Day 177: Slack Pack Back to NOC

Start: Wayah Gap (AT mi 115.3). Stop: Nantahala Outdoor Center (AT mi 136.7). Today’s miles: 21.4 miles. Total AT mileage: 2077.8 miles.

I slept nice and cozy in my shed with the electric heater Fish and Rachel gave me to use. I got up on time and quickly got ready, eating breakfast in the little shed before heading up to the bathhouse to brush my teeth. Fish was ready right at 8am and we started the almost hour drive to Wayah Gap. It was a beautiful drive, mostly along the river until the road wound high up in the mountains-all of the fall colors popping.

Fish dropped me off just before 9am and I started my northbound trek back to the NOC. I had over 21 miles to cover and needed to be done by the time mom got there to pick me up. It had already started raining. I was prepared though, wearing my rain gear and toting my waterproof day pack. Plus, I had my new fleece hoodie on under the rain jacket, and my gloves were on, too.

Pretty quickly I made my way to Wayah Bald and the rock firetower there. Sadly, I was in a cloud and all of my views were socked in. As sad as I was, it was almost a good thing, because it kept me moving! I carried on and missed view point after view point with my numb and wet toes and cold fingers. Even with the gloves on it was hard to keep them warm. The trail was pretty though, with its shiny wet leaves in an array of burnt oranges, yellows, and deep reds. Some of them looked like they were tie dyed.. which then made me miss TieDye the man. Weird how your thoughts go some times.

I listened to the audiobook, “The Great Alone” and at some point towards the end I was blubbering like an idiot and thankful for the rain masking my tears. Not that I saw people to explain myself to.. I literally only saw one man the whole day. And my crying episode was well over by then! But this book was such a good one, although I do tend to say that about every book I read or listen to. I think it’s because I appreciate the work and effort the author had to have put into it to create it, so it makes me like almost everything I read.

Close to 4pm, the clouds started to part and let the sunshine come through. At the firetower at Wesser Bald had no views, but once down a bit farther, just starting down the steep descent into the NOC, the views were incredible! The trail was exposed and rocky, reminding me of southern Maine a little bit (just not as difficult to maneuver down), and I could see for miles all around. I just stood there for awhile, taking in the beauty and thanking God for letting me have these views.

I continued downwards and soon found myself back into the woods. I tried to hurry, thinking about the logistics of getting my pack back from Fish without holding him and Rachel up for any Friday night plans they may have had. And-I didn’t eat lunch. I’m so sick of peanut butter tortillas that I couldn’t even force myself to make it today, let alone eat it. Usually I’d be willing, just to shut my stomach up and get rid of the weight, but not today. I couldn’t do it.

I made it to the NOC just after 5:15pm. I text Fish and then went to the other little restaurant in town and sat down for a couple appetizers to hold me over until mom and I got dinner later. It ended up being a bowl of black bean chili and some Parmesan fries. I took my time and Fish came to meet me for a few. He and Rachel did indeed have plans, a Halloween party.. I didn’t want to hold them up and so I declined the offer of a shower at their place.

Once I finished eating, I paid my tab and walked with him to his Jeep and got my pack. Mom would only be 45 minutes, so I left my pack outside of the outfitter and walked inside to piddle. I bought a new buff (an AT one, because why not?), and got warm. Once I could feel every digit on my hands and feet (although my feet were still wet), I headed outside to sit down, back leaned against the store wall, and worked on the blog.

Before I got very far at all, a man and his wife stopped to chat with me about the trail and to see if I needed them to take me somewhere. I explained my mom would be showing up any minute, and then we got into the trail talk-he completed the AT a few years ago and he remembers the cold days and wanting to get off trail and quit a couple times, but his wife refused to let him-knowing it would eat him up inside and she’d have to let him try again later.. she said,“better to just let him get it all done at once and not have to deal with the sadness that comes after not making it..” I think she’s pretty spot on. Sometimes lately, being so close to home, those pesky thoughts creep into my head about quitting, but I’m so close that it would be absolutely ridiculous to succumb to those thoughts. But cold and wet weather can burrow deep into my thoughts sometimes.

As we were swapping stories, my mom appeared right on time! I jumped up and ran to hug her! We tossed my gear in her SUV and then after I got inside and she turned the heat up for me! Then, she rolled the windows down and began to gag so badly I thought she might actually throw up. Apparently, I stunk. And pretty badly, too. Hahaha! This still makes me laugh, because I knew she’d be dramatic about it.. I hiked in the pouring rain, my shoes and socks were the main smelly culprits.. which I promptly took off once in the car, making her wretch even more.

Laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, I put them in the back floor board as she drove off with all the windows down. When she saw me shivering, while still laughing, she rolled them back up-but I swear she didn’t breathe through her nose the whole way to the hotel. It was a good 45 minutes to get there.. and we laughed and talked the whole way. Every now in then she’d make a face and I’d know she just got another accidental whiff.

We checked in and I put my stuff on the patio of the hotel room (which was located right on the Tuskegee River, so absolutely gorgeous), and then I took a long, hot shower.. hoping to scrub away the hiker trash smell. I got dressed in pjs mom brought me, and then we ordered a pizza and went to pick it up. Back at the room, we ate it and watched our Braves beat the Astros while I worked on getting a blog post or two up.

I’m so happy she’s here! And our hotel room is so perfect for a comfortable, happy zero tomorrow. Anyway, tomorrow will be my last zero of this trek I’m on.. I’m almost home! I can’t believe it. Goodnight, yall.