Nantahala Gorge and GAF -
If you like to hike, if you like to do family class rafting, if you like to mountain bike, if you like to lake paddle high up in the mountains, and if you like to camp and eat beyond reason; then you should really be coming up to the best place in North Carolina with your friends in the Wilderness Trekkers. There were 6 of us, Rich, Carol, Barry, Regina, Buck and Clark (I - the author), that returned to the Nantahala gorge for a "cool" 4-day great adventure. The sideline attraction is GAF - Guest Appreciation Festival sponsored by Nantahala Outdoor Center, by which there is a 3-day product liquidation sale, with the best deals coming from general vendors and the public; for example, a pair of Leki hiking poles for $30 and a wet suit for $20. Rich made off with 2 or 3 mountain bikes, all in "hardly" used shape.

Arrivals were Rich and Barry Wednesday morning, Clark and Buck arrived mid-day on Wednesday. It was getting a bit late in the afternoon and Rich asked if anyone wanted to bike ride down Winding Staircase road, a gravel forest service road. Rich says you drive up, and only up, for about 3 miles on this "in the thick woods" canopy forest cut. But when we pulled off the main road and drove back about 400 feet, the yellow gate had the road closed for vehicles. Rich and I pedaled up hill for about 12 or 15 minutes until we just ran out of gas. Then after a few minutes rest, we turned our bikes downward and basically had a grand thrill as we mountain biked down through the primeval forest on a winding road,

crunching over the leaves, which by the way, hid the looseness of the gravel and boulders that laid beneath.

That evening Carol, Buck, Barry, Rich and Clark sat around the campfire but close to 9:30 that night, Jeff - good friends with Dee Dee and Will, graciously invited us over for some smoked chicken. Jeff had his "special" rub that spiced that chicken beyond all levels of ambrosia. The group of us felt we had come to heaven's kitchen. Jeff was so generous; and gave us a tour of his cooking gear and explained his purpose for the next 3 days, but would not give up the recipe for that rub! He said Saturday it will be baby back ribs and pulled pork.

On Thursday morning, it had been decided that rafting would take place in the afternoon and we placed 12:30 reservations. Rich and Clark had plans to meet at 8:30 up at Tsali. The temperatures were only in the low 60's but it beats that summer heat 2 months ago. At Tsali, we did Thompson Trail - the tamest of the batch. We had a great time. Rich had little trouble cranking through those crests and hollers, and I felt much better and did much better since the temperature was way down. The trail did not seem as treacherous as last July and our speed had shown a little better personal experience. We ran into this fellow on the trail from Clermont that had permanently moved up to Hayesville. Retiring early, he lives to ride bikes on or off the road. He rattled off about a half dozen other great mountain bike tracks in a 50 mile radius.

The last 3/4 of a mile was all down hill to the parking lot. Rich took advantage of this and screamed off down the trail. I was playing it conservative, and maybe a bit too conservative, when coming down hill and passing through a wash board of tree roots, somehow between a tad too much front brake, a 5 inch root and not leaning back on my bike; the next thing I knew, I was twisting in the air as the bike came to an immediate stop and I flew over the handle bars; making a near face-plant in the rough and rooted trail. It hurt at first and I called to Rich. Rich who? Then I saw blood dripping from my face. Fortunately there was tiny stream next to the trail for which I could wash my face and my dignity. It was not long Rich came back for me, but I was up an heading on in. By the way, the helmet saved me as I really hit right front on the helmet. WEAR THOSE HELMETS! The injury was the nose pad of my eye glasses getting smashed into the side of my nose bridge. Like Barry always says - "It's all good". Lucky I did not break my neck.

When Rich and I got to the parking lot, Carol and Barry had just pulled up. They were going to do some mountain biking and Rich couldn't stand it, he had to join them like it was more candy at the candy store, and he only needed the slightest excuse to get more.

Mean while, Buck had taken his kayak up to Lake Nantahala up on Wayah Road. He put in at a public boat ramp at the far end of the lake and got a nice paddle in with solitude and mountain splendor.

