April 7 (Day 21) - Random Campsite to Hog Back Gap

This morning, we slept late, recovering from the festivities and night-hiking.  Unbeknownst to us in the dark, we had made camp near a spring, and I took full advantage of it, collecting water and soaking my sore feet in its cool waters.  After a hot meal of oatmeal with chia seed, we set off on the day's journey.

Several miles up the trail, we found Packrat, or rather, he found us by jumping out from behind a tree and scaring us.  The three of us, then, hiked well into the night.

None of us had bothered to glance at our guides or maps, and we found ourselves climbing Jacob's Ladder, a particularly rigorous climb, by the light of our headlamps.  Though, I found myself grateful for the circumstance; it would have been even more difficult in the daylight, constantly looking upward at the daunting climb.

Unfortunately, there was a large concentration of hikers along this stretch of trail, and all of the campsites were taken for miles.  Moreover, the batteries in my headlamp died, forcing us to move more slowly by the light of only two headlamps.  We did not find a suitable campsite until we reached Hog Back Gap, around 2:30 AM.

April 6 (Day 20) - Random Campsite to Random Campsite

After a light breakfast, we broke camp and set out from our campsite.  And, after a few miles of hiking, the Nantahala Outdoor Center came into view.  We stopped at the River's End Restaurant for lunch; Hammy and I decided to chow down on delicious salads with hummus, while Packrat devoured a "hiker burger."

Shortly after lunch, we went to Slow Joe's, a bar on the river, to charge up our electronics, while the bar was still closed.  Though, we decided to tarry until the bar opened.  Osprey sponsored a free dinner of chili and hot dogs for hikers, and we imbibed a few beers from the bar, while listening to some live music.

Around midnight, we finally tore ourselves away from the festivities and decided to hike a few more miles by the light of our headlamps.  Hammy and I made camp a few miles from NOC, but Packrat pushed a bit further.

April 5 (Day 19) - Burningtown Gap to Random Campsite

Since we stayed awake until the wee hours of the morning, we had a late start.  El Gato opted to stay at the Sapphire Inn for another night; his plan is to meet us at Fontana Dam on Monday to begin the Smokies with Underpants (Brandon) and his wife, Simone.

We visited the outfitter, Outdoor 76, again.  Hammy picked up a Sea to Summit Reactor sleeping bag liner to keep her warmer at night, and I bought a compression sack for Packrat's unwieldy -20 degree synthetic bag.  Then, El Gato and Packrat went out to lunch, while Hammy and I had coffee and muffins in the room.

I contracted Judy, a taxi owner/operator, to drive us back to Burningtown Gap, and we arrived on the trail around 5:30 PM.  We hiked well into the night, using our headlamps.  Briefly, we stopped at the Wesser Bald observation tower to stargaze.  Then, we continued on to a campsite just beyond The Jumpoff.
 

April 4 (Day 18) - Wayah Bald (Byrne Memorial Tower) to Burningtown Gap

While the prior evening was mild, this morning was anything but.  We awoke to between a quarter and a half inch of ice on everything.  Since Packrat chose to sleep on top of the tower, both he and his gear were soaked and covered with ice.  We spent quite a bit of time breaking camp (and trying to save Packrat from hypothermia).

We began hiking and met El Gato at the Wayah Bald Shelter.  He hadn't planned on moving from his hammock, but we convinced him to hike to the next gap and catch a ride back into Franklin.  As we were hiking, we could hear trees creaking, cracking, and falling all around us.  Chunks of ice and small branches fell on us, as we moved along the trail.

At one point, two trees actually fell perfectly between Hammy and I.  Needless to say, we were a bit shaken by it.  This near-death experience strengthened our resolve to get out of the woods and into the warmth of town.

Unfortunately, Burningtown Gap is the most inaccessible gap on this section of the trail, and it cost us $70 and over an hour of waiting to escape the cold, ice, and falling trees.  (One taxi service actually quoted us a price of $115.  Given the temperature and being completely drenched, we nearly accepted.)

Once in Franklin, we again stayed at the Sapphire Inn.  I spent the night cleaning and mending gear, washing laundry, and soaking in a hot bath with epsom salts.

April 3 (Day 17) - Winding Stair Gap to Wayah Bald (Byrne Memorial Tower)

At 7:15 AM, we hopped a shuttle bound for the First Baptist Church in Franklin. The kind folks there prepared breakfast for us, and we devoured pancakes and bacon to our hearts' content. We signed their Class of 2013 banner and had photographs taken to send home.

After riding the shuttle back to the Sapphire Inn, we prepared to depart on the day's hike. Another shuttle deposited us at Winding Stair Gap.

I began the hike with a quick stride and soon lost sight of my companions. At the trail to Siler Bald Shelter, I paused for lunch from my pack, assuming the others would catch up. Though, after an hour, I became concerned.

Several hikers stopped and asked why I was waiting, and I was forced to endure lectures on the subject. It was the opinion of these hikers that I needed to move on, to not establish permanent attachments that might impact my hike. I sat and thought on the subject, while I waited for my companions.

Something occurred to me, the first of what I'm sure will be many lessons on this hike. There are some things that I don't want to change about myself. I do like some things about myself, and one of those is my values.

Symbolically, my companions represent friendship, compassion, and love. Yes, there are things I want in life, goals that I have. However, I am unwilling to sacrifice friendship, compassion, and love to reach those goals. I am unwilling to forsake my values, to forsake who I am at my very core, to reach those ends.

My companions eventually arrived. El Gato hiked ahead, while Hammy, Packrat, and I enjoyed the view from atop Siler Bald. The three of us proceeded at a leisurely pace and made camp on Wayah Bald, as it grew dark. We assumed that El Gato had made it to Wayah Bald Shelter.

April 2 (Day 16) - Zero Day in Franklin

I attempted to switch packs, picking up my lighter weight Vapor Trail.  As such, we spent the day cleaning gear, repacking, and relaxing.  Unfortunately, I couldn't reduce my weight to a point where the Vapor Trail would be comfortable.  (And, the swivel suspension on the Arc'teryx Altra 65 is just so comfy.)

Hammy and I took full advantage of a carton of epsom salts and a hot bath, soaking our sore muscles and joints.

April 1 (Day 15) - Long Branch Shelter to Winding Stair Gap

Today, we collectively decided that we would not be continuing on to Maine.  We hitched a ride into Franklin, and after securing transportation home, we said our goodbyes.

APRIL FOOLS!

We set out early from Long Branch Shelter and reached Winding Stair Gap, shortly after 11 AM.  Robert Bird was there with some trail magic beverages, and Double Healer gave us a lift into town in his pickup truck.  I secured mail from the post office, and we spent the night in the Sapphire Inn.

Shout out to the guys at Outdoor 76.  Thanks for the conversation, advice, and assistance with footwear for my companions.