I’m considering this a “Nero” (near zero mileage day) since it was only a little under six miles from camp to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC).
Four of us agreed to split a bunk house for the night, we arrived before noon but couldn’t check in until 3 pm. The trail after NOC a monstrous climb and the weather forecast was questionable, I was happy not pushing farther today.
The natural way to kill time was to find lunch, which ended up being fish tacos and a beer at River’s End. There were a bunch of us that had hiked in and spent the day hanging out together, after lunch we relaxed by the river. We watched a guy swim across the river, the water couldn’t have been above 40 deg and he looked appropriately cold when he got out.
Getting the permit for hiking the Smokey Mountains was also on the agenda for the day at NOC. Unfortunately, their system was down so we all had to call in our permit request, have them e-mailed to us. Once we got them we e-mailed them to the NOC office so they could print them for us. It was a bit of a cluster but we got it done.
A shower, laundry, and a jalapeño burger for dinner back at River’s End rounded out the day. The group has decided on a new trail name for me. They’ve determined that I look like Matthew Perry and have a similar sense of humor to his character Chandler from friends. These are the best comparison photos I could find, I’ll let you make your own judgments on the similarity but I think I’ll keep “Chandler” for a while.
My heel has cracked open and hurts a bit. No blisters yet, but this is consistent with foot problems I’ve had in the past. Sooner or later I’ll have to pick up a pedicure kit and start treating my feet. I find that using a pumice stone to take off the dead skin keeps the new skin healthier and prevents the cracking. Lotion really only makes it worse. I didn’t want to haul those supplies around from the start though, I was really hoping that this wouldn’t be a problem on the trail since it’s most pronounced when I go barefoot.
It’s been a fun day overall, I’m really glad I decided to rest up. It’ll make dealing with the climb out of the NOC a little more tolerable.
Day 16 Mileage: 5.7 mi [Wesser Shelter -> NOC]
Total Mileage: 145.0 mi