It seemed to me like the Appalachian Trail, from the Nantahala Gorge north toward Fontana Dam, was all uphill. It’s a climb.
The Appalachian Trail Guide says: “This section…is especially tough for northbound hikers, who must gain 3,339 feet over eight miles from the Nantahala River to the summit of Cheoah Bald (elevation, 5,062 feet), one of the toughest hauls on the Appalachian Trail south of New England.”
Anyway, I was section hiking with three of my grandsons, Christian, Cole and Curtis, huffing and puffing up that trail. But they weren’t. In fact, every once in a while they started singing, practicing a song they had written.
Several times that day we had passed a woman hiking alone and she had passed us right back when we took a break. We were climbing again when I saw her, 30, 40 yards ahead of us. We were reeling her in and, this time, I decided to mess with her head.
I tried to control my breathing, so she wouldn’t know when we passed her just how bad I was hurting. And I asked the boys to sing their song again. Go here, close your eyes, and hear what she heard as she labored up one of the toughest climbs south of New England.
Curtis, Cole and Christian Stith
Coming Monday: They Say Guns Don’t Kill People