AT Day 8: Southern Nantahala Wilderness

Daily Miles: 17.7, Total Miles: 104.1

Cold and clear last night, in fact freezing. I had to heat up slushy water for my coffee. I enjoyed the sunrise from my tent and finally got on the trail by 8:30am.

A very pleasant hike for the most part with some flat or at least gently grading stretches. Most expansive views on the AT so far. The best being next to the fire tower on Albert Mountain reached by a very steep, somewhat treacherous climb. The fire tower was built in 1951 to guard NC’s Coweeta Basin.

Leapfrogged several times with a pair of hikers I met yesterday, John and Nope. I saw quite a few other hikers today as well.

The downside today was rolling my left ankle not once but twice – ouch! The culprit, besides my wonky ankles, was stepping on a tangle of exposed tree roots that at times become the trail itself. I finally switched my ankle brace from my surgically repaired right ankle to my floppy left ankle. Tomorrow I will unpack my second ankle brace that I should have been wearing in the first place.

Not only that, I also tripped on a short tree stump that sent me stumbling forward right off the trail into a pile of leaves. Nothing hurt but my pride and a reminder to pick up my feet.

I found a nice campsite on a high ridge with a view but filtered by mostly barren trees.