Perseverance.

Day 13 was a bitch. I ended up starting the day a bit late because the general store didn’t open until 9 a.m., and I wanted to have a full five-day resupply as I pushed to Gatlinburg. Also, any gathering of thru-hikers turns into social hour, so of course there were a bunch of us with the same plan. We all ended up chatting, discussing resupply options, and having our coffee. I didn’t put my first steps on the trail until about 10 a.m.

The trail leading out of NOC was a bear. Right off the bat, it started with a 3500-foot ascent over a 6-mile stretch. It felt like the climb never ended. Just when I thought the trail was starting to level off, I’d go around a bend, and the uphill would just continue. It was slow, difficult, and exhausting. I hiked the last bit of the climb with Ketchup, who was writing a song about his bear encounter from the previous week. We ended up stopping for lunch at a shelter near the top: tuna wrap and peanut butter. I left Ketchup while I could tell he was in a creative flow state because I still had 10 more miles planned to go that day.

The ascent out of NOC was just the start of the day. The trail then had a descent of about 3000 feet to Stecoah Gap. I am really not a fan of steep downhill sections. The trekking poles do help, but after miles straight of impact, my knees really start to feel it.

About a mile to the gap, I ran into a local who warned me about “Jacob’s Ladder,” a particularly short but brutal section coming out of Stecoah Gap. “I’ll just worry about that when it comes.” Luckily, I was treated to some trail magic at the bottom of the gap. Magic Man had set up a grill and was cooking some burgers. I happily inhaled a burger, grilled zucchini, and a bag of chips. Little did I know how much I would need it.

After Stecoah Gap, I still had about 3 miles to reach Brown Fork Shelter. It was already about 5 p.m., and normally, I would be done hiking for the day, but I really had no other options to stop. The hike out started fine, then I got to Jacob’s Ladder. This hill was comically steep, to the point that there were several places I thought I would fall backward. A 900-foot gain in 0.2 miles; one of the steepest sections on the AT.

I hobbled into the shelter, exhausted, but immediately found familiar faces who had also taken the same route I had taken that morning. We were all quick to joke and complain about the day we had just put ourselves through. I haven’t really gone into much depth in my blogging about the camaraderie among all the hikers, but it has been the one thing that has stunned me the most so far. It’s like we all have this unspoken understanding of why we are all out here, and it leads to us all becoming friends quickly. That evening at Brown Fork Shelter was a memorable one.

16 miles. 5500 feet total gain. 3500 feet total loss. That was the hardest day physically for me thus far. 8 hours of solid hiking, but I got through it relatively unscathed.

The next day was a relatively easy walk in the park compared to the previous day. We all had our eyes set on Fontana Dam, the gateway to the Smoky Mountains.

I really made quick time on the 13-mile, mostly downhill hike down to the marina. I was able to get a great ginger ale and some chips at the marina while we hung out on the dock for a bit. Just a mile farther on the trail was the last stop of the day, Fontana Shelter. This shelter is considered the “Hilton of Shelters,” and I could see why. It was a spacious double-bunk shelter with several level picnic tables, trash cans, a water pump, access to real toilets, a solar charging station, and a nice, large fire pit. The shelter became a magnet for all hikers as we spent the afternoon hanging out, eating food, discussing upcoming towns, and enjoying the vibes.

Tomorrow, I’ll deposit my hiker’s permit and enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It’s probably my most anticipated section of the trail. I am currently at mile 166 of the Appalachian Trail.