Day 16: A different attitude

They say the trail provides, and today it did. Just not in the way I expected or thought I needed.

We both woke up a little groggy. We slept well, but everything is muddy. We didn’t have much fun setting up camp in the downpour yesterday. Packing your bags isn’t much better. Putting wet shoes back on is always mentally difficult. Oh ok. Nothing to do about it.

And with that attitude we continue forward. Not having fun, missing home. We both got frustrated easily, cursing every slip and puddle.

That’s when we ran into Grits, a 79 (!) year old hiker. He had a big smile on his face: “What a great couple of days!” he said. We both looked at each other confused. “It’s days like these that make good days even better!” And with the same contagious smile he passed by us.

We were a little perplexed. Here we are, all in a bad mood, and there he was, happy as always. The only thought I had was that he suffered the same as us. But he has the mentality of someone who will make it.

My mood changed instantly. We need more positivity like that. Thanks Grits, I really need it, more than anything.

A minute later they were testing me again. I tightened my hip belt, but I’m afraid it was a little too tight; part of the fabric along the hip belt was torn. But I’m not going to let that get to me! I’m being positive today, damn it!

The hip belt cannot be tightened any further. You may have lost more weight than you thought. I have to pay attention to that.

Hiking to Fontana

Six miles later we entered Fontana. There should be a free shuttle to take hikers between the trailhead, the marina, the general store, and the Fontana “Hilton” shelter. We had no idea where exactly or when you would be picked up. That’s when I saw a couple of hikers loading their stuff into a van. I ran towards them and stopped the van. It was the ferry. Just in time!

First stop: the general store. Resupply has a limited variety of food for hikers, but it is enough to survive. The rest of the «town» looked more like a vacation spot than an actual city. Everything we need is here, including some food from the city!

My dad really didn’t want to sleep in a shelter today. So, we made a plan to go to the Hike Inn, a couple of miles out of town. But there is a problem: there is no reception here.

Just as we finished, the shuttle driver stopped some people. Apparently there is reception at the refuge, so off we go on the ferry again!

We arrived at the shelter, called home and tried to call the inn. But the phone didn’t ring. I tried to send a message, but there was no response. In retrospect, there is probably some problem between my phone and the provider, causing the problems when calling. I have to check it out when I can. Anyway, the view here is very pretty!

But today there is no shelter. We have to settle for shelter. To our surprise, there were also some designated tent spots! My dad set up his tent. I will sleep in the shelter again. I have to find a way to sleep well in the shelters, because in Smoky’s you have to. So, I saw this as my overall rep. Armed with earplugs and headphones, you should be fine. Good?

This shelter is one of the only ones that has a shower! Which is very appreciated. Just one small problem: we were hoping to do laundry at the hostel, and the laundry room is right behind the general store. I guess it will be a few more days with dirty clothes. We dried our stuff, charged our electronics, rested, hung out and even got a couple of fruity beers from one of the hikers, cheers!

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