Bellies full from the breakfast my hiking partner and I availed ourselves of at the River’s Edge Restaurant at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) it was time to step on the Trail for our first of a two-day outing and for the first time for me this hiking season. There was that usual mixed feeling of excitement, anticipation and anxiety anytime I step foot on the Trail for the next hike, but especially when it is the first hike of a new season. I feel a little rusty, and certainly a year older than last year. But here we go…
