Day 17

Last night we had three other hikers join us at the lodge.  Ironically, all three have Massachusetts roots.  Josh and Morgan live in Concord.  A young couple who quit there jobs to do a thru hike.  They don’t have trail names yet.

Art (trail name - Blue Guy) is a retired man about my age who grew up in Concord but has been living in Seattle for some time.  I had met him on the trail several days ago but he is traveling at a slower pace.  

They all came into the lodge to escape the storm.  They got the shuttle from an earlier road crossing than we did. We had actually gone a good ways past the lodge on our hike and shuttled back to it.  So we are a few days ahead of them on the trail.  Hope that makes sense.

Art had a harrowing experience the night before he got to the lodge.  A tree fell at his camp site at around 3am about 20 yards from his tent.  It took out another tent but luckily the main section did not hit the tent just some branches.  Both campers in the tent survived.  But their tent was destroyed.  The man was not injured but the woman sustained a shoulder injury.  They were able to hike out to a trail head and met there by an ambulance.  We asked Art where this was and he said Licklock Gap.  Yikes, that is where we stayed and I saw the sunrise from my sleeping bag. We camped there at the end of my day 13 and saw sunrise on day 14.  

With these additional New Englanders, Dave (ADD) who is from Hoover, Alabama is now surrounded by Yankees but this is constantly changing.  People stay away from politics on the trail.  It’s mostly gear, weather, background, family and interesting experiences that make up trail conversations.  Dave has a you tube channel and is posting some videos of the hike on it.  I think I’m in some.  Look for “Hiking with ADD” on you tube and I think you will find it.  I also found out that ADD was a for real cowboy at the Philmont ranch in New Mexico back in his younger days and is now a geologist.

Sandy grew up in Nantucket but moved to the Franconia NH area about ten years ago.  Both are beautiful places but very different.  I find it so intriguing to think about what causes people to make such changes in their lives.  Hiking gives you time to reflect on your own decisions which moved your life in a certain direction and to speculate how things might have gone differently had you made different choices or had other opportunities or lack there of.  But I digress.  Back to the matters at hand.

We changed our plan.  The weather looks to be more severe today than tomorrow.  Heavy rain and winds with afternoon thunderstorms are the forecast for today.  Tomorrow it will be cooler but rain will be less severe.  So we are zeroing today and slack packing the section to Fontana Dam tomorrow.  Then we jump into the Smokys.

Josh and Morgan are braving it and getting back on the trail today.  It’s going to be wet!  Art is shuttling to a different lodge as there is no room here for him tonight.  We are going the golden blazing route and staying dry and comfy today.

The lodge is expecting a full house tonight so we  will get to meet more hikers later today.

We also learned that Steve and Maggie are retiring this year and will be looking to sell the lodge soon.  That’s a shame and they will be missed.  They have a nice place and have been great hosts.  I’ll see if I can get their picture before we head out.  

Day 16

Slack packing day and a short day as well.  Woke up in a bed, had breakfast (Raisin Bran and bagel) and then shuttled up to Yellow Creek Gap to hike 7.5 miles today which included Jacobs Ladder, a steep section of the trail.  Gorgeous day for hiking under sunny skies and soft breezes.  Still haven’t seen any lions or tigers or bears yet.  Just a few wiley rabbits and a snake.

We actually hiked southbound today.  The shuttle took us further north and we hiked back to the spot where we left the trail.  So we saw many  hikers we have been hiking around as we traveled south while they were going north.  Saw Tree Trunk, Hersey, No Heart, Nightingale, Green Guy, Joe Cool, Rover, Two Step and others all heading north.  We took some good natured ribbing for our slack packing and stay at the lodge.  I think they were jealous.  Learned a new term called golden blazing.  Steve says it’s for those who hike and then stay at upscale lodges or inns at night.  Hike your own hike. 😉

Steve (lodge owner and shuttle driver) is a former British Green Beret.  While he and his wife are both from Britain as I mentioned earlier he said they met in Singapore while he was in the service and she in their intelligence service and both stationed overseas.  They are now both US citizens and children and grandchildren live nearby.  I find it amazing where life takes people.

Not sure if you can make it out in the picture but a little left of the middle of the picture is Fontana lake and dam where we are headed tomorrow.

Today was a short day and we were done by 1:30.  Now I’m back at the lodge and ready for a nap and more recovery time for sore feet and legs.  More of the same for tomorrow as we will cover the ground between Yellow Creek and Fontana Dam.  Fontana is the start of the Smoky Mountains.  There are more restringent regulations for hanging packs there because of the bears.  You are also required to stay at the shelters.  No stealth camping in the Smokys.  You also need a permit which I got online before I left from home.  It’s good until May 8.  More than enough time.

I got the resupply package Deirdra sent to the lodge and will sort this out tomorrow.

We have passed the 150 mile mark on the trail.  Many more miles to go.  

Rumor has it that severe weather is headed this way so we may take a zero day on Saturday to let it pass.

Day 15

We had a lot to tackle today.  Woke up at our camp site on Hobo Island along the Nantahala River.

