Out of the Rain and into the Freezer

Winding Stair Gap to Wayah Shelter 

Moving on

Franklin, NC was a fun stay, but the time had come to leave.

In the morning, we stopped for breakfast at the First Baptist Church, where they were serving an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast for free for all hikers. 

I’m still surprised by the generosity and support the communities out here have for the hikers. They really seem to roll out the red carpet for the stinky vagabonds that pass through.

Back on Trail 

A group of us took a shuttle from the church back to Winding Gap and headed up Trail. Sadly, my hiking companion, Mark, had to take some time off Trail, so I set out without him. I met a fellow dweller from the Show-Me state, Jack, and we hiked together. 

It was pouring down rain in the morning, but fortunately, it stopped by the time we arrived at the trailhead. 

All the rain had made the trail very muddy and caused the springs and streams to rise. At times, water was running down the trail which made it feel like we were hiking upstream. 

A pop-up shower started as we were arriving at the shelter. The temperature was quickly dropping; it would be in the 30s tonight. After dinner and setting up camp, we all headed to bed.

Wayah Shelter to Rufus Morgan Shelter

I woke up very cold. Not only did the temperature drop, but the wind had picked up. 

I lay in my hammock for a long time, waiting for the temperature to rise. It finally warmed a bit, and after eating some warm oatmeal I felt much better.

After packing up, I went on my way. I had decided I would make it to the shelter 10-ish miles away. If I felt good by then, I would push on to the next shelter past that. Since the temperatures were supposed to be getting into the 20s, I really wanted to get to a lower elevation. 

Magic Morning

We encountered trail magic a few miles in and stuck around for some warm breakfast sandwiches and snacks. 

Afterward, there were a few climbs that brought us to a fire tower with some great views. 

Obstacle Course

After the fire tower, I continued on to the shelter at the 10-ish mile mark. I felt great, and it was around 4pm, so I decided to push on the other 5-ish miles to get down the mountain. 

The map showed that it would be mostly downhill for the final 5 miles so I figured I’d be fine. What I didn’t expect was for the Trail to throw everything at me to slow me down. 

There were stellar views.

Several trees blocked the trail. To clarify, the trees extended roughly a tree’s length going uphill and downhill. So I decided I would just go over them. 

My favorite was the three; you step through two, go under the next, and over the third. 

I started taking pictures of this silliness when it became amusing, I stopped taking pictures when I started to run out of time. 

It was around 7pm when I got to camp. I quickly set up, ate dinner, and made my way to bed. I had hiked roughly 15.8 miles on the trail and was exhausted. 

The NOC

Nantahala Outdoor Center is the final resupply before Fontana Dam. I had covered 27.3 miles in the last couple of days to get here and will be moving on soon.

I decided to type this up while waiting for my electronics to charge. I got to reunite with several of the hikers while sitting out front working on this.

There was a group of 5 I had been hiking with since leaving Franklin. Guardian, one member of a group of four I met before Hiawassee had ironically left his group to hike solo. I also ran into several members of a Warrior Expedition group that I had been hiking amidst since leaving Hiawassee. 

Experiences

Hiker Boxes

At all of the outfitters and hostels I have stayed at, there are things referred to as hiker boxes. They are boxes where hikers drop off unneeded food and gear and other hikers can pick up this unneeded gear. 

So far, I have seen all but the most important pieces of the water filtration kit (all of those pieces I have also purged from my kit). Umbrellas, chairs, backpacks, shoes, bags, trekking poles, bear cans, and various food items are just some of the items I have encountered in these boxes. 

I dropped some of my own gear back in Hiawassee. Most of my water purification kit, and most of my first aid kit. 

Crisis Bigger than First-Aid

It’s frustrating when I have been urgently, nay, frantically searching for toilet paper in my pack and I have to deal with a pack of 50 bandaids complicating my search!

Band-Aids

After some thought, I realized that if there is a situation that arises that requires me to use 50 bandaids, then I have problems too big for bandaids to fix, and so I kept like, 10 and put the rest into a hiker box. I figure if I need more I’ll buy a few more.

Triangle Bandage

I also dug out a triangle bandage. I found this to be odd in any case and didn’t really see a need for it. Granted the pictures showed me how I could use it.

It could be used as a sling for an injured arm. Makes sense. It could be worn around my head, making me look like I’m putting together a discount pirate outfit for Halloween. Or I could wear it on my shoulder like a piece of cloth armor to slightly raise my AC without affecting my spellcasting modifiers.

I decided none of this was worth easier access to the toilet paper, which has been a nearly daily crisis, so I put this into the box as well.

Other Essentials

I also got rid of some tape, gauze, alcohol wipes, and antiseptic wipes.

I still have some of everything(except the triangle bandage and eyedrop solution) But far less of it, and also some wraps, luekeotape, and moleskin(for blisters).

Improvisation

After hours of hiking, I have started to realize how versatile things can be with a little creativity.

For example: in a pinch, I can take one of my two shirts and tie it around my head if I want to look like a discount pirate. Even better, I could be fashioned into a sling. Gauze wraps? I’ve got some extra socks and tape for that. Bandaid? I wrapped duct tape around my poles for field repairs.

I’m not encouraging anyone to do this. I’m not saying I’m a medical professional even though I worked at a hospital. I’m just saying when push comes to shove I can improvise if it means I can get to my tp faster!