Visiting Franklin NC – The Walk

Heating

Waking up at Standing Indian Shelter, we had high hopes for a beautiful day of hiking. Morning temperatures were still below freezing, but atweather.org said we had highs in the 50s. The plan for the day was to hike 11 miles to Betty Creek Campground. And when we looked ahead in the FarOut app, the miles looked pretty forgiving. We were the first at the shelter to wake up, but as we left our tent and began packing for the day, the rest of the group began to slowly move as well. We all got together to make coffee, talk about how cold the night was, and gather the motivation to get started. My motivation came from the motto: keep moving, stay warm.

So we went up the mountain. The reward at the top of Standing Indian Mountain could only be described as magnificent. The 360° views of the North Carolina mountains were stunning. One of the benefits of starting in March is the lack of leaves on the trees. It allows us to see swathes of mountainous landscape even as we walk below the tree line. As we walked, we chatted with some of the hikers we were staying with at the shelter. After lunch, I popped into an audiobook courtesy of the Libby app and Cody listened to one of his favorite podcasts. The kilometers passed quickly and the walk was smooth. The temperatures finally rose and the three of us were happy.

Comfortable in the camp

We arrived at Betty Creek Campground fairly early in the afternoon. It was the first camp we were able to enjoy in the last few days. We hung our clothes out to dry in the sun, filtered the water from a nearby stream, and Cody started a fire for us all to gather around. The rest of the afternoon was spent with three other hikers exchanging stories and laughing over the crackling of the fire.These are the moments that make it all worth it. I just took a step back to reflect on how grateful I am to have this experience. Thankful for a body strong enough to carry me up and down the mountains. Grateful to have a husband to share this adventure with. And grateful to be in this place and at this time. Life on the road (at least on this day) is good. Very good.

Change of plans

Good morning on the 12th! Our original plan was to walk an easy 8 miles to a shelter and tent camp there. But sometime the night before, we decided to push ourselves to Winding Stair Gap and take a shuttle to Franklin for the night. And it’s a good thing we did it too! The weather was spectacular! The road was exhausting but not too strenuous.

Franklin for a shower

We left camp around 9:00. A little later than we expected, but that gave us the push to walk hard and keep a good pace. The last ferry left at 3:45. Since we had only decided to stay in town the night before, we had to find a place that had availability that night and allowed dogs. FarOut gave some suggestions on hostels and hotels, but after calling the first 4 places and receiving «sorry, no dogs allowed» as a response, our prospects seemed bleak. Between the times we had to get cell service up and running, we finally managed to get through to The Sapphire Inn. They said yes!

Albert Mountain

The hike itself was great! Our first landmark was Albert Mountain. It is an old fire tower that sits on top of a spire that juts out above the rest of the surrounding mountain landscape. However, getting to the tower required us to climb a treacherous staircase. I think I sat down twice during the 0.3 mile climb. It’s true that Cody and Turkenna seemed much more agile than me. I saw them jump up the stairs and disappear from sight. «I’ll see you at the top,» I offered breathlessly as I walked a few more steps, leaning a little more on my trekking poles. “Warmer days and trails await me,” I thought as I willed my legs to take another giant step.

The climb was worth it! Almost as soon as I reached the top, the tribulations of the climb disappeared. I was absolutely amazed by the sights around us. It’s funny how the trail creates this rollercoaster of emotions. One moment I’m lamenting the cold or the difficulty of a climb, and the next I’m elated. Very little is needed to lift spirits here. A beautiful mountain landscape, a well-timed water source, a little trail magic at a road junction, even temperatures above freezing can do the trick.

100 mile mark!

Not a minute late, we passed a handful of sticks arranged in a perfect 100 placed on the path. We had officially hiked the first 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail! The rest of the trail was much gentler than Albert Mountain. And before we knew it, we were crossing a street where a guy named Nomad had created a wonderful array of trail magic. Everything from fruits to electrolyte packets and any snack one could want. He even had hot burgers ready to make. Cody and I didn’t waste any time scarfing down a burger and loading up on snacks.

Knowing our future

Forward and upward. Just a couple more ups and downs to get to the ferry. As we walked briskly along a particularly beautiful ridgeline, we ran into a couple who had done their own hike almost 2 decades ago. Double Back and his wife Tinker Bell shared stories of their time on the road and inspired us to keep an adventurous spirit. We realized we had a lot in common. The love of hiking, rapids and traveling. We had both traveled and visited many of the same places. It seemed as if we were talking to future versions of ourselves.

Arriving in Franklin for dinner

We made it to the ferry with a few minutes to spare. Shout out to cities that have free transportation for hikers! These services really make the logistics of getting to the city much easier. We checked into our room at Sapphire Inn and immediately jumped into the shower and started charging our phones and batteries. We made plans to do laundry and walk to the local Currahee Brewing Company for dinner. Lil’ Sting Ray’s food truck hit the spot! There’s nothing better than clean bodies, clean clothes, and full bellies! What another wonderful day of hiking the AT!

-Alex

The Norris Trio

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