Some say the Appalachian Mountains used to be higher than the Himalayas, but as I look out over these gentle hills I have a hard time imagining them once being so fierce. Though the mountains are still plenty steep, the views are always worth it.
It was one of those perfect days where one doesn't want to do anything, and a few miles into the hike we stopped for a break. "Wouldn't it be great if we got trail magic today?" I asked Firefly, munching on some crackers. "I watched a documentary that talks about how if you focus long enough, the universe will align to your desires," I explained, "but that is probably a load of crap." Still, I could wish. ..
But maybe there is something to that crap because as we crested a hill we saw a sign: Trail Magic 2.2 miles. Yipee!
The Nantahala Outdoor Center. I love places like this: a small community based around the outdoors. Because the attraction is nature itself, people work with nature and around it rather than convert it or destroy it like other places (though they have dammed the river, which is annoying but sometimes necessary). In this case the attraction is the Nantahala River, a fantastic place for kayaking and rafting. Firefly and I eagerly arrived early in the morning and reminisced past memories. She had worked on the river for a summer and I had taken a Wilderness First Responder course there not long ago. So far, much of GA had been a walk down memory lane, as going to school in the mountains had provided many previous experiences on or around the trail. The NOC was the last of familiar territory, and soon I would be headed into the unknown.
We decided to take a nero day and stuffed ourselves in the restaurants, wandered through the outfitter, and relaxed in a cabin we had rented for the night.
Bear bagging is the art of hanging a bag from a tree bunch in hopes of keeping your food out of the bears' reach. As I lay in my tent, I heard a branch snap. Oh boy. Firefly was hanging two bags from a branch I had set up to hang one. I had agreed to let her share, though I wasn't sure it would hold both. I scrambled over to help her out. "Hey, do you want me to help throw it over this big branch?" A guy asked, appearing out of nowhere. No, we are perfectly capable young women who do not need your help, I thought, but Firefly answered with a "Yes" before I could politely reject his offer. I had to remind myself that it makes others happy to help and not let pride get in the way.
Not all trail magic goes according to the trail angel's plan. As we enjoyed some apples at a picnic table, two former thruhikers arrived and offered us donuts (which we gratefully accepted) only to be outdone by another group who arrived and offered breakfast sandwiches. I could tell the original two felt deflated, as they had been so excited to be delivering donuts and only a few hikers accepted them, opting to fill up on the sandwiches. I empathized with them, as the same thing had happened to me last year when a few friends and I had been giving trail magic. I thanked them profusely for the donuts, for I had been wanting one for quite a while.
With a belly full of donuts and breakfast sandwiches, we climbed the steepest hill yet: Jacob's Ladder. I was pretty sure I gained five pounds of muscle in my calves. I recorded my thoughts later in my journal:
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