Rafting and family time in the NOC

Waking up to the smiling face of our friend Teddy smiling at me from his hammock slung over the Wesser Bald Shelter was literally one of the best ways to wake up on the trail. Having our NOC community collide with our hiking experience as we approach Nantahala Gorge was truly something special. And returning to the NOC is exactly what we had planned for the day. Only about 6 miles ahead of us and we would be back at the starting point.

We decided to get up earlier so we could get to the NOC on time and tick off everything we wanted to accomplish. First we had to stop by the Outfitter store to get our resupply. Our hearts were set on devouring some food at River’s End Restaurant. At some point we needed to drop Turk off at the cabin we booked with Goreous Stays. But most of all, we couldn’t wait to get on the river and go rafting/kayaking!

Hiking Home

So we quickly broke up camp and headed down the mountain with our two friends down the trail (Billy Goat and Night Crawler) and Teddy, of course. When we began our walk, the sun was just peeking over the horizon. The views from Wesser Bald were spectacular! The colors of the dawn grew in their magnificence as we began our descent. Teddy, Turk and I lead the group. Chatting about the start of the rafting season, how things are going at the NOC and remembering the last year we worked together. I could feel my feet pick up the pace as I got closer to the familiar sights and sounds of the NOC. The moment we stepped onto campus, we were immediately inundated with exuberant smiles and friendly hugs. They didn’t even care how bad we smelled! I guess that’s something river guides and hikers have in common…

See familiar faces

As we settled in and multitasked, more and more familiar faces appeared, each eager to hear about our hike. «How are things going?» “How is Turkenna?” “How long will you stay?” I can’t express how special it was to be surrounded by our community. The community that we have built these last two years and we can share this journey with them, even if it is for a day. “Life on the trails has been very good to us and Turk is exceeding expectations,” I responded more times than I could count. Unfortunately we only stayed that day. We would leave the next morning and head to Fontana.

Lunch time at Rivers End

The goat

Cody was busy preparing the schedule for the 1:00 bus, signing waivers for Billy Goat and Night Crawler. He was busy printing Smokey Mountain permits and finding transportation to the cabin. Admittedly, I spent most of the time chatting with people about our hike. Before we knew it, we were sitting down to lunch with a smorgasbord of food in front of us. Enough food to eat a small army in 4 hungry hikes and one raft guide put a dent in that food! I think the Billy Goat burger was so high that I doubted I could take a full bite out of it. He proved me wrong.

Get into the water

With a full stomach and a temperature of 80°, I was ready to hit the river! A friend from the clothing store let us borrow her car to take our backpacks and Turk to the cabin. And we were back in the swing of things at the balsa center. As if we had never left, Cody and I were flying boats and loading them on top of the bus with the other tour guides. I even got to talk on the bus, which I realized was a little rusty.

I knew this would probably be the only trip we would take this year down the river. So I was very aware of how sentimental I was feeling when I sat next to NOC’s best bus driver, Big Wave Dave, and chatted with him as I had done dozens of times before. Unloading boats with friends, seeing excited guests about to take their first whitewater trip, the sound of the river inviting us to the dock. I couldn’t wait to get in the water! It was a pleasure taking Billy Goat and Nightcrawler around the Nantahala. Cody and Teddy kayaked alongside us.

There are few things in life that bring me more joy than sitting on a raft and watching my husband play in his kayak, catching eddies, stern squirting, and jumping off rocks. We all stopped at the best swimming hole on the river. I invited Billy Goat and Night Crawler to jump off Jump Rock and swim back to the boat. The nearly 10-foot jump into the cold river below is reserved for the most adventurous of spirits. I was impressed that they both said yes! The rest of our trip was amazing! We celebrated our race with a big high-five paddle after making an especially big splash in the class III rapid at the end of the river.

Family Dinner

We and a handful of guides were invited to attend a dinner at a lake house belonging to one of the NOC guides. We also brought our two friends from the trail. Thank you Jess for the wonderful food and hospitality! It was amazing!

Getting ready for the Smokies and saying goodbye

The next morning we realized that in the frenzy of the previous day, we had forgotten to pick up our resupply box and the packages that were waiting for us at the Outfitter store. So we took a shuttle back to NOC the next morning and picked up our boxes as soon as the store opened. We also needed to contact the two friends who saved the day by agreeing to transport/watch Turk while we walked through Smokey’s. We gave them the supplies they needed for their 6 day stay. With our bags packed in tow, there was nothing left for us to do but say goodbye and begin the long walk uphill from the gorge towards Cheoah Bald. Of course, those goodbyes were bittersweet and took almost an hour as we shuffled our feet and savored our last moments with our community. And just as we were ready to turn our backs on the NOC and begin the 10-mile uphill hike, another group of trail friends appeared out of nowhere. That morning they had just come down from Wesser Bald and were planning their own day near the gorge. I hope we see you again on the road!

Coming out of the gorge

Cheoah Calvo

Alex roasting his pants on the fire

The exit from the gorge WAS NO JOKE! Talk about challenge! We did pretty well and the rest of the day went smoothly. We had lunch at Sassafras’s Gap Shelter, where we also met up with our friend Night Crawler. They had dropped him off on the trail at NOC hours before us. He decided to stay there for the night, but we continued walking knowing that we would see him again soon. We set up at a nice campsite near Locus Cove Gap, where Cody started a campfire. We kept him company all night until we fell into bed just after sunset. Just a typical good day on the road.

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