Last night, I stayed at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), and the accommodations were fairly nice. Staying up fairly late socializing made this morning a little slower, (ending with The Rock hanging our food from the rafters), but I managed to leave by a decent hour.

I took my time and took a lunch break at the first shelter, where many from last night ended up staying. I moved on but was stopped soon by a stunning view of the mountains. I sat on the top of the climb and meditated for a while, feeling the majesty of the purple mountains and sun.

Continuing on to a gap with trail magic! I spotted a glorious pile of apples and bananas 500 feet away. Fresh fruit is a beautiful thing. I snacked and took a nap and was soon joined by a few other hikers: Crazy Horse, Young Gun, Blue, James, and Chainsaw. We were living large in the sun’s rays. They stayed, but I wanted to keep moving.

The last stretch was two miles of steep uphill that Crazy Horse told me was reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno. It was certainly a challenge but nothing all too terrible. I arrived with joy – the shelter was empty, and it is supposed to rain tonight into tomorrow, so I was pretty thrilled. I had just enough daylight left to complete the nightly routine. As I was eating part 1 of my dinner (an entire summer sausage, about 900 calories), Josh and Nick who were also at the NOC last night. We are just hanging out and about to get some sleep.

Only 12.5 miles tomorrow to Fontana. Good night all.