The one at the Hilton – Day 11

Today we arrived at the threshold of Great Smokey Mountain National Park. It was a long, but exciting day. One more milestone on this journey.

Route report

Blaze and I left Locusr Cove Gap before dawn and headed to the Hilton. The Fontana Dam Hilton to be exact. It’s called Hilton because it’s the only shelter with showers and charging stations.

We got there around 4 pm and got the free shuttle to the Fontana Dam general store. Blaze resupplied and plans to head to the Smokies tomorrow.

My resupply box was here – sigh of relief. I checked into my room and plan to get a zero tomorrow. The old man needs to rest!

At dinner, I surprised them with a cheeseburger, which looked like a really good chocolate chip muffin. I needed something to celebrate my achievement! After ordering the muffin, I saw a large chocolate chip cookie, and I bought that too! Then I found out they had an ice cream shop. Of course I couldn’t pass up the ICE CREAM!

Thought of the day

I knew North Carolina was experiencing a severe drought, but I didn’t realize how bad it was. When I arrived at Lake Fontana I had it very clear. The water level in the lake had dropped probably 25 feet. Please comply with the fire ban, we don’t want to make the situation worse. Luckily, rain is forecast for this weekend.

people i met

I met Blaze several days ago. I’ve gotten to know him better than anyone else along the way. We spent several days walking together. I am very impressed with him. I hope I was able to encourage you in your walk with the Lord.

Plant of the day

The plant of the day is the Canadian It Lousewort. This is another plant that caught my attention. It is very unusual and stands out among the other plants.

bird of the day

Continuing with the Canadian theme, the bird of the day is the Canadian warbler. This is just one of the many types of Warblers I have heard of. It’s interesting how they all sound different.

“Canada Warbler (male)” by Jeremy Meyer is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

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