Government Shutdown Trip B - Day 4

Got up early (0645) and discovered that it was very cold. As a result, I worked in the room to let it warm up a bit. Breakfast was leftovers. After an hour or so, I decided to tackle a challenging section in the Nantahala Gorge. Used NC-28 and US-19 to get to the Nantahala Outdoor Center. When I first visited the area in 2014, I climbed up from US-19/74 for about a mile and gave up - I didn't have a map, the climb was steep and it was really hot. In 2017, I returned to the area and hiked (from the opposite direction) along the ridge near Wesser Bald, stopping just short of the huge descent at a place called "The Jumpoff". This effectively "landlocked" about three miles on a very steep hill and I was not looking forward to re-hiking the additional climb to reach the area... Arrived at the trailhead (Nantahala Outdoor Center) at 0900 and started SOBO, wearing three layers again because the temps were in the mid-30s. It wasn't fun to retread the first mile but there were nice switchbacks and views of the river below. As I climbed, though, the hill got steeper and I had to contend with lots of mud, ice, slippery rocks, roots and fallen trees. One nice thing - the sun was shining brightly and warmed me up a bit. My pedometer quit on me again halfway through the climb and all I had to go on was the time (tried to gauge distance via my normal trail speed). As I've mentioned before, a lot the challenge of the AT is psychological - I struggled to keep going when I had no idea how far I'd really been or how much was left. I kept mindlessly trudging and only realized later that I hadn't taken any photographs for most of the day. Fortunately, I knew what the area near "The Jumpoff" looked like and I got more deja vu the higher I went. Eventually, the trail was a series of stairs - rocks, chopped logs, etc. With almost no room on either side of my feet, I had to be VERY careful not to slip - a fall would be disastrous! My pace was so slow near the top of the climb but I was sure I reached the right turnaround - the views were unforgettable! I felt like I was on top of the world and could see a panorama of almost 360 degrees. I'm not afraid of heights but I felt very exposed/unbalanced on the rocky cliff. I also noticed that my three layers had drenched through with sweat and I was extremely cold. So I headed back down again. It was slow going for several miles but eventually I reached the "easier" part of the section again. My blister was acting up and I felt very tired/sore. When I reached my car (1300) after about 8.5 miles, I'd already begun to lean towards calling it a day. When I got news that the Government might re-open soon (yaay!), I decided to go back to town. Reached Franklin via US-19 and NC-28. Picked up lunch/dinner (to go) at Arby's (1400) and went back to my room. Watched news and movies, did some reading and packing in my room and didn't go anywhere for the rest of the evening. Worked on Trail Mileage Log (other long trails) and went to bed at 2200. A day like today, while difficult, gives me hope that I can finish the whole AT eventually! AT Today = 3.30 miles / G.T. AT = 1324.02 miles