Starting from our site we had a loooong climb up to the top of Cheoah Bald and then on to Stecoah Gap to be picked up by shuttle to go to the Nantahala Lodge.  So we climbed and climbed and climbed.  And then we climbed again.  Total elevation gained today was over 5,000 feet.  

Along the way we came across a memorial to Wade Sutton who lost his life fighting a forest fire near there.  Nice that they have this memorial for such a brave man.

Some spectacular views again as we climbed.

It was sunny and warm but not hot except from our exertion.  

Made it to the top of Cheoah pretty worn out from the climb and we stopped for lunch.  Needed that break and fuel for the second half of the day which while mostly downhill still had several smaller peaks to scale.  No wildlife today but lots of butterflies; mostly blue, black with some orange on the wings.  Foliage is beginning to bud out at the higher elevations as well.

Finally made it to Stecoah Gap  at 4:45 which gave us 45 minutes to wait for the scheduled shuttle to the lodge.

We got picked up by Steve who owns the lodge with his wife, Maggie.  They are both British.  He is from Manchester and she from Newcastle.  He is a former thru hiker in 2010 (trail name Wiggy).  Loved his dry British sarcastic sense of humor.  Had us laughing all the way to the lodge.  Lodge is pretty nice.  This is the common area:

They are very particular about cleanliness.  All packs are kept outside in a shed and you must remove the clothes  you are wearing and take a shower before you can get your room.  They have loaner clothes if you don’t have any clean ones.  They take all your dirty clothes and wash right away.  It’s a good thing as things can get pretty gross.  Now you have a cleaner, healthier place to stay.  Guest rooms are pretty nice for a hostel.

Tomorrow we have a short slakpacking day.  Only 7 miles without a full pack.  Yes!!!  My legs will appreciate the rest😩.  Expecting good weather tomorrow before things turn for the worse.

Time to catch some 💤.

Day 14

Sunrise from my sleeping bag:

Got up early today because we have a big hike ahead of us.  We have 15 miles to get the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC).  It was cold last night so it was hard getting out of my bag but what a view of the sunrise this morning.  

We climb Copper Ridge Lookout, Rocky and Wesser Bald today. The first two are over 5,000 feet and the last one 4,600.  Then it’s a long trek down to 2500 feet to the NOC. We have sunny skies today so sunscreen was lathered on to protect me from the sun.  Off we go.

This is a view while we climbed Copper Ridge.

The weather warmed up quickly and we hiked in T-shirt and shorts.

Reducing backpack weight is always on my mind.  Carrying 34 pounds up and down mountains is tiring.  Water is a big component as each liter weighs about 2 pounds.  I’ve gone from carrying 2 liters to 1 and 1/2 liters and sometimes less if there is a reliable water source ahead.  Always need to be sure to have water.

The trails were steep today and my legs and feet are sore tonight.  But the views were fantastic.  This is from Wesser Bald.

Part of the walk as we descended Wasser Bald was along a ridge they call the knife’s edge as either side of trail drops off sharply.  One section is called Jump Off.  It was a little dangerous to take a picture there.



Saw our first snake on the way down from Wesser Bald.  It was a black rat snake about 3 feet long that slithered across the trail about 8 feet in front of us and disappeared into the woods before I could get a picture.

We made it to the NOC about 4:30 tired and hungry.  The NOC has a number of outdoor sporting activities including white water rafting, kayaking and the like.

We headed to the restaurant to eat as did others.

Tonight we are camping along the river not far from the NOC at Hobo Island.  It will be cool but not cold tonight.

We have another big day tomorrow before dialing it back to give our bodies a rest the following days.

Time to sleep sleep. 💤

Day 13

Sun is out this morning but temperatures have dropped into the 30s. Brrrr.  Got breakfast curtesy of the McD’s just a block away.  I had packed the night before so we all jumped on the shuttle bus at 8:30.  Goodbye to the lovely Sapphire Inn.

There was standing room only on the bus and it was so tight I could not get my phone out to take a picture.  Apparently many hikers had the same plan as we did to get out of Franklin while the weather was good.  This will also be the last time we see the inimitable Ron Haven.  Here he is after dropping the hikers off.

There are two major peaks to conquer today; Siler Bald and Wayah Bald.  Both have elevations over 5,200 feet.  These are also the first balds we have encountered.  A bald is a mountain with an open grassy area at the top.

It was cold and windy especially as we climbed higher but the hiking kept us warm except at the top.  

The views were fantastic today.

We even got some trail magic at the top of Wayah Bald.  These former hikers from Tennessee have been here since 8:30 this morning in 25 degree temperatures.  Still here around 2pm when we came through.  There generosity is amazing and certainly part of the allure of the trail.

This peak had an awesome panorama.

We ended our 12.5 mile day at Licklock Gap.  Not a bad view from our campsite.  👍  Should see a great sunrise tomorrow from my tent.

With the sun going down it’s getting colder.  So it’s time to make dinner and hunker down in my sleeping bag for the night.  My legs and feet are tired 😢.

