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Day 18, April 20

Wayah Bald to Wesser Bald

We woke up to a very dense fog.  The tent's rain fly was totally soaked.  It appeared to me that the sun was going to burn off the fog and allow the tent to dry.  Boy, was I wrong.  The sky opened up, and it began to rain hard.  I quickly threw on rain gear and tore down camp, stowing wet gear in my pack, and we hit the trail.  I swear the wet gear added another 5 pounds to my pack.  An hour later the sky cleared, and I was hiking in shorts and a t-shirt.  



We passed by Wayah and Cold Spring Shelters today, both with very different architectures.

Wayah Shelter

Cold Spring Shelter

Rocky at Rocky Bald

At one point, it looked like it was snowing.  It was actually petals from Dogwood and other flowering trees being scattered by the wind.



Trail Magic

We dropped down to Tellico Gap at around 5:30 p.m. to find 2007 NOBO (northbound thru-hiker) Bytecode and Great Aunt Cindy waiting for us with BBQ chicken, chips, fruit, drinks, and cookies.  This was a great and well appreciated feast for tired AT hikers.  Rocky enjoyed sharing my chicken.  They would have left sooner, but they heard that Rocky was headed their way.  THANK YOU, BYTECODE AND GREAT AUNT CINDY FOR THE FEAST!!



Wesser Bald

The feast helped fuel our last big climb of the day to Wesser Bald.  The fire tower near the top was a bit rickety but offered a great view.







Commando & Rocky below Wesser Bald Firetower




We arrived at our campsite just before sunset.  I took my wet gear out of my pack, hung it in trees, and let the warm wind blow it dry before I set up camp.  I fixed dinner in the dark.  Rocky and I enjoyed our beef stew.  

Day 18 Trail Profile, 130.9 Miles

All in all, today was long and full of steep climbs and descents with interesting weather and interesting people.



Note from Sally

Sunday, April 21, Titanium and Rocky (and Commando, I think) should make it to the famous NOC, or Nantahala Outdoor Center.  From there, it will be on to the Smokies, where I get to meet them at Fontana Dam, the gateway to the Smokies, hopefully on Wednesday.  In the meantime, the irises are blooming beautifully here in Oak Ridge, but I have a lot of weeding to do without my gardening partner!







Comments

  1. GboydApril 21, 2024 at 3:51 PM

    Hey Dan, I have been following but just now figured out how to comment. You and Rocky are looking good! Good luck on the journey!

    ReplyDelete

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