This is its own chapter. Leaving the Fontana Dam Resort and the much needed time vortex. We took the bus back to the Fontana Hilton and crossed the dam, with a brief stop at the Dam Visitor Center to an overlook, before continuing into the Smokies.
We put our printed permits in the hiker’s box and I felt a wave of relaxation and calm. I’m not sure what to expect, but it will play out based on my ability and the terrain. We have to go from shelter to shelter since dispersed camping is not allowed, and hikers must give up shelter space to any hiker with a shelter reservation. Then we might be in a shelter and have to set up our tents next to the shelter if it fills up. Some interesting logistics await.
We steadily climbed the long climb to Shuckstack and the side quest to the tower turned out to be the first of many views the Smokies are famous for.
Our first stop was the Birch Spring Gap tents. There are only tents here, there is no shelter. The ridge runner looked at our permits and said, «Oh, that’s what the new ones look like.» We had to previously wait for the Recreation.gov site to be active before we could apply and print the hard copy.
We went conservative miles based on shelter spacing, I have a Wile E. Coyote plan, but let’s see how it plays out. The clean Mollies Ridge Shelter trail had a HUGE pile of bear scat with berries, we chose to take a break elsewhere. A few days later, we discovered that an aggressive bear grabbed a backpack in that shelter while someone was standing next to it, and the shelter was closed.
Before Russell’s shelter, he had his face planted on an invisible root in the road, Zuko said he was gaining speed and putting on the afterburners. Then I heard a crash and below was Zuko, his nose bleeding slightly. She stayed on the floor, assuring me that everything was okay, and just wanted to put herself together there. At the Russell shelter we saw our first horses.
Later we took advantage of the Spence shelter which has a toilet. Not all shelters have them, so we take that into account.
It was a cold, almost freezing night to sleep with the Sawyer water filter and electronics. I’m fine with colder temperatures, my idea of perfect hiking temperatures is about 45F, so the respite from the initial 80F in Georgia suits me well.
Coming up, I was actually in pants, I know, that kind of cold. It was more technical up Rocky Top, but the views were 360°. I also found minor evidence of snow.
There is a lot of walking on the ridges and Fontana Lake gets smaller and smaller. At times the slopes on both sides are quite steep and it is a bit disconcerting to see the angle of the mountain and there are no trees to stop you for a while. It is clear that these mountains do not suffer fools, and that is why it is prudent to wait out the bad weather before entering.
The views have been really good, and it makes you stop just to see how far the mountains go.
Then, of course, you’ll reach Kuwohi (formerly Clingmans Dome) and the stunning panoramic views. We are lucky to have clear views and the viewing platform has signs telling you which mountains you are looking at. As always, it’s inspiring to see how far you’ve traveled.
We were taken from Twelve Pack to Gatlinburg to resupply and zero as heavy rain is expected. Good time.
We arrived at the Quality Inn before noon, dropped off our backpacks and were now less overloaded, and went to Cici’s, an AYCE pizza buffet chain. And we did it. The caffeine from the Coca-Cola slowly rose through my bloodstream, taking me to a new level of consciousness. We stopped at the NOC vendors and the general store to resupply. My friend Charlene, who lives “nearby,” meaning more than an hour away, will be meeting us for dinner. I haven’t seen her in a few years since she moved here.
Well, all these miles, and to see a bear, we have to go to Gatlinburg. The lights, the sounds and the general commotion, and this is where we see a bear.
I had a great dinner at a local restaurant and was given MOAR electrolytes. Tomorrow will be day zero, as gusty winds and more than an inch of rain are forecast.
The morning finds us reunited at breakfast with Indy from our 2025 turnaround. He and his wife were in the Outer Banks and luckily we connected, albeit briefly. Great to see. Now, wandering around Gatlinburg, we found jammie pants. I’ll be sending mine home, they’re full of drawbacks as pantyhose, but despite the lack of durability, they’re still a good base layer.
We enter the “barker” zone, “What plans do you have today?” “Do you want to go ziplining?” “We have $10 lunches.”
Now you have my attention. After appetizers, since we weren’t very hungry, we walked to a post office store. The free tram picked us up and we had barely gotten on when the predicted rain started lightly. Now the trip back through the crazy area. Kids were tired, needed a nap, people were getting on, only to get off 100 feet around the corner, evidently deciding not to wait to get on, then rethinking the plan literally in seconds. Civilization damages my brain.
We returned to the Smokies on a ferry and headed to Icewater Shelter on a foggy, rainy day. We arrived early in the day and this shelter is popular, the next one is only 7 miles away but the late transfer has us here. A flow of people came and went, reinforcing my reluctant decision to stay here. We later learned that the next shelter had 22? people in the shelter and tents.
The skies cleared overnight, making for a frosty morning, complete with a majestic sunrise. The views were nothing short of stunning, and my frustration at the lower miles was rewarded with the realization that none of this would have been visible the day before. Win for sure.
After the beautiful views and good weather, we found ourselves at the Davenport refuge. The only shelter left with the old fence and gate system across the shed opening to keep hikers in and bears out. It’s strange, there are no cables or tent sites. The water fountain pipe had a black salamander slithering around when I reached the pipe. I waited a bit to make sure no friends came out and drank my water.
We’ll leave the cage and the Smokies tomorrow morning and hit Standing Bear for a box of food, and I’ll check on my Durston pole order, it should be there I hope. The lack of signal has me waiting for a package update.
