Resupply at the NOC (Day 15)

It was an easy 5 miles from Wesser Bald Shelter to the NOC in Bryson City, North Carolina. There were some beautiful, exposed viewpoints on the way down, and I took my time walking, stopping periodically to take photos.

Burgers and high prices

We arrived at the NOC well before noon. It was a warm, sunny day and the river looked cool and inviting. I paused to stretch a little and then forced myself to immediately go inside and buy my Smoky Mountains permit. I was happy to finally finish this task. Then a group of us went to River’s End Restaurant next door for lunch. Turns out, sometimes all you need is a burger and coleslaw.

After lunch, I headed to the NOC general store across the street, where limited resupplies were available. They had enough gluten-free products to get by and I’m fully stocked on Cheetos, Fritos, and instant mashed potatoes. When we have to restock at these small stores, the prices are definitely inflated compared to a real grocery store.

The NOC was very helpful and allowed us to sit upstairs while we charged our electronic devices. I bought a pint of vanilla ice cream and poured Cherry Coke into it to make my own float. When we finally left for the night, it was after 5 pm. I knew it was unlikely I would be able to hike the extra 7 miles to Sassafras Gap Shelter, especially since it was quite a long climb. Five of us found a lovely little campsite at mile 140.3 and decided to stop for the night.

hiker’s hunger

We sat in a circle as night fell, talking about food. Our favorite desserts, the first dinner we will cook when we return home and our favorite restaurants. I thought about the strawberry cake with strawberry frosting and the sweet and sour dumplings my mom used to make for me. Hiker hunger has definitely arrived.

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