Don't Worry, Be Happy at NOC

What a wonderful final day at NOC.  It started with my early morning hike up the Flint Ridge bike trail before the girls got up. It was foggy, so the overlook was not scenic, but it was quiet and peaceful.  A dove cooed nearby as I sat there quietly in prayer, looking out into the fog.  I am so thankful for this trip and so are the girls.  We did not ask them to do this, but do you see how they are holding hands in the photo below?  They really bonded this week. 

On the way up the trail, I met Ridge Runner Ben, who was there with the Appalachian Trail Conservance (ATC).  He is a former thru-hiker and we talked about my planned 2019 thru-hike and how many people are on the trail these days.  He mentioned a new trail that they are working on that is less strenuous and less populated than the AT called the Great Eastern Trail. I enjoyed looking into this!  

We had to say goodbye to our Customer Service Rep (I think that's her title), Fay Stephens.  We will miss her.  She was our go-to person for every event, meal, and issue or question we might have. I guess she is sort of the concierge, only better.  We gave her a shirt and some cookies!  She loved them!  We will miss her!

After breakfast we set off to the Mountain Zipline course at NOC.  Our guides, Ben and Franklin (seriously) were superb. They were so friendly, funny, professional, and safe.  They interact with the girls so well.  They really love what they do and it shows. The girls had so much fun and they were all very comfortable that high up off the ground. (Not me!)

This zip course requires you to take an active role in your experience, so they taught us how to steer (turn your body left or right for the least amount of drag), how to brake (using a leather reinforcement on your gloves hand, how to put on the emergency brake (one hand on either side of the trolley, and how to do the "007" to hand-over-hand yourself to the next platform if you don't have enough momentum to get there.  Lightweight Kyra had to do this often!

We also got to meet Caroline Lawson, a friend of our neighbors back home in Tampa who happened to be the photographer assigned to the Moutain Zip today. She went to school with one of our scouts (Jennifer) and they recognized each other before I remembered who she was!  What a small, small world!

Of the 7 zip lines that make up the 2 mile course, the longest one is 1/2 mile.  You are 350 ft above the forest floor and well above the trees as you reach speeds of about 55 miles an hour!  You can see Fontana Lake and I even saw a kayaker in a little red boat. It did not feel that fast. 

At the end, Ben and Franklin got their cookies!  I was really impressed with the safety training these staff members have to go through.  They have to be proficient at rescues and first aid from these heights. There must be someone at NOC who thinks of all the worst case scenarios, like the Simulator Supervisors of Appilo 13!  These staff members are ready for anything!

No one wanted to leave NOC and it was only through sheer will power that we departed the campus.  Through Jae Kackson and Rachel Dean of the paddling school, we had made arrangements to stop at Birdsong Beads in Murphy, NC to do a craft project on the way home. Kevin, the owner of the shop,  and his daughter Becca, were superb.  They allowed the girls to pick whatever style of bracelt they wanted to build!  Some picked the leather braid, others picked the leather woven through chain, and the rest picked the wrap around bracelet that Rachel had. 

The girls loved it and several bought more materials to take home and make additions   They could not believe they could create such artwork!

Some girls, like Kelly, had a project too big to finish, so they had to work on it on the way home!

Kevin was super and I highly recommend his shop!  We only wished we had more cookies to give out!  If you are ever in Weatern NC, please look him up.  

We drove south through some beautiful country as we wound our way though North Georgia between Blairsville and Dahlonaga.  This is a drive worth taking!  By the time we got to Atlanta we were exhausted. We had a wonderful dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, but, after a week in the woods, the sights and sounds of civilization felt very overwhelming to me.  I was also exhausted and fell asleep in the hotel for a solid 10 hours!  

My final parting thought today is a quote I saw on a church as I wound my way through the mountains. It said "What if we wake up tomorrow with only those things we thanked God for today."   That made me get busy being thankful.  Today was a great day to be thankful for!