Start: Stecoah Gap (AT mi 150.6). Stop: Nantahala Outdoor Center (AT mi 136.7). Today’s miles: 13.9 miles. Total AT mileage: 2056.4 miles.
I couldn’t have been happier with my choice to sleep inside last night. It got cold and windy, but more so, the bed I slept in was a cozy one.. with a nice heavy quilt that reminded me of one my mom has that I absolutely love. I slept so good, snuggled under that thing, so good in fact that I overslept. Ha. Seems to be my way, lately.
I got up at 7:41, instead of 7:00, but still had plenty of time to pack quickly, eat my instant grits I bought yesterday, and high tail it over to the gas station to buy a new chapstick and a toboggan. I have a headband that I usually sleep in that keeps my ears warm at night, but I’ve been getting so cold during the day hiking that I wanted something extra so I wouldn’t be stuck without a dry one ever.
I made it back at exactly 8:30, just in time to say hey to Lonnie and for him to load up me and Roundhouse in his truck. We got dropped off minutes later. After a picture for Lonnie, we were immediately starting a climb. It was in the low 40s, but I was warming up because of the climb, in all of my rain gear.. and my new toboggan. The wind made it feel a little cooler than it was, but so far the rain was holding off-according to the weather app it was supposed to be dumping buckets starting around 7am-hence my want for indoor snoozing last night.
Roundhouse was ahead of me and I started listening to an audiobook to distract me on the almost 5 miles of incline this morning. It worked too. I just kept moving, climbing, and listening. Before I knew it, I was standing at the top of Cheoah Bald, the wind coming in gusts so strong I thought it would rip my rain pants (I like to hike in them unzipped to the knee, but clipped at the boot, so air flows and I can bend easier). It was gorgeous up there, and I could see the appeal to want to camp there-during a warmer month.
From there began the descent into the Nantahala River Gorge area. Miles and miles of downhill, sometimes so steep on packed dirt that it felt like attempting to ski on the leaves as I slipped my way down. Thankfully, I never fell-although I’m honestly shocked I didn’t. I think if the rain had actually came, I wouldn’t be making that statement.
At some point 2 hunting dogs came barreling at me just a barking like lunatics. Minutes later the 3 of us were friends and I think I may have given them their first ever belly rubs. They seemed so skittish and scared of being smacked, because every time I stood quickly or leaned over them they would cower. It was so heartbreaking. Mind you, I don’t know how these dogs are treated regularly, so I could be very wrong and they could just be eerie of new people. But so far, I feel like every “hunting dog” I’ve come across is so skinny and skittish and the second they get any kind of love you have a new hiking pal for miles.
Which, that’s exactly how that turned out. Those two girlies followed along at my heels for hours, until we came across two hikers with their own dog, Shadow, a chunky, clearly well loved (and fed), black lab. Shadow didn’t like my new friends, so after explaining to the hikers that these aren’t my dogs.. I tried to get them to keep following me so they’d have some peace after Shadow showed teeth a few times and had to be held back by his dad. My new friends didn’t care though, they ditched me faster than mean girls in 6th grade. And honestly, I was ok with that.
Sometime mid afternoon, I realized I didn’t eat lunch, and then decided I should just wait to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) in a couple miles and eat something there-instead of the stupid tortilla and peanut butter I had with me. I did decide to go ahead and pee while on trail, instead of having to navigate public bathrooms in a hurry later, since I didn’t really know what to expect at the NOC.
I had gotten my shorts back up and was attempting to tuck in my shirt as I pulled up my rain pants, hardly even off trail-definitely not out of sight at all-when Roundhouse appeared out of nowhere coming down the mountain. He had stopped at a shelter to eat lunch at some point and I had gotten ahead of him and didn’t realize it. Luckily for me, I had pulled my shorts up before coming into his view. It was pretty funny to me, although he seemed oblivious, maybe he was just saving face for me.
We walked and talked the rest of the way to the NOC. He was having his mom come to get him from there a little later today, to get off trail for a couple zeros. My mom is coming to do the same thing tomorrow after work, for me to share my last trail zero with her on Saturday. Both of us attempting to skirt the worst of the rain in the forecast. Speaking of-we were both ecstatic with our luck today! It literally started to rain as we walked up to a restaurant on the river and ordered our food.
