Sassafras Gap Shelter 2049.3 to Burningtown Gap 2069.1 (19.8 miles, 2069.1 total miles)
I’d planned on getting up at 5:30, but heard people rustling at 5:17AM, so I decided I might as well get a move on, too. Our shuttle was at 5PM, and we had 20 miles to do before then, with a stop at the NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) early in the day.
I was ready to go by 6:30, and hiked out just before Lentil and Looseleaf, while Shady Tree had quietly left before the rest of us. I put on music for the couple miles of climbing out of the shelter, wearing my full rain gear, hat, and gloves as it was rather chilly and windy that morning.
I wondered if it was the beginning of the hurricane coming in, and slowly delayered over the morning. I saw sunrise just barely through the clouds ahead, turning off my headlamp after the first 15 minutes of hiking.
From the top of the climb, it was a 6 mile descent of 3,000 feet to the NOC. I listened to Order of the Phoenix while I traversed down slippery leaves, walked over rocky sections, and had a couple snacks on my way down.
At the The Jump Up, I had my first view down to the Nantahala River, and also stopped for a moment at a monument to a ranger who’d died fighting a forest fire in the area in the 60s. The rocks became ever bigger as I got closer to the river, ending in beautiful cliffs and rock formations toward the end of the descent.
I arrived at the NOC at 9:15, stopping at the first restroom I saw and dumping my trash before seeing that Flamingo and Looseleaf had made it just after me. We crossed a bridge spanning the river, and while the others went to the General Store, I stopped at the outfitter first.
I purchased a dehydrated meal, a large fuel canister to last me the rest of the trip, and a Nalgene to keep me warm at night for the remainder of the hike, since it looked as if temperatures would be very cold till the end.
While I was crossing the road to the General Store, I saw Milky Moo and Painkles had hiked in as well, and Lentil was across the road with Shady Tree and Happy. In the store, I bought lunch and snacks for later, plus a Powerade as my Gatorade bottle for mixing drinks had turned moldy the other day.
I sat sipping a coffee when Lentil and Looseleaf’s friend Anna pulled up her white Honda Fit and ran across the street to give them hugs. She was introduced to everyone, and fit in with the group right away, sitting on the ground with us and offering snacks she’d brought.
Anna was going to help us get to Franklin later today, and was staying in town with Lentil and Looseleaf, while the rest of us were going to a hostel outside town. We all decided we might as well slackpack since we were meeting her at a road anyway, and I threw some of my clothes, air mattress, and cook pot in a bag to keep in the car.
I didn’t want to empty my pack too much, as I’d found it didn’t carry as well when empty and things tended to fall out of the side pockets. I started up the incline while the others were finishing up, wanting to get a jump on the 4.4 mile climb of 2,500 feet.
I listened to a new podcast episode and passed by the first shelter .8 into the climb, wanting to keep momentum. The climb itself wasn’t bad, and rather gradual, showing nice views into the range around us through leafless trees. Flamingo caught up to me around halfway up and passed by, a trekking pole free hiker with the type of calves I dream of one day having.
Toward the top of that first climb, I reached a very windy ridge with gnarled trees indicating it was always windy up there. A rocky, steep ascent reminded me of the northern states, while I admired several fine views of the mountains around me, buffeted by the wind a little.
At the top, an easy 1.6 of almost flat ridge walking brought me to Wesser Bald Shelter where I stopped for lunch, seeing Flamingo in passing as he was leaving. I was starving, but had made myself wait till the shelter for lunch in case it started raining, which was supposed to happen in the afternoon.
I ate a cold cheese and bean burrito and Milky Way I’d bought at the store, Happy, Painkles, and Milky Moo joining me after a couple minutes. It was a little after 1:00 when I left, with only 7 miles to go. I decided to slow up my pace a little because we were ahead of schedule for the shuttle and I didn’t want to end up waiting in the parking lot in the rain getting cold and wet.
