Dsy 6 - NOC to Sasafrass

After a restful day at the NOC, great food, and lighting our load we were ready to set off towards the Smokeys.  AKsherpa and I were getting excited about getting to Fontana Dam which is 2-3 days out and walking across the one of the highest dam in the Eastern United States. Right out of the gate from the NOC we had a hill climb up to the Sasafrass Shelter, of course.  It is a 2602 elevation gain over 6.6 miles.  Going from 1600 ft up to just over 4000 ft. After spending sometime together on the trail AKsherpa took off and heading down the trail.

When we were at the NOC we decided that we would try hiking a couple hours everyday then have breakfast. In the mornings when we first got going our appetites were not big enough to eat our entire breakfast and we didn't like wasting it.  After a couple of hours AKsherpa had found a great place to stop and get water.  We took a break and had a breakfast.  Fueled for the rest of the day AKsherpa told me the miles left and I gave her my estimated time of arrival and we where off.

I plodded along thinking of other trail names for myself.  "I'm slow" was one and "Plod" was another. Passed a lot of people and was passed by a lot of people but I kept plodding along.  One of the people that had passed me in the morning was heading back down the hill and stopped to chat with me.  He was a teacher too and was doing a section he had skipped over last summer.  I asked how far ahead Sasafrass was, and he told me about 3/4 quarters of a mile.  I was so estatic to be close to a stop and be able to take my boots off that I practically ran to the shelter and made it in half hour earlier than I had estimated!

Sasafrass is in a gap therefore it is a bit dark and it was a dirty shelter with mice running around.  AKsherpa and I were glad this was going to be just our lunch stop and we where moving along.  As we were eating another hiker showed up, Aaron form New York City, and said that a storm was a comin'.  We said well we think we will be heading out but before we could get our gear gathered and on the skys opened up.  We thought well it will die down in a bit we will give it till 5p.

As we were having this discussion another hiking came running in soak to the bone.  He had run the last mile to get out of the storm.  Since living in Alaska I haven't heard thunder in a while.  It was loud and threatening.  Luckily we were under cover, dry and safe. As we were debating whether to continue on or not another hiker ran in. He was Eagle Scout with a group and was the first one in. The shelter was going to quickly filling up.  We were a bit nervous but decided to stay where we were since it was dry and safe.

We set up our tent inside the shelter to avoid the wet and to avoid mice running over us all night.  It was a restless night but we made it through and hit the trail in the morning.

Miles for the Day - 6.6
Randon thoughts and songs - How many catepillars are killed by AT hikers each year on the trail, New trail names for myself, Spoon full of Sugar from Mary Poppins looped through my mind.