Hello from Nantahala Outdoor Center.

Day 10 of the thru-hike and feeling great. It’s been a while since my last post from Neels Gap (seven days and about 100 miles), so I’ll try to be brief.

The climb out of Neels Gap was nice–11 miles from the hostel to Low Gap shelter. After that, I really opened it up. Day 5 was 15 miles from Low Gap to the top of Tray Mountain, then 12 miles the next morning to get to Dicks Creek Gap for a hitch into Hiawassee. I met a guy on the trail, a guy who thru-hiked in 78 and goes by Popeye, who was scouting out camp sites for his boy scout troop. Popeye said he’d give me a ride into town, so we hiked the two miles down to Dicks Creek Gap together and headed for the Blueberry Patch. This hostel is a little slice of heaven, run as a kind of hiker ministry by a very nice Christian couple on a donations-only basis. The couple, Gary and Lenny, gave me and my hostel-mates (Glen–who now goes by level, Orange Moon and Ginger Snap) a ride into town so we could get lunch and resupply at the grocery store. We went to a bbq joint called Smoke Rings, and Ginger Snap was the only one of us who could finish our meal. This was the biggest plate of pulled pork I have ever seen in my life–enough for at least 3 sandwiches. So full. Then our waitress gave us a ride down the road to the grocery store (otherwise we would have waddled), and after resupplying Orange Moon, Ginger Snap and I hitched a ride back out towards the Blueberry Patch. I’ve ridden in the back of a pickup before, but this was a whole new experience. Mountain pass roads, speeding along, it felt like I was on Space Mountain (and not in a good way).

I made it back to the Blueberry Patch alive, called my folks, and turned in early. The next morning Gary and Lenny had cooked us the nicest breakfast–pork sausage, cheese biscuits and sawmill gravy, eggs, buttermilk pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup. If you are ever in Hiawassee, Ga., be sure to pay these two a visit. What a place.

Running high on pancakes, we pushed out 17 miles that day from Dicks Creek Gap to Standing Indian Mountain. The next day was forecast for rain, but it didn’t start coming down until about 8 or 9. I had a long, wet 20-mile slog from Standing Indian to Rock Gap shelter. Luckily the rain let up about 7, because that shelter has a leaky roof, and it would have made for an unpleasant night. As for hiking in the rain, it wasn’t that bad. The trail didn’t have a lot of elements built into it to get the water off, so for most of the 20 miles it was like walking through a stream. By the end of the day I was soaked and freezing. Rock Gap was about 3 miles back from the road into Franklin, so I lost most of my group to the warm, dry motel rooms. Haven’t seen them since Thursday.

Rock Gap  Shelter

Friday was another 20-mile day, from Rock Gap to Cold Springs Shelter. The rain caused the heat to break, so it was a nice, cool 66 degrees for most of the day, without too much up-and-down. It got cold last night, 22 degrees, but I was warm enough in my layers and sleeping bag inside my tent.

Today was supposed to be an easy day, a little under 12 miles to get me into the N.O.C. The trail was rugged, the day got hot quickly, and my feet were killing me after pulling 57 miles in 3 days. I finally made it into the NOC (something like a 2,000 foot drop in 3 miles) about 1:30 and got a bunk in the hostel. This is a funky place–it’s a rafting center and outfitter, and the decorating decisions make it look like a Disney-fied version of a river town. There’s a decent restaurant and bar, and it will be nice to chill out for the afternoon and rest up. I’ve got 30 miles till I enter Great Smoky Mountain National Park, so I should be entering the park on Tuesday morning. I’ll see if I can’t get another update in before I enter, from Fontana Dam. Otherwise, expect another post in a week from Standing Bear Hostel on the other side of the Smokies.

Happy Trails,

Jeff