Monday, March 14th

6.7 miles

Total miles 130.7

I had two breakfasts this morning. One of waffles at the hostel and second breakfast on the trail. Team Screwball trail magic was serving breakfast! Yummy! The trail magic was the same crew as yesterday. They are such lovely people with a heart of gold. They encouraged you to take something with you so I had a clementine orange as a snack late in the day.

My hike today was a long one. Starting out at 9:30am is very hard for me. I lose steam in the early afternoon. My knee also started to act up on the downhills. This time on the other side of knee than previous pain. It was worrisome and I almost baled out at Tellico Gap. Then it stopped hurting. Of course, it was on flat terrain. I decided to continue on, with an even slower pace. The uphill today seemed endless to Wesser Bald Fire tower. My knee doesn’t hurt going uphill so it was good for it. 

I decided to stealth camp when I found an awesome site a little before the shelter. The shelter is probably filled with hikers tonight. All the hikers that passed me today were either going to Wesser Bald Shelter or into the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). I’m thrilled to have such a nice campsite. I should have a beautiful sunset and sunrise. I’m on a ridge. Also, when I set up my tent, I found a penny from heaven right next to my tent door. 

I had a few pieces of cheese and a tuna packet for dinner. I’m low on water so I didn’t get my stove out. The next water source is less than a quarter mile so I can get some in the morning.