Day 12: (Moore Creek Campsite (mile 110.4) - Burningtown Gap (mile 124))

I woke up at about 8:15am to heavy condensation in my tent from the nighttime rain. I packed my things, ate a bar for a little energy, and started hiking around 9:30am. My plan was to eat breakfast on top of Siler Bald which was a little over 3 miles away. Guthook describes Siler Bald as: "one of the most spectacular summits along the southern Appalachian Trail," so I was super stoked to check it out.

The bald itself is accessible via a 0.2 mile side trail which is graded at approximately 45 degrees the whole way up. I made it to the side trail at a little after 10:30am and dropped my pack at the bottom of the bald. I then grabbed my breakfast and camera and began the steep climb to the top of the bald. During the climb, I noticed lots of ice on the ground. It seemed like the rain last night had frozen on trees near the top of the bald. With each gust of wind, chunks of ice would fall from branches and collect on the ground. This created an illusion of hail which was a bit surreal given the relatively clear skies.

I reached the top of the bald and was greeted by Squid, Katie, and Jasmine. The views on top of Siler Bald were indeed spectacular, but the wind goblins were angry and the constant convection was cooling me down quick. I took a couple pictures but it was too cold to stick around for breakfast. I descended the bald and ate at the base of the side trail.

As I was enjoying my breakfast, two hikers came up the trail. They introduced themselves as "Michelle" and "Paperclip." I had heard of Paperclip during my first week on trail. He has been passing out self made AT thru-hiker hang tags. Hang tags are usually distributed by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to thru-hikers at the start of their hike. However, ever since the pandemic started, they have not been distributing tags to discourage thru-hiking. I introduced myself and Paperclip asked if I had a hiker tag yet. I said that I did not and he responded: "every thru-hiker deserves a hiker tag." He then handed me a green thru-hiker tag printed on a thin durable plastic material. I was super pumped to receive my hiker tag and thanked Paperclip for making and distributing the tags.

I hiked another 2 miles beyond Siler Bald and passed a group of day hikers who informed me there was trail magic up ahead at the next gap. Sure enough, when I reached Wayah Gap I encountered a hand drawn sign announcing trail magic at the picnic area.

I made my way down a side trail and encountered an older lady who introduced herself as "Lucky Moon." She offered me a cup of hot cocoa which I gladly accepted. She also had a table strewn with brownies, carrots, and oranges. Lucky Moon explained that her granddaughter who loves participating in trail magic had drawn the sign. I lingered for a bit, enjoying my hot cocoa and chatting with Lucky Moon and other hikers. After a bit, I thanked Lucky Moon and headed down the trail.

After hiking another 5 miles, I reached Wayah Bald, home to a rather iconic stone observation tower. I ate lunch at the overlook near the tower and soaked in the incredible view. Far away in the distance I could see the fire tower on Albert Mountain. It was really incredible to see how far I had come in just a few days.

After lunch, I hung around the bald and called AC since I had not been able to get through to her last night. After we talked, I set off again hoping to push another 4.5 miles to Burningtown Gap which would put me half way between Franklin and the Nantahala Outdoor Center (N.O.C.). I made it to Burningtown Gap around 5pm and settled down for what was looking to be a cold and wet night.

My goal tomorrow is to hike to the N.O.C. where I am hoping to resupply, shower, and grab a beer. I think I visited the N.O.C. when I was younger during whitewater rafting trips, but I am not entirely sure. I guess we will see tomorrow✌

Lookout from Wayah -
retracing the ridges to
see how far I've come

The AT merged with the Bartram Trail for a few miles today

Day 13: (Burningtown Gap (mile 124) - Nantahala Outdoor Center (mile 136.7))

The rain last night did not last long, but it was enough to coat my tent in tiny droplets of water that froze in the morning chill. This left a thin layer of ice on the outside of my tent which was enough to numb my fingers as I packed up my tent. I ate a bag of peanuts and began my hike at about 9:40am. My plan for the day was to hike about 13 miles to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (N.O.C.). After hiking about a mile, I ate breakfast at Cold Spring Shelter and rejoiced as the sun began to warm my chilled fingers.

After breakfast, I hiked another 2 miles and took a short side trail to check out a handful of tremendous views from Rocky Bald.

From Rocky Bald I began the steep descent into Tellico Gap which was followed by a steep climb to the summit of Wesser Bald. As I reached the bald, I ran into Squid who told me that she had just booked a ziplining and whitewater rafting trip tomorrow at the N.O.C. Needless to say, I was super jealous.

I took my pack off and grabbed my lunch supplies before making my way towards the lookout tower on top of the bald. As I was approaching the tower, Evan, Katie, and Jasmine descended the stairs and explained that they had just eaten lunch. I told them that was my plan too and climbed up the tower. At the top of the tower I appreciated the views for a moment and then realized I forgot my spoon at the base of the tower. I did not feel like climbing down yet, so I put lunch on hold and did my mid-day stretches while appreciating the views, sun, and gentle breeze.