We both ordered our food and beer then sat at a table under the covered deck of the restaurant on the river. It is so pretty here, this atmosphere. Although, it was still cold and now rainy. The guy behind the bar that took our order originally thought we were together as a couple. We explained our situation and how he was getting off for a couple days but that I was considering either staying somewhere here or hiking out-but that I was leaning towards staying, now that the rain was coming down. He gave me some advice on places for the night, and I decided I’d figure all that out after eating.. a full stomach to help the brain work.
We got our food, Philly cheesesteak for me, with Mac and cheese and baked beans. Talk about delicious. I was inhaling it all when the guy came over to mention that he would be willing to let me stay on the staff housing grounds, where he and his girlfriend live, for the night-if I wanted something dry and not fancy. There was a tiny “shack” (his words) that they used to live in but recently moved to the big house, so no one is currently in that shack.
Before I agreed, I asked a few questions, and told him I planned to slack pack tomorrow and have my mom pick me up from the NOC instead of off of some mountain road crossing in the dark. I was telling him this part only to know where the shack was so I could arrange a shuttle to pick me up in the morning from there to take me to the mountain road crossing to start hiking back-HE OFFERED TO DRIVE ME THERE! For FREE! Not only stay in the shack for free, but to drive me 45 minutes south of here for free, too! DEAR GOD the kindness of strangers, especially lately, is just mind blowing! I was shocked!
Roundhouse started laughing and talking about how the trail provides and that I manifested this scenario. And I mean, I sort of did.. I knew I needed to figure out where to stay and how to slack pack, but I was more focused on the food and it just worked out so beautifully, right before my eyes. We talked a bit longer and then after finishing my beer I walked to the outfitter across the bridge. I ended up getting a fleece half zip to wear under my rain jacket because I just couldn’t seem to stay warm. My puffy jacket is always in my dry bag tucked in deep, so it doesn’t get wet with rain or sweat, so I have it when I’m done hiking-but I’m getting cold WHILE hiking, so this solved that problem for me.
I wore it out of the store, went across the street to the general store and got a soda, then walked back to the bar restaurant to wait for my new friend to get off work. I hung out, uploading pictures to Facebook with cold fingers, until he got off work at 5:30. It wasn’t until this moment that I learned his name: Fish. Sounds funny to think about making a plan to get in someone’s car, go to their house, sleep there, go with them in the morning and not even know their name. Hikers are like that though.. and come to find out, Fish and his girlfriend, Rachel, hiked the AT in 2016 (the year I first read about it and decided I wanted to do it!). They met on trail and have been together ever since!
Fish showed me my digs for the night, literally it’s a shed with 2 windows (actually the perfect size for what I need in my backyard at home lol) and a door that doesn’t have a door knob. It has power and one light bulb over head and is absolutely all I need. He showed me the bathhouse, and then said if I wanted to shower to just come up to the big house and use theirs, it’s cleaner, and to come hangout with them if I wanted to. So, I unpacked my gear, set up my sleep stuff, changed into my sleep/warm clothes, and then made my way up the hill.
I met Rachel and their roommate, Margo, and her dog along with another coworkers dog that happened to be there playing. This community is full of people working for the NOC-the staff lodging.. apparently there are more compounds to accommodate staff, too. In the summer, the NOC houses close to or over 200 employees.. river guides, seasonal workers, restaurant employees, outfitter and general store employees, management and everything else in between. It’s pretty neat, really.
I hung out and had a beer, talking and playing with the pups. Eventually, I ended up coming back to the “shack” to lay down. They were mortified that I wasn’t hungry, but I had already eaten so much food, and I’ve been staying in towns the last 2 nights, too.. so I dont feel hungry or the normal scavenger like feeling I get when I’ve been in the woods for days eating camp food and peanut butter tortillas. And, honestly, with this hike almost being over, I don’t even feel guilty for soaking up the towns along the way these last few days. Actually, Im full on loving it.
I don’t have enough service to stream a movie tonight, which normally wouldn’t be something I’d be concerned with, BUT my friend, Tijuan has a role in a new movie “Horror Noire” that started streaming today on the Shutter app and on AMC’s app, too. I wanted so badly to watch it on premier day, but it looks like I might be making mom watch a scary movie tomorrow after she picks me up! If I can’t get it on the TV in our hotel room, I’ll be watching it on my phone with my headphones in after she falls asleep. I’m so incredibly proud of Tijuan, chasing her dreams and never giving up on them. She’s talented as hell, and an all around incredible human.. so y’all should watch it, too! (PS, both of those apps give a 7 day free trial.. just sayin..)
And with that, I leave you. Time to get some shut eye so I can try to get up on time tomorrow for my 21 mile slack pack in the rain. Goodnight, y’all.