Day 12

Miles: 0.8
Total Miles: 143.8

We woke up nice and early and ran down into the Nantahala Outdoor Center. We got there so early that were lined up at the restaurant before it opened at 8. Everyone ate huge breakfasts and then set up camp not far down the road from the actual NOC. All afternoon was spent lazily doing laundry, showering, eating more, and resupplying at the outfitter and general store. I had to buy a new spoon since I'd left mine in Athens and had been whittling one every night. This earned me the temporary trailname Spoon.

We spent the rest of the day sitting by the river and eating. Luke, a musician from Memphis, and Leapfrog, a girl from New Hampshire spent most of the day along with us. Afterward, we went back to our campsite and sat around being lazy for a change with some other hikers: Smokey and Bandit, two kids from Gainsville, GA who are carrying a substantial amount of marijuana, and Oompa, a Dutch guy who attempted a southbound thru-hike last year only to get stopped by 3-foot snow in the Smokies.