Put a fork in Georgia and other updates

We have experienced a lot of milestones this week! Some highlights include: crossing our first state line, hitting the 100 mile mark, and completing the Chattahoochee National Forest! 

We are currently resting and resupplying at the NOC, a huge outdoor recreational center in Bryson City, NC. We are planning on getting back on the trail this afternoon. We are meeting up with my parents for our next zero in Gatlinburg, TN on Friday so we have lots of miles to cover! 

Here is a breakdown of our last week:

Day 9

Starting: Dick's Creek, GA 69.6

Ending: Muskrat Shelter, NC 81.4

Total: 11.8

We took an early shuttle from the Holiday Inn and got back on the trail by 10am. We managed to avoid most of the bad weather during our time in Hiawassee but it was still a cold and rainy day.  We hit the Ga/Nc border and were greeted by our friends Rob and Ash! We all celebrated crossing our first big milestone. 

The rest of the day was a cold and windy hike to the shelter. NC definitely welcomed us with cold weather and big hills! We got to the shelter and set up the tent quickly. The weather dropped into the low 20's that night so we did our best to stay warm! 

Day 10

Starting: Muskrat Shelter, NC 81.4

Ending: Betty Creek Gap, NC 97.6

Total: 16.2

We got a very late start today. It was still pretty cold and neither of us wanted to get out of our tent. By the time we got on the trail the sun was starting to come out and we were finally starting to warm up! 

It is interesting to see how much the terrain has already changed only two days into NC. The soil is much darker and the hills have become longer and not as steep. 

We found a great spot to camp by a stream and got to bed pretty early. Overall, it was a good day of hiking!

Campsite for the night

Our makeshift drying rack

Day 11

Starting: Betty Creek, NC 97.6

Ending: Swinging Lick Campsite, NC 110.7

Total: 13.1

We got off to a pretty early start today. We were excited because we knew we were in for some good views and we were also going to cross the 100 mile mark today!! We hiked with our friend Wolf for most of the day. 

One of the side trails that crossed the AT

Right after we hit the 100 mile mark we climbed to the top of an old fire tower observation deck. The views from the top were amazing. Unfortunately, most of the pictures/videos we have are currently stuck in Mikes GoPro (we are still trying to figure that thing out)!

Selfie from the fire tower

The rest of the hike was pretty easy. We had some long rolling hills but nothing like what we were used to in Georgia! 

We met a woman at a road crossing who thru hiked in 1981. She was talking about some of the main differences between hikers now vs then. One of the main things she pointed out was the volume of people on the trail. In her year, 800 people attempted and about 100 finished. Our year close to 3000 people will attempt to thru hike! She also said that her pack weight averaged between. 40 to 60 pounds and she usually packed 15 days worth of food. Our packs are around 30-35 pounds and we pack 6 days max! There is a lot more support/options available for hikers now than there was 35 years ago.

Waterfall close to our campsite

We camped at a great site that had a stream running right beside. We had dinner with Wolf and sat by the campfire for a bit before bed.

Day 12

Starting: Swinging Lick Camp 110.7

Ending: Cold Spring Shelter 125.6

Total: 14.9

We were out of camp today by 9am which is really moving for Mike and I! We were feeling good and we completed our first 5 miles in 2 hours! The profile was pretty easy at that point. We ended up doing another 5 before lunch as well. That stretch included another observation tower which had a great view of the Smokeys. We got to see a lot if the mountains we would be climbing in the coming days! 

After lunch the weather started getting cold and rainy. We did our last 5 miles to camp in a constant drizzle. We set up the tent quickly and didn't leave for the rest if the night. We even had a cold dinner of tuna fish tortilla wraps because we didn't want to leave the tent to cook!

Day 13

Starting: Cold Spring Shelter 125.6

Ending: NOC 137.1

Total 11.5

Today was tough! It was probably the hardest day for me on the trail to date. I think the combination of the slick, technical downhill coupled with our desire to get to the NOC made for a hard hike.

We got up super early and made record time getting out of camp (8:30)! It had rained all night and we got really wet and muddy trying to pack everything up. We kept good spirits because we knew we would be enjoying a burger and a beer by lunch time! 

Some of the views on the trail were amazing. We hiked above the clouds for the first 5 miles of the day! The last 4 miles to the NOC are all downhill. There are some pretty steep switchbacks and rocky steps. It made for really sore ankles and knees by the end of the hike. 

We made it to NOC by 2 and had lunch with Wolf, Half Moon, Moxie and Picnic. The burger at River's End definitely lived up to our expectations and we were happy hikers by the end. 

We spent the night at the cabins and are getting ready to hit the Smokeys by Tuesday!

NOC Nantahala River

AT trail over the river

Happy Hikers!

Happy Trails!

Love,

Z & G