Appalachian Trail - Wayah Bald to Cheoah Bald - January 25, 2002 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Appalachian Trail - Wayah Bald to Cheoah Bald |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | North Carolina |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | January 25, 2002 |
| Duration: | 2 days |
| Trail Conditions: | Excellent |
| Trail Traffic: | Light to Moderate |
| Trip Weather: | Sunny, Partly Sunny, Partly Cloudy, Cloudy, Fog |
| Trip Winds: | Light to Moderate |
| Trip Precipitation: | None |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 61-70, Low: 21-30 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | 1/25/02: Worked at Nortel until around 4:15pm, then headed home to wait for a 5:45pm pick-up by Brunn. We drove to Porter's house (where Towsma met us), did some grocery shopping at Publix, then hit the road for El Sombrero in Gainesville, GA. Met up with the rest of the group at this Mexican joint for dinner. Brunn forgot his sleeping bag, so we had to make a side trip to a nearby K-mart to resupply. After the brief stop, we continued on to Franklin and stayed at a Microtel for the night. Got there around 10pm and it was very chilly outside. Had a few beers and enjoyed Letterman while Brunn, Porter, and Towsma packed their food and gear until about 1am. 1/26/02: Got a wake-up call around 6:30am this morning. This gave us plenty of time to shuttle cars and hike the 12 miles to the Wesser Bald shelter. Brunn finished packing within the hour, then we had a small breakfast at the Microtel (and a chaser at the nearby McDonalds). The sun came up during breakfast but the trucks were still covered with frost and it was foggy and cold outside. Drove to Wayah Bald and were dropped off by Bracy, DeLisle, and Porter who shuttled trucks to the Bartram trailhead near Wesser, N.C. The rest of us (Brunn, Ed, Ewing, Goodrich, Moehlick, Tousma, Woodward) took some photos at Wayah Bald then started the hike. The sun came out once we left Franklin, and we had nice weather the entire day. Spent most of the morning hiking with Towsma, and we took breaks at the Cold Spring Shelter and at Tellico Gap. Saw an AT southbounder and talked to him for a bit at the shelter, then caught up with the rest of the group at Tellico Gap for a brief break before the climb to Wesser Bald. Decided to take the fire road which was shorter, but also much steeper. I still beat Moehlick to the top even though he left before me. The GPS was helpful and tracked the tower to within .19 of a mile - although I couldn't see it until the end of the hike. All of us took a long break on top of the tower and eventually Bracy, DeLisle, and Porter caught us. At 4pm, I finally headed down to the shelter at the back of the pack. Stopped briefly at the 10/01 campsite I used with ALE and The Camel last fall, and also at the water source (a spring) to load up the waterbag for the evening. Pitched my tent near the trail since our group filled the shelter tonight, and because there were no flat areas nearby. A northbounder rolled in just before dark, and he seemed entertained by our trail stories around the campfire. The NoBo had spent the last few weeks alone on the trail and said it was nice to see people again. The fire was tough to start tonight since the wood was wet from a week of rain. Used Porter's stove for the ignition, and after some considerable effort we finally got the flames to burn without maintenance. While I worked on the fire, DeLisle and Porter cooked up some massive dishes of pasta. Eventually we all settled into some tobacco and booze for the evening and sat around the campfire until around 11pm. |
Trail Map For This Area
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