Waking up in Franklin NC
We had a lot to do on the morning of our twelfth day of travel. Waking up at the Sapphire Inn after a great night’s sleep, we were ready to get to work. We still needed to solidify plans to find Turkenna a ferry and someone to keep an eye on her while we hiked through Great Smokey NP. Knowing that we wanted to stay on track and that service would be sparse, we needed to figure it out before we left. Cody started packing while I communicated with people we know at the NOC. Having a community of friends in the area who were willing to step up reminds me how lucky we are to have such great friends. It was a huge relief to have discovered Turk’s arrangements! I also called ahead to reserve a cabin in the gorge for when we hiked to NOC.
Breakfast and Exterior 76
Sapphire Inn was close enough to downtown that we could walk there. We wanted to stop by Outdoor 76 and take a shuttle to the trailhead. On the way we stopped at a cafe for a quick plate of açaí and a pastry. Luckily, the weather was great and we were able to sit outside with Turkenna. When we pulled into the super hiker-friendly Outdoor 76 outfitter, we noticed a handful of our trail friends were there! What was initially going to be a quick visit quickly turned into a meeting with friends in the hiker’s lounge on the ground floor of the clothing store’s basement.
Franklin is a city of hikers!
Cody faced any rival in pingpong and remained undefeated. Some friends did laundry while others sorted through hikers’ boxes. We played cards and Turk received a lot of love from people. The staff members handed out awesome new perks, brought us a box of donuts, and told us about a free hiker cookout happening down the street at noon. How could we travel to the trailhead when so many amazing things were happening in downtown Franklin? We learned that Franklin is the first established trail town and certainly lived up to its reputation of being hospitable and friendly to us!
At the cookout, a couple of journalists came out to cover the event. Turkenna was showing off some of her tricks in front of the cameras!
Returning to the trail
Wayah Tower
After lunch, a local who attended the cookout offered to take us to the trailhead at Winding Stairs Gap. We gathered our backpacks, made a final purchase to replace a worn-out pair of socks, said goodbye to our friends, and headed out. That day we planned to hike 11 miles to Wayah Shelter. Although we didn’t hit the trail until 1:15 pm, we had plenty of daylight and energy to make it to camp before dark. Luckily for us, we ascended Wayah Bald Fir Tower just before sunset. We climbed to the top of the tower, taking photographs of the impressive landscape. There were so many great overlooks in GA that we passed during heavy fog. Seeing the Blue Ridge Mountains from Wayah on a clear afternoon was a very rewarding experience.
The camp was just a little further down the road. Lihat juga brky. We settled into the shelter with two very friendly section hikers, but not before taking a quick look at the clear night sky and the magnificently bright stars that were shining that night.
Directionally challenged in the morning
The next morning we packed up camp at the shelter. Doing our morning routine in pleasant weather was a stark contrast to the mornings we experienced a few days earlier. I sipped my coffee and chatted with people who were slowly getting up from their tents and migrating to the shelter to make their own oatmeal or coffee.
We were only planning to hike 10 miles that day, but when we left camp, we accidentally started heading to SOBO before I checked FarOut realized our mistake. After a U-turn, we passed the campground about 10 minutes after initially leaving it and finally started down the trail…the right way.
The most amazing magical trail
Fortunately, the weather was beautiful, but the miles were challenging. We had a couple of big ups and downs that day. As you can imagine, we carried enough food in Franklin to make it all the way to NOC. But we ended up not eating anything that day because as we were walking, looking for a good place to stop for lunch, we saw a sign that said «magic trail ahead.» I’m not sure there are three words that will get hungry hikers more excited! The pace quickened as we passed another sign that said “we’re almost there.”
Slightly confused at first as we reached a clearing, canvas structures were erected in the middle of the forest with a group of about 30 people dressed in mid-19th century costumes mingling around the camp. In the center was a fire on which several cast iron pots and pans were cooking. A boy was busy chopping firewood and a kind-faced woman invited us to sit down. They offered us chili and biscuits with sausage. We ate homemade granola and drank hot chocolate. Talking to members of the group around the fire, I came to understand that the group was from Huntsville, AL and that they were part of the Royal Rangers. 
They come every year to make magic on the trails and spend the long weekend dressed and living like people did in the mid-1800s. We were incredibly grateful and impressed by their hospitality. The magic of the trail was the best we’ve had so far!
Telico Gap Magic
It wasn’t the only magical trail we experienced that day. A knight named Braveheart set up a shelter in Telico Gap. We sat under the cool shade during the heat of the day. Turkenna certainly appreciated it! But we couldn’t last long because we had friends from NOC planning to meet us at the Wesser Bald Fire Tower to watch the sunset.
Almost to camp
So we left. The 1.7 mile climb from Telico Gap to Wesser Bald was relentless. Do a big climb at the beginning of the day, with fresh legs? That’s one thing. But traversing a steep section after walking almost 10 miles in one afternoon is a completely different story!
Wesser fire tower with NOC Fam
Meeting friends that night was exactly what my heart needed. We watched a beautiful sunset while enjoying each other’s company. We also had a perfect view of a storm coming in from the west. We hurriedly said goodbye, knowing that we would see each other the next day in NOC. However, a friend brought his hammock and came to the shelter with us to spend the night.
As we entered the shelter (about a 1.2km walk from the tower), the heavens opened. The rain made a thunderous noise as it fell against the tin roof of the shelter. A few campers crowded into the shelter with us until the storm passed about an hour later.
An unexpected guest in the night
As we all turned in for the night, a straggler hiker stumbled into the shelter. “Can I sleep here?” He asked as he leaned against the wall of the shelter. «Of course, let me move my backpack.» When I got up to move the backpack, I realized it was our friend who we had been hiking with for the last week. «Night Crawler?! Is that you?» It sure was! He had walked 22 miles that day, through the storm, and hours into the night. Just so he could raft with us in Nantahala the next morning. When I went to sleep I was really looking forward to the morning. Eager for a reunion with friends. Eager to make my only trip of the season down the river. And wanting to be home.
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