Day 12

Woke up early this morning to the sound of pouring rain and wind.  Monsoon rain!  Sure glad we pushed into Franklin yesterday. We are holed up at the Sapphire hotel.  Our first zero day.

This morning the First Baptist Church picked up hikers here and at other nearby hostels and took us to their hall for a free breakfast.  They do it for a few weeks around this time of year for thru hikers and we caught the last day they were doing it this year.  Pancakes, bacon, coffee and juice were served.  Really nice people who have been doing this for about 10 years.  Hikers can sign a board using their trail name for their thru hike year and they keep these on display.  You can see two on the wall in the picture.  The pastor of the Church does give a short sermon and we had a group prayer but it’s not like a recruiting thing.  More like praying for safe trip and the like.  After breakfast we were shuttled back to the Sapphire and it was time for laundry and resupply.

First thing I needed to do was locate the leak and patch my sleeping pad.  It was tough sleeping without the pad on the ground.  I need to do this before we go to the outfitters in case I determine that I need a new one.  I filled up bath tub, inflated the pad and systematically submerged it until the telltale bubbles gave the leak away.  It was tiny and hard to see but I marked the spot, deflated and dried the pad before applying the patch.  I let it set then tested it.  It worked!  It will be a lot easier on the trail now😄.

I got clothes washed and dried in the machines down the hall while waiting for patch to set.  It’s first come first serve so you jump on it when they free up.  Clean clothes 🤗🤗🤗.!

Now we need to resupply at two stops.  First to an outfitters for some gear and fuel for our  stove.  Then to Ingles Supermarket for food.  It’s a small town so it’s either hitch hike or walk.  Rain subsided so we set off on foot.  The first outfitters we came to was closed.  They don’t open on Sunday.  So we needed to walk another 1.5 miles to get to one that was open.  It started pouring once we got on our way.  Got soaked again but we neeed the fuel.  People at the store were very friendly and when they heard about our predicament offered to drive us back to our hotel with a stop at the supermarket.  It didn’t take us long to accept the offer.  They say the trail provides and that is in large part to the generosity of those you meet along the way.  The town of Franklin earned its reputation as an hiker friendly town and is now visited by most thru hikers on their journey.

We had intermittent thunderstorms the rest of day and into the night so we stayed by the hotel and got ready for the next leg of the trip.  Between downpours we did get a rainbow.

The severe weather is sliding through and hopefully gone by tomorrow so we have arranged for a shuttle to get us back to the trail tomorrow.  It is expected to be cooler with lows in the 30s the next two days but no rain!

I FaceTimed both Megan, Sean and boys and Deirdra and it was great to hear and see them.  While I got to talk with Mac I missed Andrew who was spending time with his Memere.

I’m packed and ready to go so it’s off to bed and some shut eye. The trail shuttle will be coming tomorrow at 8:45.  

Day 11

We are making a run to get to Franklin today.  At 16.5 miles it will be our biggest hike yet but we want to beat the rain.  So we started an hour earlier than usual (7:30).  Its partly sunny with cool but comfortable temps.  It was fairly flat ridge hiking for the first 4 miles until we reached Albert Mountain.  Along the way we got some great views.

Albert Mountain was an entirely different story.  It was our steepest climb yet involving some short rock scrambles near the top. It is about 5,200 feet in elevation with a fire tower on top.  This climb was wearing but the scenic rewards were considerable.

We still had a ways to go and time was of the essence to get to Winding Stair Gap by 4pm for a shuttle to town.  Wanting to escape the oncoming rain was a great motivator and we reached our destination at 3:30pm.



After unsuccessful attempts to get a room at a couple of places we were able to score the last three rooms available at the Sapphire Hotel for our group of three.🤗

We called a hostel in town (Baltimore Jack’s) for a shuttle in.  Ron Haven the owner came and got us in his pickup truck which he was also using to haul his trash to the dump. LOL.  Ron is a whole story unto himself but I don’t have time for that here.  Its suffice to say he is quite a character.  We were all so tired we just jumped in for the ride.  Hiker Trash!  I haven’t ridden in the back of a pickup truck in years.  Apparently its still legal here.  Not sure which smelled worse, the garbage or us. The fresh mountain air whipping around us as we drove to town was energizing and while it made conversation difficult it did dissipate the stink.

It was a 20 minute ride down a gently sloping scenic road to town.  It was fun to ride in the back of a pick up.  Haven't done that in over fifty years.  

As luck would have it there is a Mexican restaurant (Mi Casa) across the road from the hotel which turned out to be pretty good.  The margaritas weren’t bad either.

Also found a local microbrewery (Currahee Brewing Company) to grab a couple of beers before the night was over.🍺





Shower, Mexican food, beer, and then sleep in a real bed.  Doing a zero day in town tomorrow to resupply, rest and hopefully let the storm pass through.  Did about 16.5 miles today.  Passed the first hundred miles of the trail and are at about 109 trail miles in total which when you add the approach trail would be 117.

My dawgs are barking but they get the day off tomorrow.