Regina arrived before noon so she was able to join Buck and I for the 12:30 shuttle for some good ole Nantahala rafting. We gave Regina an opportunity to check out the falls at the end of the route right there at NOC. She watched as a few people shot through the center cut. See was convinced that a ducky raft would be ideal for her as Buck and I had already planned on. Rich was still on the cranking sprockets back at Tsali - but not for long. By the time we did the NOC instructional stuff and grabbed our gear and took the bus ride up to the drop off, it was approaching 2:00. The temperatures now were in the mid to low 80's. We took off as the only 3 duckies in a group of about 6 rafts full of middle school aged kids that were extremely well behaved.

Buck had experience on the New River and this being my 9th trip down the Nantahala, we just had to watch out for Regina who had never rafted in a ducky before. We shot through Patton's Run and all was well. And once again, even at the 9th time, it was just one thrill after another. Lots of wave trains, a few moments of quiet waters, followed by more class 1 stuff that kept you wet and attentive. About 1/2 way we

met up with Rich, Dee Dee and Houston, they were kayaking. Houston was rock hopping with his blunt-nosed kayak. Rich looked like he was doing terrific with his RPM. For Dee Dee, it look pretty much second nature to her. We ended up not sticking together as a group because great rapids creates too much play and fun for kayakers; while rafters just keep on rolling.

Buck, Regina and I stopped at Big Nantahala campground where Carol and Barry were hanging out after their Tsali ride. Rich and Dee Dee showed up shortly afterward. With a good rest and conversation the three of us had to get back on the river to finish the last 1 mile. As we approached the pre-falls takeout, a mishap occurred and Buck end up in the drink. He rode the cold waters for about 120 yards until I was able to pull him across the front of my ducky's bow. We got over to the take out landing where Buck was able to regain his warmth and strength. Buck was 100% ok and he said the shock of the cold water was the worst of it. The group walked down to the falls overlook to watch me make the best of it on this class 2, maybe 2.5 rapid. Little did I know; Buck, refusing to let the frigid ride in the water deter his intent for the whole trip, followed behind me, all without incident. Good for him. Regina kept repeating that whole evening; "I should have gone down those falls, I would have been ok". Thrills for all.

That evening we made ourselves all fresh again for an evening in Bryson City where we had dinner at Jimmy Mac's. Great restaurant and they had this large table in a cove of the dinning room were it was like a private and quite little party of our own. We had a great time yucking it up; but we did miss John and his tale and joke telling. The day was hard and evening late, so some of us hit the sack early (some of us).

Friday morning, it was GAF exploration up at NOC. We were to rendezvous for a hike at Clingman's Dome in the National Park later that morning. We took our time in the morning but we ran out of it as we realized that the vendors across the street had the real deals. Barry, Carol, Regina, Buck and Clark drove a couple of cars up to Clingman's Dome to "do" the tower and take a hike to Andrews Bald, a Dee Dee and Will recommended hike. I don't think I've driven through the National Park with focus on the destination, as usually the Great Smoky Mountains are to be consumed slowly with multitudes of pull-offs, stream hopping and hikes to nearby waterfalls. We headed right for top. The hike to the tower at Clingman's Dome from the parking was a steep but paved. The view from the tower was, well a view. Actually, it was exceptionally hazy due to the warm whether and only slight changes in the shades of purple gave rise to the fact that there were countless mountain ranges beyond.

The group of five of us headed down the AT. It was good ridge walking. North Carolina slopes off to one side and Tennessee to the other. We came to the intersection of the trail that takes us to Andrew's Bald. The trail was rocky and full of rocks, with lots of rocks to step on, and step over and rocks to the right and to the left and always in front of you. For nearly 29 miles, we hiked over rocks, mostly in a 30 degree grade, no it was a 45 degree grade, yea, 45 degree; with rocks (ok, there is a decimal in between the 2 and the 9, but it must have been at least 60 degree grade). Finally, Barry found some level trail that was not as rocky as the decent from the AT. There was some traffic on the trail as parking lot folks made the most of their drive up by taking on the Andrew's Bald route. We only saw 1 set of backpackers. I think they were a group of 3 or 4 women. Their backpacks extremely clean looking, too clean.

