NOC NOC

Last week, I asked my friends to come up with a trail name for me. What they came up with: Hairy Toes, Spaghetti Toes (that’s the last time I let you guys see my feet), and Bloody Butcher?? According to someone’s plant app, it’s another name for trillium, a flower we see out here a lot. But imagine walking into the shelter at night and saying “hi I’m Bloody Butcher”. Everyone would run away. Such bad suggestions!

I eventually got a trail name based on a game we were playing where we’d come up with a different lie to tell at camp if new people were there. Mine, which never went very far because I’m a terrible liar, were along the lines of “my grandpa ghostwrote for the Beatles” or “my uncle invented disc golf”. Side note: I am now carrying a disc golf frisbee with me. It’s weirdly heavy.

Then I started doing a bit about how my grandpa invented the concept of holes, and how holes didn’t exist before the 20th century, and how I wrote the book Holes under a pseudonym in his honor. Honestly I don’t know what I was saying it was a long day. And we were like “haha, wouldn’t Holes be a funny trail name?” So now I’m Holes. And it makes me laugh every time anyone calls me that. So I guess I’m keeping it.

Here’s what I’ve been up to:

Saturday 4/8

Today was the worst day ever. We did 12 miles in freezing rain. Most sane people zero’d. I needed to drink tea to not get hypothermia.

Thank God for the Omelet Angels, who for 31 years have been doing trail magic over Easter weekend. We had pulled pork and lemon cookies and it literally saved the day.

At least today made me feel like I can handle anything. I didn’t even remotely want to quit, just wanted the sun to come out.

Sunday 4/9

Today we mostly hung around and waited for our stuff to dry. A couple people went a mile back for the Omelet Angels and were incredulous as to why the rest of us wouldn’t go for homemade bread and chai. I refuse to go backwards on the trail, but is was momentarily swayed only for us to learn the trail magic was over.

Monday 4/10

Today was the 100th day of the year and we hit 100 miles! I had a really good day. I took a break at an overlook and met Data and Passport from Houston who are section hiking for 1 week every month. They told me I seemed like a sweet girl (maybe the trail has changed me) and gave me extra foot warmers. Apparently I’m the first south Asian person they’ve seen thru hiking in the year they’ve been sectioning, which doesn’t surprise me since I’ve met less than 10 people of color since I started. Albert’s Mountain was a fun climb and the view was totally worth it.

Tuesday 4/11

This blog is the only reason I know what day it is. Happy birthday Niki!

Town day in Franklin! We went to Kountry Kitchen for breakfast and I got the Mountain Man hash. I caved and got an inflatable sleeping pad at Outdoor 76. We bought way too much food at Ingles; I have an overflow bag. I won the aforementioned disc golf frisbee at the Lazy Hiker brewery playing music bingo. I felt kinda sick after eating so much real food. Then we watched Shark Tank at the motel until midnight. 3 people to a king bed.

Saturday 4/15

I needed to skip some days because I’m so behind on posting!

Today was probably my favorite day of hiking views wise so far. The hike down to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) was gorgeous and the change in elevation was so massive that the landscape at top was totally different from the spring-like feel by the river. It also smelled so nice. I think hiking is the only situation when “it’s all downhill from here” is a positive. People who prefer uphills (yeah they exist) are just wrong.

We drank some beers by the river, ate well, and did laundry. We were supposed to stay in a yurt but ended up stealth camping in a lovely spot by the river.

That’s it! I promise the next post will come sooner.