I finally reached Sassafras Gap Shelter (there are so many Sassafras Gaps and Mountains on this trail haha) and it was about 4pm. I joked with people I met about eventually climbing into space at this rate haha so much climbing! I knew it would be tough to make it 9 more miles to the shelter by dark, but I pressed on. I saw Unicorn and her boyfriend, NAB, again. Unicorn again lacked a filter and was calling me crazy or messed up for trying to keep walking today. I told her about the NOC and being back a day and she said ¢well you asked for it then¢. I didn¢t ask for it lol I made a judgment call and I think it was a good one. And I¢m alright with big mileage days as a result. But her comments really irritated me. She and her boyfriend actually pressed on as well, but only for a mile or so up to the top of Cheoah Bald. There was a flat place with the stones for a fire there, so they wanted to camp up there. I definitely have wanted to camp at a place like that where I can see the sunset with a view and the sunrise with a view. As annoyed as I was by her comments, I discussed the mileage with her and she said there was a campsite three miles ahead. I pushed on, but it felt like a long trek. And I must say, the trail maintenance in this section sucked. Today I was crawling under trees or straddling them to climb over. And the bushes and trees along the trail were so overgrown in places that I was literally whacking branches the entire way through. It was not fun. I appreciate how much work the AT Club members put in and I¢ve met a fair amount of them, but this part of the trail could use some work. I found two guys moving quickly behind me, McQueen and Justin. They had both done super long mileage today and were pretty wiped, saying they were headed for that campsite too. We all got to the campsite and I saw Two Fingers and Buck the doggie, which was nice! They had a fire and it was a great vibe, but I was still game to press on. At this point I had eaten nothing but a Clif bar and I was dehydrated and tired, but whatever mileage I could take off of tomorrow would help. The boys I met decided to press on, so I joined them. McQueen said he had never ¢stealth-camped¢ or camped alone at a site that isn¢t an official AT site, and I said I had never done that either and we shared our fears of it. We all pressed on, but they were much faster than I was. They stopped at one ridge and were planning on camping when I found them, but they decided to press on, so I did too. This time they separated. McQueen went further to find a spot at Stecoah Gap, but Justin stayed behind on top of a ridge just a little ways before it. I debated, but ended up staying with Justin. I said earlier how I wanted to camp on top of a ridge like that. Well here was my chance. I set up camp and made Mountain House lasagna. I even hung my bear bag without issue! Omg! It¢s way too low though, but whatever haha. It¢s up! Justin sleeps with his food and I don¢t blame him! As dangerous as it might be, it¢s so tempting.I sat with Justin and watched the sunset. It was actually really nice. He¢s been going solo the whole time and didn¢t seem to have any trail family or connections yet. I didn¢t want to infringe on his space up here, but it was such a great spot to camp and I was so tired. He¢s from Wisconsin. We chatted for a while and then headed to bed. My feet are killing me. This is the worst pain I¢ve had the entire trip in my feet. It¢s really awful. I took some Advil, so hopefully that helps. I know I pushed myself today with all of that climbing in the beginning and rushing toward the end and not eating enough. My poor feet are not happy about it. I keep wiggling them around to make it less painful, but they feel horrible. Ugh. I hope they can take the mileage tomorrow. It¢s about 14 from Stecoah Gap, so since we¢re near that, it¢s a little over 14 miles tomorrow to my pickup spot for my Inn. Wow what a day. I am completely drained haha. And I may have to amputate my feet lol. But it was a nice day and didn¢t end up raining! I actually didn¢t mention that; there were storm clouds circling me all day and occasionally thunder in the distance, and at one of the lookout points I could see rain pouring down. The forecast originally did call for rain today, so I¢m so glad it held off. It was actually part of the rushed/panic mode I was in because I kept staring at these dark clouds as I walked and feeling like there was a storm coming, but it didn¢t rain at all. I can actually hear the cars down at Stecoah Gap from up here and it¢s loud haha. Song of the day: ¢Smile¢ by Mikky Ekko. I actually didn¢t listen to music for the whole second part of the day, but for the first, this was great!Little Debbie