The CON and the exit from it

We woke up in Cold Spring Gap to heavy rain and wind. Days of praying for cool weather caused Mother Nature to overcompensate with a wet and cold 38 degree morning with a wind chill of 25 degrees.

It was the hardest time we’ve had so far convincing ourselves to get out of our sleeping bags. I think we also set the record for most bad words said when knocking down a tent. We were in a lot of pain because we didn’t have gloves, and two seconds in the cold wind would take away the feeling in our hands.

The result was a wet and uncomfortable morning. By far the worst start to a day so far. We chose to retreat to the shelter structure and were pleasantly surprised to find our friends Mike, Shylo and Chipper along with our new friend Natalie who we had met along the way.

It was a nice breakfast meeting with Jessie and I trying to eat pop tarts and filter water in the cold. Natalie had come from Florida and did not have the layers necessary to adapt to the weather. We had a brainstorming session on how I was going to get to the NO.C. without suffering hypothermia.

Mike was kind enough to give him an extra waterproof jacket and we made sure to give him our number to check he was safe. She was incredibly friendly and upbeat about the whole thing (we checked in later and she sure did!).

It was the first morning we started walking in all our layers, but we hurried to get rid of them when the sun began to peek through the clouds. Today’s itinerary was practically downhill and steep. The slope mixed with the mud made the descent to the NOC quite treacherous, so we made sure to take our time.

There were a couple of nice views and nice areas, but in the end we were excited to get to the outdoor center to relax and maybe buy some new shoes for Jessie and me. We were also going to share a room with our friend Cowboy to cut the hefty $50 price tag and get some complimentary showers.

When we got there I found the perfect pair of walking sandals that I couldn’t resist buying. I know there are already people preparing to say that it is stupid to wear the AT in sandals. Let me be the first to say I KNOW. I’m so sick and tired of buying all the fancy trail runners only to find out they squeeze my foot strangely or hurt my arches.

I’ve already logged about 10 miles in my flimsy camping sandals, so these sturdy upgrades should be able to take me far and let my foot do what it wants. I’ll also continue to wear closed-toe shoes for the steep hills and ridiculously rocky parts. All that to say, yes, Bedrock sandals aren’t really your average flip flop.

With my new shoes on foot we set off to go see our room. Throughout the trip, almost everyone told us not to stay in NOC accommodation, and it was immediately clear why. Our plywood-walled bunk room wasn’t the coziest place ever. It was also quite doubtful whether the prison mattresses had been washed or not.

The only thing you could do was laugh at the situation and ignore it because the room had already been paid for. The “help” graffiti taped on the door was also encouraging.

We spent the afternoon having dinner with everyone, which was truly wonderful. The day had turned into a beautiful sunny afternoon that Jessie and I spent sitting by the river and chatting.

Our refill of a few packages of ramen and cliff bars cost over $20 and the shower was a mess that didn’t allow for much privacy. The NO.C. It was expensive and far from luxurious, but it was still a pretty fun experience overall.

The next day’s climb wasn’t as fun. Every small elevation loss we had suffered in the NOC (about 4,800 feet) had to be recovered over the course of 8 miles. It was certainly a day that tested the Achilles tendon and quadriceps.

There were several sections that felt more like a proper «hands-on» climb than a hike. The North Carolina Trail Blazers really made it clear to us this time. Boot met his ass when these mountains kicked ours. At least at the top of the (first) climb, we ran into Cowboy and Chipper and formed a nice hiking train for the descent.

I met a lot of people on the climb today, including Tie-Dye, Chad Voldemort, Flea Market, Stitch, and Sophie and Tortuga. Once again, everyone was super nice and kind. It’s been so much fun entering a new hiker bubble.

There was one last climb (we later found out it was Jacob’s Ladder) to Brown Fork Gap Shelter and it broke Jessie and I’s hearts, but the day was over. We sat with Turtle, Tie-Dye and Cowboy chatting until the sun set. It was a very pleasant evening.

Oh! And Jessie wanted me to tell you that she found a cool millipede.

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