Author: jpkastner

Day 22: Fontana Dam

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Starting Point: Cable Gap Shelter (159.4)
Ending Point: Fontana Dam (164.6) 
Totiles: 5.2 miles
Steps: 19,147
Achievements:
Our goal was to reach the Fontana Dam parking lot by noon for the shuttle.  We’re staying in the lodge after resupplying.  The sun came out as we hiked.

My pack should have been light, but it was saturated.  When we reached the parking lot, there was excellent trail Magic.
I shipped a box here and it is way more food than I’ve been eating.  I gave nearly half of it away.
We have some agreement to try and pick up the pace.  We have one of the largest climbs tomorrow.  It is over 4000′.  The goal is eight, with a stretch of 13.  We’ll see how it goes.

Day 21: Wet Wet Wet

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Starting Point: Locust Cove Campsite (147.6)
Ending Point: Cable Gap Shelter (159.4)
Total Miles: 11.7 miles
Steps: 33,335
Achievements: Didn’t Get Hypothermia
Sorry, no pictures today.  It started to rain about 5 a.m. and it didn’t stop until it was dark.
The rain was supposed to be light.  It was not. It was supposed to be in the 70’s.  It was not. My outer shell was oversaturated.  I was cold.
We reached out lunch spot at noon.  It was a shelter we wouldn’t stay at.  I switched to some dry clothes and made some tea to warm up.
We rested for an hour, but we had to move on.  I put my wet clothes back on.  I carry an emergency Coleman poncho.  I broke that out for the afternoon and it did a great job keeping my core dry.
That afternoon hike was some of our best work.  The Sweeper, Dunkeroo, and I covered 6.3 miles in just four hours.  It was rough, slippery, and just pouring.
The average hiker does nine miles a day in this section.  We hiked 11.7 in the most adverse conditions.
Once we reached the shelter, it was full.  Many people just zeroed in place.  I set up my tent, got out of my wet clothes and into some dry ones, and ate candy to get my body temperature back up.  When you work out, your body cools the furnace.  When you stop,and you’re cold, you start to shiver almost immediately.
We have just 5.2 miles into town.  We have a place to stay and will resupply and do chores.  It is expected to be sunny for the next week.  We’ll hike the first part of the Smokies.

Day 20: Every Climb Makes You Stronger

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Starting Point: Spring Campsite (139.6)
Ending Point: Locust Cove Campsite (147.6)
Total Miles: 8 miles
Steps: 25,394
Achievements: Cheoah Bald

We didn’t have much in the way of choices today.  Either we hiked 8 miles with 3000′ of climb or 13.5 miles with 4500′.  We’re not strong enough to do the latter quite yet.  It wasn’t the climbs that were hard. It was the terrain.  It was difficult to move with any amount of cadence.
We reached camp by 3 p.m. and it was warm and nice, so we took a nap before dinner.  A group of hikers made a campfire, so we shared stories.
The wind blows though this camp in the most eerie of ways.  It rumbles in the distance and grows into a blast that pulls your tent stakes out of the ground.
Tomorrow is similar to today, but with a 100% chance of rain.  We can do another 8 or a stretch goal of 11.  The day after we’ll reach Fontana Dam.  I have a resupply box waiting there and I get a shower and do some laundry.

Day 19: Escaping the Vortex

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Starting Point: Wesser Bald Shelter (131.2)
Ending Point: Spring Campsite (139.6)
Total Miles: 8.4 miles
Steps: 25,551
Achievements: Escaped a Town Without Spending the Night
We woke up to a clear sky for a change.  We could see the views!
On paper this was supposed a simple hike into the Nantahala Outdoor Center.  It was 5.5 miles, almost all downhill.  We’d have a hamburger at the restaurant and resupply for three nights.  I figured it would take two hours.  I was wrong!
That was the most difficult climb down.  There were challenging rock scrambles, downed trees, and a rough trail with plenty of roots and scree.
It took me three and a half hours to get down to the NOC.
At the restaurant, I ran into Atlas.
The hamburger was excellent.  Then we resupplied and attempted our escape.
There is a thru-hiking term called vortex.  It is the drag you feel leaving town.  The vortex was extremely strong.  I dogged the whole 2.5 miles to the camp we selected.
The average hiker does only nine miles per day in this section.  It is going to be rough tomorrow with lots of climbs.  Fortunately, we knocked off a 1000′ feet by hiking these 2.5 miles.

Day 18: Cloudy in the Morning. Sunny in the Afternoon

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Starting Point: Wayah Shelter (120.6)
Ending Point: Wesser Bald Shelter (131.2)
Total Miles: 10.6 miles
Steps: 28,149
Achievements: Rocky Bald, Wesser Bald

The Sweeper and I were blessed.  The rain was supposed to last until the afternoon, but it stopped early and we did not get rained on all day.
Normally, I love walking among the clouds, but honestly, I was sad.  Blaze was likely off trail for good.  He texted later that morning to tell us his foot was my much worse and he was going to fly home to Connecticut.
The Sweeper and I hiked in a foggy jungle without anything to see.  I eventually met up with a British father and son who stayed in the same hostel as me back at Neel’s Gap.

While having lunch my tiny zPacks headlamp fell out of my fleece.  The Sweeper caught up to me and while he was eating, noticed it in a bush.  How he did that, I do not know.  He is clutch.  He is the Sweeper.
We ran into the Brits again just at tea time.

We reached camp and it was still gloomy.  We sat their alone for about and hour, but some new faces came.  The first was Captain Blogger.  She is writing about her journey on the Trek.  I’ll post a link once I have Internet.

Then, finally the sun came out and we all gathered around soaking up rays.
It was a sad day, but the trail provided some happiness.
Blaze texted us again.  He’s decided to rejoin us once he heals wherever we are.

Day 17: The Soggy Goodbye Blues

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Starting Point: Winding Stair Gap (109.6)
Ending Point: Wayah Shelter (120.6)
Total Miles: 11 miles
Steps: 30,623
Achievements: 

I hiked on to the stretch goal and told the Sweeper the news.
The Backstop Boys are down one, and the remaining three are split between two camps.  The weather is rainy and cold.  It is amazing how quickly things can change on trail.