Day 16: The NOC and the jump up

Yesterday we went down a steep section of trail called “the jump off.” I forgot to post a picture of it so here it is:

Which really doesn’t do it justice, but that’s how photos are. Last night we camped at our lowest elevation yet, so it was toasty and warm. The whippoorwills sang all night long. We all woke up early lured by the hot food only a mile downhill. At the Nantahala Outdoor Center we are a huge breakfast, took showers, did laundry, resupplied, ate hot lunch with beer, and Paul got some new shoes. The NOC is at 1700 feet elevation and after five hours we finally got back on the trail. We only had 7 miles to hike to the next shelter, over a 4700 foot Mountain. The last mile up was called ” the jump up ” and I have no pictures for obvious reasons. The trail went straight up a ridge, with 3 false summits on the way up. It was a long seven miles. (Awesome views though). We are camped at mile 144.