When you finally get to Andrew's Bald, everyone had a less than "mountain top" feeling since we probably were 300 feet lower than Clingman's Dome. But really, it was great, a somewhat open meadow with views in most directions. We rested, on big rocks. On our trip back, Regina commented, "Why don't "they" come out here and throw some of these lose rocks over the side and off the trail".

Rich, not the hiking type, spent a good part of the day kayaking with Dee Dee and Houston. Moreover, that Friday evening, Rich shows up with another high end mountain bike he bought off of NOC for a decent price. That evening was our designated community dinner. Little did we know that Jeff would be baking about a dozen mountain trout. Such fond memories and easy times to be had on a Friday night, camping out beside the Nantahala and a group of outdoor minded folks having a great time.

Saturday morning brought us back to the festival where the vendor count had grown. And folks were hauling stuff off right and left. Our rendezvous was back at the campground. Barry, Carol, Will and Dee Dee were going to take a short hike along the railroad tracks to get to some caves on the side of the mountain. Buck, Regina and I had our kayaks and were ready for some mountain lake paddling. Dee Dee suggested that we go up to a lake off of Winding Staircase (backside from the bike ride part). Our original destination was Nantahala Lake up Wayah Road. But we went on Dee Dee's suggestion. The lake was way back up in the mountains. We found the launch spot at the "in-creek" end of the lake. The lake was quite small, only about 7/10 of a mile long. Unlike the drawn down Fontana with it 30 foot of exposed mountain, making a bathtub ring, this lake was full up to the tree limbs

that hung out over it. The paddle about the lake was about an hour at best. Good thing, about 15 minutes into our ride back we hit some serious rain shower.

Buck went back to camp. Regina started her trek back home and I made my way to the Franklin Cabin only 40 minutes away. I would miss out on the feasting of large quantities of pork at the hands of Jeff. I know that talking to Rich, Barry and Carol since the trip, that the dinner exceeded all expectations.

So there you have it folks, a Wilderness Trekker adventure to the Nantahala Gorge in North Carolina. You gotta want do this. We'll be back in the spring and there is still more to do.

Clark Getz

Nantahala Gorge High Adventure -
Well, there is so much to write about, I will have to do my best to test my ability to be brief. There were 7 of us from the Wilderness-Trekkers that arrived and departed at differing times, but nobody left without taking in some great adventure. Rich Miller met up with the Florida Sports Paddling Club and did some flat water paddling on Lake Fontana. Barry and Rich did some Tsali off-road biking too. Good mud after a prior rain. On Tuesday evening, Carol joined the two so that on Wednesday, Rich and Carol got some off-road biking in at NOC’s (Nantahala Outdoor Center) bike trails, which ended up being rated “not fun” by the pair. Then later that day Rich, Barry and Carol kayaked the Nantahala. Not once, but twice.

Unfortunately, Carol and Barry did not fair too well on the second run as there were a couple of misaligned joint issues. Clark and Sue joined in the group on Wednesday evening. At the same time, we were fortunate enough to camp right next to this fantastic couple that had done raft guiding for NOC through the years and knew the place inside and out. They were from Gastonia N.C., Dee Dee and Will, and were so friendly, we made them honorary WT members for 4 days. Will had some arm issues of his own, so they were there just to relax, meet friends, have a great time and get a little hiking in.

On Thursday morning Rich and Clark headed out to Tsali for a morning ride on Thompson trail. Good trail, nothing overwhelming, just not use to ALL the HILLS. I don’t think they have enough digits on those heart monitors to register my thumper. The temperatures where in the 90’s and every bend in the trail where the lake could be spied, it was all I could do to not just ride off into the cool lake. Rich got to use his Hero helmet camera. This resulted in lots of good clips of either my back or just the trail in front of him. They really turned out good and will be entertaining at the Annual Gathering.

