![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.calumjohnson.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/img_0345.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>The next day was a lot of work. The downhills were slow because you had to be careful with your footing, and it was just cold in general. The high was about 38, so it was definitely the coldest backpacking I’ve ever done. My feet stayed nice and warm despite periodically being submerged in snow. We got to Cold Springs Shelter which only slept 6, all spots were taken. We got a nice spot on the ridge above the shelter, and wind wasn’t too bad. I was still cold though. My water bottle didn’t freeze though, but I suspect it was still below freezing outside my tent. The ground was frozen solid the next morning.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The following day was a lot warmer with a high in the 50’s. It was a really nice break from all the cold. We were treated with a\u00a0spectacular view too, atop the Wesser Bald observation tower. It made a really good lunch spot! After lunch we descended to A. Rufus Morgan Shelter. Here we decided to stay in the shelter and have an early morning into the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). The NOC does whitewater rafting and kayaking as well as zip lines. There was a restaurant that had a really nice breakfast. It was an awesome break from oatmeal every day. None of the girls finished their breakfast, which meant I ate about 2 and a half full sized breakfasts. I don’t think I’ve ever been so full before. It was amazing fuel for the rest of the day though. We had a 3000 foot climb out of the NOC and I felt strong the whole time. I was still full by lunch time, so didn’t really feel a need to stop. We got to Sassafras Gap Shelter atop the long climb and decided to push onward to Locust Cove Gap which just had tenting. I counted 22 tents that night, It was very tight. It’s alarming to think about how many people must try to camp there during the main thru-hiker bubble which I tried to avoid with an early start. A group of about 6 did a night hike with the full moon. They broke camp at 4 am, something I wasn’t about. I definitely want to try it later on though, it sounds peaceful.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The last night we went to Cable Gap Shelter. There was rain in the forecast\u00a0but\u00a0we were able to set up camp just before it started. It was a really nice evening spent listening to rain fall on my tent and reading my book.<\/p>\n Yesterday we just walked the 6 miles into Fontana Lake. We then checked into our room and got some lunch. Fontana Village is just the weirdest place. In the summer months its a large resort town, but in the off season it just feels empty. There\u00a0are\u00a0no residences it seems, just houses that are rented out to families on vacation. There’s mini golf, a pool, tennis courts, baseball, disc golf, and a cutesy general store. But it’s all closed right now. It was still a great place for a 21st birthday. The resort has a descent restaurant with a bar, so we had some fun. I will say though, no one checked my ID all day… oh well.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>