Appalachian Trail 2020, Day 15: NOC to Sassafras Gap Shelter

Almost two years after wrapping up day 14 at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, I picked the trail back up right where I left it - starting a new 3 day section hike from the NOC, this time with my wife Christy joining for her first backpacking trip. It took a last-minute change of plans, a hot climb out of the river gorge, and a run-in with a very large rattlesnake to get us to Sassafras Gap Shelter. Watch the video below, then read on for the full story.

A Last-Minute Change of Plans

This trip almost didn't happen at all, at least not this way. Christy and I had a bike trip planned for the weekend on the Withlacoochee Trail back home in Florida, but the night before we checked the forecast - mid 90s and brutal humidity. Just out of curiosity I checked the weather up in North Carolina instead, and it was showing a high around 82 with far less humidity. That was all it took. We swapped the bikes for backpacks and decided to resume the Appalachian Trail section hike right where I'd left off at the NOC back in 2019.

A Rocky Start at Fontana

We drove up from Florida, stopped overnight in a hotel in Ellijay, and finished the last two hours of driving to Fontana Dam the next morning. From there we needed a shuttle back to the NOC to start hiking north - but the shuttle driver was almost an hour late, and with no cell service at the dam, we started to worry and began driving ourselves down the road looking for him. We finally spotted him coming the other way and flagged him down in a parking lot. By the time we reached the NOC, the restaurant had a 30 minute wait, so we ducked into the general store instead, grabbed some ready-made food, and scarfed it down before finally hitting the trail at 2:30 - already about an hour behind schedule.

Climbing Out of the NOC

The Appalachian Trail crosses the railroad tracks right at the NOC and heads north, and it wastes no time getting serious. It's a steady 6 mile climb straight out of the river gorge, and between the afternoon heat and the humidity clinging to the hillside, Christy and I were both drenched within the first mile. Still, it beat the alternative - we kept reminding each other that this was a whole lot better than baking on a bike trail in Florida.

Coins, a Spring, and the Jump Up

A little way up the climb we reached the Wade Sutton Memorial plaque, where hikers leave coins as they pass - a nice small milestone to break up a long, hot ascent. Not much further along we came across a spring and stopped to filter water before pushing on to an overlook known as "the Jump Up," which delivered a solid payoff view after all that climbing. With the last mile of the day mostly a descent into Sassafras Gap, it finally felt like the hardest part of the day was behind us.

A Rattlesnake on the Trail

Right near the end of the day, we rounded a bend and found a big rattlesnake coiled up right on the trail. Christy was, understandably, not thrilled about it, and we ended up waiting it out until the snake decided to move along on its own before we could get past. It was the kind of moment that's a lot funnier in hindsight than it was standing there in person.

Pad Thai and a New Tent at Sassafras Gap

We rolled into Sassafras Gap Shelter around 8:30 that evening, later than planned but still in good spirits, having covered 6.9 miles. A few other hikers were already settled into the shelter, so we pitched our brand new 3 person tent for its first real test and cooked up a pad Thai dinner - Christy wasn't totally sold on it yet, but there were still two more days on the trail for it to grow on her. A good first day back on the AT, even if it didn't go quite according to schedule.