Still Thursday, Mary and JJ joined up and we all headed for the rafts; that’s Sue, JJ, Mary, Rich and Clark. We all got duckies except for Rich took his Torrent, a sit on top white water kayak. The 8-mile run can only be the time of your life. At the start, a young couple in their twenties must have thought we were experienced and asked if they could join us. Of course, so there were 7 of us in the group. The water is somewhere around 50 degrees, but the air was so hot, it felt great to get splashed! Everyone had a blast and the 7 of us made it all the way down and over the falls at the end with huge smiles and our dignity.

Meanwhile, since Carol was out of commission, “arm-wise”, Will, Dee Dee and Carol took a hike up to Wesser Bald.

Still Thursday, Rich and JJ went back to Tsali to get some riding in before the sun went down. Tsali is only about 15 minutes from the Campground. The Campground is right on the river, but also, right on the highway. That evening we had a pot-luck dinner – potatoes baked in foil on the coals, Cajun corn on the cob, snacks and spicy meatloaf right out of the dutch oven.

Friday, the Chattanooga group found out that the water would not be high enough to have ultimate fun, so Rich talked the folks at NOC to change their reservations to the Ocoee River. So off went Rich, Mary, Sue and JJ as they headed to Tennessee to spend a day on the Ocoee. Rich got excellent videos of the awesome rafting. You saw a lot of wave action and a lot of smiles on folks faces. They took a guided raft and got this terrific guide that click well both ways.

Clark had plans to hike Siler Bald, so Carol, Dee Dee and Will joined in. The drive over to Wayah gap is a treat in itself. The hike up to Siler turned out to be only about 1 hour and 20 minutes one way. From its 5,200 foot treeless pinnacle, you can see Appalachia in all directions as ranges go on forever. The trail is part of the AT and we met only about 8 people, 2 people turned out to be from Orlando, a couple that Clark knew, imagine that.

Friday night everyone, including Dee Dee and Will and their good friend John, went out to dinner at the Fryemont Inn at Bryson City. It was such a busy day that we did not even leave the restaurant until about 11 PM. We are having the time of our life!

Saturday morning was more biking at Tsali. Rich, Mary, JJ and Clark hit the trail called Mouse. This path had treacherous down hills, with rocks, trees and slopes that were out to get you. This is not even the hardest of the trails, but it was plenty good enough for me. But Rich, Mary and JJ seemed to enjoy it quite nicely.

Sue and Carol headed out that same morning, they were making their way to Tallulah Falls in Georgia. I told them about the waterfall drive between Franklin and Highlands, so they spend most of the day doing that alone, but did hit Tallulah Gorge and got to walk the steps and see the falls late that evening.

As for Rich, Mary, JJ and Clark, we hit the Nantahala again that afternoon. This time JJ took the Torrent, Rich took a short white water kayak and Mary and I took the smaller duckies. You just can’t help yourself but to have a great time on the Nantahala. Once again, some unsuspecting young couple thought we knew what we were doing so,

they wanted to know if the could stay with us. Maybe it’s Rich’s hair or my legs, but this attracting inexperienced rafters seems to be a knack. Rich did most excellently in the short kayak. He smiled the whole way. JJ handled the Torrent like it was a piece of cake and Mary and I just got more wet with the smaller duckies. So for 8 miles and 2.5 hours, it just one gigantic thrill! You have got to do it to understand.

That evening, the dinner was provided by JJ, Dee Dee and Will. JJ, what awesome shrimp! What a way to live. Fun all day and great food and drink all evening.

On Sunday, since twice Rich and I heard talk of Jackrabbit bike trails, the four of us headed over to Lake Chatauge almost to the Georgia border east of Hayesville and had a fantastic time on the off-road course that juts out into the lake. The trail is ideally groomed. There is a bit of climbing, but the trail has long arcs on its turns so you get to go incredible speeds (when you going down hill). At the furtherest point from the parking, there is a beach and a reprieve from the heat as we stripped down to jump into the water (shoes and shirt of course). We made a good 3-hour adventure out of that ride. Jackrabbit is a must do and gets a good rating from the 4 of us. From this point, I headed off to Franklin to spend the week vacationing.  I understand that Rich feed the group that evening.  Mary and JJ headed out on Monday while Rich stayed on for additional days.