From Wesser Bald, it is more or less all downhill to the N.O.C. After about 2 miles I reached an exposed rocky ridge that appeared to have sustained fire damage in recent years.

The ridge provided little protection from the sun, whose heat and UV rays were growing more oppressive by the minute. I applied some sunscreen and began the extremely dry, rocky, and steep descent towards the N.O.C.

Looking back up the steep and rocky descent from Wesser Bald

After what seemed like a neverending downhill, I reached Rufus Morgan Shelter - the last landmark before the N.O.C. - and found Evan, Katie, Jasmine, and Tolkien resting and stretching near a creek. I stopped to join them for a bit and we discussed all the amazing luxuries apparantly awaiting us at the N.O.C. After a few minutes, I continued on and passed a family of day hikers who asked me how long I had been on trail. I was startled to realize that I was not exactly sure and after stuttering for a second or two, I blurted out: "about two weeks, I think." I was close, I guess 😅

I soon arrived at the N.O.C. and realized that I have definitely visited before for whitewater rafting trips with the Boy Scouts. It was cool to return as a prospective thru-hiker. I had a list of tasks I hoped to accomplish in the afternoon, including resupplying, printing my permit for Great Smokey Mountains National Park, showering, laundry, and acquiring a hot meal. But before I could accomplish any of those things, I needed to find out where I would be sleeping for the night.

The word on the trail was that there is an island stealth camping spot down river from the N.O.C. To me, that sounded pretty damn cool, so I went to the main outfitter building to ask about nearby tenting opportunities. The first staffer I approached about tent camping very quickly responded that the N.O.C. does not offer any tentsites and that the only option was to continue up the trail a mile or two. As she was explaining this to me, I noticed another N.O.C. staffer at the top of a set of stairs subtly beckoning me to come up to the second floor of the outfitter. I thanked the first lady for her time and climbed the stairs as nonchalantly as possible. When I reached the top, the second staffer explained that if I crossed the river and followed the railroad tracks for a few minutes, I would reach a fence marking the end of N.O.C. property. Beyond the fence, I would find a trail leading to "Hobo Island," a popular stealth camping spot used by hikers for many years. He also told me that the island technically belonged to the railroad company, so it was "camp at your own risk."

I left the outfitter and found Katie, Jasmine, and Evan outside. They were hanging their tents and sleeping bags to dry on lines strung between the columns fronting the outfitter. I joined them and hung my tent to dry near the entrance. Soon other hikers joined us and the front of the N.O.C. outfitter building was transformed into a giant "packsplosion" as we all emptied the wet contents of our packs to dry on the sidewalk. We joked that we were adding to the N.O.C.'s outdoorsy aesthetic.

Our “packsplosion,” conveniently located on the N.O.C.’s doorstep

I located an outlet and began charging my things while I reserved a thru-hiker permit for Great Smokey Mountains National Park on my phone. I emailed my permit to the N.O.C. and made my way to the General Store where I planned to resupply, print my permit, and pay for a shower. The resupply was pitiful, but I only had a two day carry to Fontana Village, so I made it work. I then printed my permit and payed for shower access. The lady at the register handed me a towel and a magnetic key card which would grant me access to the shower building.

I made my way back to the outfitter building, and as I arrived, a very flustered looking manager came out and asked us if we could move our mess across the river. We happily obliged, and I found that my tent had already dried completely. I then took some time to call AC and made my way to the shower building. The shower was nothing fancy, but it did the job. Afterwards, I threw my laundry in with Evan and decided to go set up my tent on Hobo Island before dinner.

I followed the tracks for a ways until I reached a fence. I was not sure if it was the right fence, but in the distance I could see two people with backpacks on what must have been Hobo Island. I hopped the fence and soon discovered a well worn trail leading across a floodplain to an "island" situated in a scenic bend of the Nantahala River. When I made it out onto the island, I found Detox and Squid setting up their tents. I setup my tent and asked Detox and Squid if they had eaten dinner yet. They said they had and I asked if they knew when the restaurant closes. Squid responded that the restaurant closes at 7pm. I looked at my watch, noticed it was 6:45pm, and practically sprinted back to the restaurant at the N.O.C. I arrived a few minutes before 7pm and asked if they were still seating guests. They said they stopped taking names at 7pm, so I was right in time. The wait was estimated to be 20 minutes, so I gave them my phone number and went to check on my laundry.

Outside the laundry room I found Evan eating a pizza. He said the dryer had just finished, so I changed into my warm and clean clothes. I told Evan that I had reserved a table and he agreed to join me even though he had just eaten. Soon our table was ready and we were seated on the outer patio with an excellent view of the Nantahala. I ordered a burger with fingerling potatoes and a stout from a local brewery. Everything was delicious and I left feeling supremely satisfied.

Evan and I returned to Hobo island and found that it had turned into quite the popular spot. Nine hikers - including myself - had set up for the night. We all agreed that it was the coolest campsite yet and quietly hoped the river would not suddenly flood on us. Fortunately, there was no rain forcasted, and I soon fell asleep listening to the sound of the river rushing by.

Camp at your own risk
down the river railroad tracks
on Hobo Island