In Franklin NC for one month every spring there is a church group that serves a tasty breakfast of pancakes and bacon to thru-hikers. I hate mornings but this was worth waking up early for.
Breakfast came with a five minute sermon, while I’m not particularly religious I do appreciate the message of people going out of their way to help others. They also snapped a picture of each hiker and offered to mail the photo and a note to the friends or family of everyone that was interested.
Baltimore Jack’s shuttle was my ride back out to Winding Stair Gap and naturally the day started out with a climb. It was a long day overall with two big climbs. At the end of the second climb I found exactly what I needed, a bathroom.
I left the privy a little lighter on my feet and found myself at Wayah Bald and its rock tower not too much further down the trail. The views from the Bald were amazing in all directions and I know the photos won’t do it justice. There is a road that leads up to Wayah Bald, I highly recommend taking the drive up to the top if you’re ever in the area.
I spent a while at Wayah Bald soaking in the views and the sun. There were a few other hikers hanging around too, including Ricco the hiking cat and his person. Another short walk and I was at the Wayah Bald Shelter for the night.
Day 14 Mileage: 11.0 mi [Winding Stair Gap -> Wayah Bald]
Total Mileage: 128.7 mi