NC

"The Twisted Tree" right after the NC state line

• Day 10- Stayed at Muskrat "Sheeter"
• Super creepy vibe from this particular shelter
• There was random ground cloths scattered over the hillside and through the woods surrounding the shelter. At a glance these pieces of plastic kind of looked like body bags.
• There was a copious amount of graffiti in this shelter. Now, basically all shelters on the AT have some amount of graffiti. Only this shelter was completely covered inside and out with not just trail names and creative pictures (the typical hiker graffiti we have come to know and love) but with phrases like "F[*]CK THA POLICE"... which, after getting over the initial shock of an individual spelling the word "the" wrong, phrases like that are quite unnerving in the woods. 
• Usually we get into camp around lunch time (since we are doing rather low milage to keep from hurting ourselves at the beginning) and then sit by the trail and talk to other hikers who pass by
• This particular day NO ONE was passing by, which is super rare, usually we see at least 10 fellow hikers every hour. The lack of people just added to the creepy feeling and our boredom. 

Results of our boredom. 

• Fortunately this was the fated day we would meet Vanguard (although he was just Eric at that point) and Josh. They saved us from "The Shinning Twins" (long story)

Really North Carolina? Really?

• 16 March 2015 (I'm not going to count the days anymore): 13 miles to Carter Gap Shelter
• 17 March 2015: 16 miles to Franklin, NC
• On Albert Mountain we came upon our first fire tower!!!! The view was amazing.

View from the top of the fire tower on Albert Mountain






View from the bottom of the fire tower on Albert Mountain. That is Josh poking his head over the side (we caught up to the guys at the top)



• Oh, and the fire tower just happened to be mile 100!





There was no sign to commemorate our completion of the first 100 miles of the AT, so we had to improvise. 



• The last 3.7 miles of the day were in under an hour (it was 2pm and we didn't realize the $3 shuttle to Franklin left at 3.... and we were 3.7 miles away. Just for reference our usual pace is 2-2.5, which is fair).
• Vanguard (Eric at the time) charged over the mountain in front of everyone (he was going at about 4.2 miles per hour, which is pretty much unheard of for backpacking) and got to the shuttle in time and held it for everyone else.
• I suggested that we start calling Eric "Vanguard" because the vanguard is the first charge/ leads the way into battle.... also he was kind of LITERALLY guarding a van for all of us to shuttle into Franklin. The name stuck and that is how the trail name "Vanguard" came about. 
•  Hiker party at the Outdoor 76 outfitters. It also happened to St. Patty's day, $2 draft beer, in the actual outfitters (there is some weird bar law in NC so serving beer in an outfitters is a common occurrence apparently)!!!! 
• Personally I do not typically partake in libations, expect Crabby's Ginger Beer. After humming and hawing about settling for a draft beer the bartender gets a smirk on his face and magically withdraws a bottle of Crabby's from underneath the bar. The bottle was only a dollar more, so worth it!!!! A perfect day. My first epic day on the AT.

Starting on the left and going in a "U": Poppins, Vanguard, Terrier, Stoat, Josh, PeaceDawg

• Met the greatest trail Angel, took us for a resupply and even paid for PeaceDawg's motel room.... amazing man

• 18 March 2015: 5 miles to Siler Bald 
• Everyone got their boots re-fit, hit the trail later in the afternoon.
• We met this guy at the outfitters we all now refer to as the "Shoe Wizard" because he knew SO much about feet and put everyone into shoes that no longer cause ANY of us to get blisters = Magic (no blisters from brand new shoes is unheard of on the trail)

Wildberry poptart color

New trailrunners ... all that breaking in the boots for nothing... but my pinkey toe tried to poke through my hiking boots to the point I had to cut a hole in the side of my boot to releive the pressure just to get into town yesterday

Everyone in the crew ended up getting fitted by the "shoe wizard" for new trail runners

• Slept on top of Siler bald the first night out of Franklin with Poppins, Vanguard, and Josh. Had amazing 360 degree views, no sunset or stars tho since the rain clouds rolled in that night.

Stoat, Vanguard, Poppins, and Josh

View from the top of the Siler Bald with the memory bell string we found at the top



• We found a little string of bells on top of the bald with a note attached saying "This is a *Memory Bell* And may it find you making a MEMORY... I am *Free*, so please take me with you to remind you of this moment. Also, to pause for a second to reflect on Past Memories, Present Memories, and making Future Memories...."
• We ended up taking apart the string and each keeping one of the bells (the entire beaded string would have been too heavy for just one person to keep in their pack and each of us getting a bell seemed fitting)
•  19 March 2015: 12 miles to Cold Springs Shelter
•  This day was absolutely miserable (still not as bad as the FRIDAY THE 13th DAY). 
• Typically when it rains we get an hour or two respite at some point in the day (it has rained more days than not since starting) but this day it just poured which made for some very sloppy and cold hiking.
•  Spent our first night IN a shelter, since it was pouring and all the campsites were not level for some reason. No mice bothered us, shockingly (mice typically like to jump on hiker's faces in shelters.... to show their dominance in the AT pecking order I guess)



Cold Spring Shelter in the rain

• It was only a 6 person shelter (smaller than most on the AT) Rabbit showed up an hour or two after Poppins and I got into the shelter and Vanguard and Josh showed up around 3 pm. Then we all just sat there shivering and eating until it was time to crawl into our sleeping bags and shiver some more. 
• 
  
• 20 March 2015: 12 miles to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (Cabin)
•  The rain stopped and views were amazing. 

View from the Jumpoff






•  Made it to the NOC where Vanguard's girlfriend got a nearby cabin for everyone to crash in for the night. While waiting for a ride everyone just hung out and drank beers on a bridge  spanning the Nantahalen River (because again, apparently that is a thing in NC).

The bridge across the Nantahalan River is actually a part of the AT, compete with a white blaze at each end

The cabin crew starting on the left and going in a "U"

Poppins, Donitello (Josh finally got a trailname), Vanguard, Rabbit, Sticks, Stoat (myself)

• 21 March 2015: 8 miles to Cheoah Bald
• 6 mile accent out of the NOC
• Met some really sweet older gentlemen that camped on top of the bald as well, they were section hikers tho. 

• 22 March 2015: 14 miles to Cable Gap Shelter
• 23 March 2015: 7 miles to Fontana Village (for a resupply) then to the Fontana Hilton Shelter
• We are pretty sure that the Fontana Village townies have a pact to not pick up thru-hikers but to happily suggest we take the $3 shuttle the 2 miles back to the trail. 
• Seriously, all (well all 3) of the establishments in town had a radio that linked up directly to the shuttle service. IT IS A CONSPIRACY I TELL YOU!!!
• Hitch-hiking in Fontana is a waste of time if there are no tourist running around who are not privy to the townie pact
• Spent the night at the Fontana Hilton, the best known shelter on the AT and for good reason. This shelter has SHOWERS. Also, the view isn't half bad either. 

Mile Marker enjoying the view of Fontana Dam 

Free. This view is free to all AT thru-hikers

The shelter is located in a public park, hence the access to running water for showers and flush toilets (both located about 0.1 miles up the road from the shelter)

• 24 March 2015: 17 miles to Spence Field Shelter (in the Smokey Mountain National Park)
• Crossed over Fontana Dam in the early morning
• Headed into the Smokies (see next post)

Crossing Fontana Dam

Observing the potentially hazardous fall off Fontana Dam