I climbed for almost a mile up to Wesser Bald, which I’d been excited for today because it had a large observation tower with a deck up top and a beautiful 360 view down to Fontana Dam and across to where we were headed.
I could see bright sunshine hitting several places, and sheets of rain coming down in others. I had a feeling we were heading straight for the rain, though it looked so beautiful from afar.
Climbing down from the tower, I began a little over a mile descent toward Tellico Gap, listening to my book again. I passed a couple people with beautiful dogs who I stopped to chat with, being wished congratulations on my hike again. It was a weird feeling to be congratulated for something I hadn’t finished yet, but when I looked at a map of the AT the part I had left seemed minuscule compared to the whole.
At Tellico, I crossed a gravel parking area under power lines, and began a couple miles of climbing up to Rocky Bald. I was starting to feel tired by then, Painkles and Milky Moo passing by me as I was checking the map.
I was only halfway up, and began climbing again as Happy passed me as well. Upping my miles had been fun for me, and I felt I was hitting my stride again, once I’d pushed past that very long day in the Smokies. However, my body was definitely feeling it, my knees and feet swollen and my legs sore. I was very excited for my first zero in ten days tomorrow, wanting some TLC for my body.
I made it to Rocky Bald as the rain began coming down, in a sprinkle for now, but I skipped the .1 side trail to the view, as it was already windy and rainy enough. After a while, I put my pack cover on, admiring deep purple and green foliage on either side of the trail, knowing I was almost to the road.
After a little over a mile of ridge bumps, my last view of the day was socked in, once more surrounded by white fog. It was only a bit further to the last shelter, where I found everyone else but Lentil, Looseleaf, and Flamingo sitting under cover of the rain, which had begun coming down quite hard.
Lentil and Looseleaf arrived after a few minutes, saying Anna was down at the parking lot and I could come with them and drive with her. We headed out, leaving the others there, and began the last mile to the road. I was quite ready to get there, and very hungry, but the problem was that nothing in my fanny pack seemed tempting to me.
At the road, Anna and Flamingo were sitting on the edge of the trunk of her car, huddled under the open hatch, hiding from the steady rain. We squeezed in as well, eating double stuf Oreos that Anna held out to us, before she got up to organize the car.
We were doing our best to stuff our and the others’ things in the trunk, when we heard the other four zooming down the mountain. They grabbed their things, which helped us a lot, as we were able to fully fit our packs and bags in the trunk, having enough room to fit in the car comfortably.
It was a nearly hour long drive down twisting and turning roads, Anna’s wipers going in the consistent rain. We arrived in Franklin around 6:00, stopping at Ingles to resupply after dropping Lentil and Looseleaf at their B&B to check in.
After resupplying, Flamingo and I were dropped off at a restaurant in town, where Spidy was picking us up in his truck to go to the hostel. Shady Tree, Happy, Painkles, and Milky Moo were there as well.
As Spidy drove us the 25 minutes to his home, we learned he was a retired Marine, had hiked the AT SOBO in 2018 and wanted to do it again, and had his own woodworking business. He also had been running the hostel since last year, and I learned Heat Lightning and Beer Girl had taken cover there as well, which I was excited to hear.
Spidy had overbooked just a little due to the hurricane, which we really appreciated. He was situated high up in the mountains, on a long, winding gravel road. The hostel was next to Spidy’s house, in an enormous metal barn with several cots, an air mattress, a living room set up, kitchenette, wood burning stove, and TV with hundreds of DVDs.
Not only that, Spidy’s hostel (The Barn A.T. Hiker Hostel) was donation only, and Spidy actually asked that we not donate more than $20 apiece, because he and his wife weren’t doing this for money, but rather to remain part of the hiker community.
It seemed unbelievable to me that so many kind and generous people were in this trail community, and ever increased my desire to give back in the future. After one of the nicest showers I’d experienced on trail with a beautiful outdoor setup next to the barn, I laid down on my cot to read and relax before bed. We turned in around 10:00, listening to rain hitting the metal roof, one of my favorite sounds, happy to be warm and dry inside.