Hello Everyone,
I am in Hiawassee, Georgia and coming close to the finish line! I made it through the Smoky Mts, passed Fontana Dam and this morning, crossed the NC/GA state line. The Smoky Mtns were beautiful, as was the weather. Thanks to Julie and Carl, for insisting that I go while the weather was good. I wanted to spend a few days helping around the farm but after reading the weather forecast they encouraged me to trek on. In the Smokies first few days were warm and sunny. Along the trail were piles of melting snow and in places of higher elevation the trail was iced over, evidence of the big snow storm that blanketed the mountains a week earlier, when I was hiking from Big Top. My last day in the Smoky Mountains and to Fontana dam it began to rain, but because of the change in weather the mountains had the classic smoky look. In the Smoky Mtns you are not allowed to tent anywhere but must stay in the shelters. If the shelters are full (and they usually are on the weekends) you are allowed to camp outside the shelter. On the first night I slept at Davenport Gap. I remember visiting this shelter when I was a little girl with my dad, Julie and Janice. It has a chain linked fence across the front to keep the bears out. When everyone is in at night it gets locked. My mom dropped us off and we hiked from there to Cosby one year. The next night I camped at Pecks Corner. This was the beginning of the weekend and there were section hikers from all over, including Rockford, IL. The shelter was pretty crowded. I hiked out at 5:30 AM in the dark.
The following day I climbed over Clingmans Dome. The elevation is 6,643. This is the highest point along the Appalachian Trail. For the southbounder it is a fairly easy climb without the elevation gain of mountains say, like Katahdin. There were lots of weekend visitors noticing my big pack and wondering if I was a "thru-hiker." I usually take time to answer questions because often it is the children who are curious. Sometimes I am given "trail magic," and a couple of teachers from Tennessee gave me two Power Bars which I was most appreciative because I was running low on food. Clingman's Dome was stunning with clear views in all directions. I had a group of people clap for Picker, Grinner, Lucky and Charm who came in about 3o minutes after me. pEOPLE were really excited to hear their thru-hike stories. THat night I stayed at the Double Spring Shelter and it was a full house. Three hikers volunteered to tent outside.
There was a little boy there who built a pretend fire. Because there were so many people eating dinner at the bench and table I announced that I was eating near his fire. This excited him so I offered to show him and his dad how to build a fire. I had a lesson from Deep Dish a few nights back and wanted to practice. We gathered kindling,medium sized sticks and large pieces of wood.. His dad had a cotton ball dipped in petroleum jelly. It was highly flammable. We started a small fire with the kindling, and with patience, got ourselves a nice hot coal bed. Then we graduated to the medium sized wood and finally few logs. Our fire was roaring hot.....until everyone started to add logs, wet and dry, all sizes too. There was an eagle scout there who took over. He took off some logs and blew, very hard, several times to bring the fire back. I learned something new. It is so nice to see folks sitting around and enjoying a fire Birdy built. Just like a pretend fire.
THe following day I passed the 2000 mile mark of my journey. Lucky, Charm, Picker, Grinner, and I met up at the Russell Field Shelter, where there is a log for SOBOs to enter their favorite times or their worst times. Lucky read through some of the entries made by other hikers who had previously stopped to mark the occasion. Worst State; Pennsylvania (I disagree), Best State; Vermont (i agree). Most Popular Trail Food; Pop Tarts (true, but I've not had a single one), etc. Lucky and Picker made some entries but the rest of us hiked on. It was beginning to rain.
I hiked out of the Smoky Mountains in the rain to Fontana Dam. THe Tennessee RIver is dammed up to create Fontana Lake. THey have a visitors center which for SoBos is closed but they also have year round showers, damn hot too, for hikers. A van, two couples on vacation at the FOntana Dam resort, picked me up and happily took me to the grocery store near their resort. THE GROCERY STORE Was CLOSED and I was desperate for supplies! The driver of the van, John, pulled over a maintenance truck to ask about a store and he was able to get the store opened. My new friends waited for me to buy new food. THe wives went back to their lodge room and came back with a homemade lunch for everyone, including me.
It began to rain. They drove me back to the AT at Fontana Dam. There is a spectacular shelter there known as the "Fontana Dam Hilton." It sleeps up to 24 hikers. I entertained my friends by telling them how the shelter works. How hikers sleep. The hangers to keep food or packs from the mice. The register where hikers make notes to one another or journal personal experience. Then the wives served up turkey sandwiches on homemade wheat bread, homemade granola bars, ice cream, carrot sticks and ORANGES! Seldom do hikers carry fresh oranges so it was a super treat. I forgot to bring spoons for the ice cream so we ate it with carrot sticks.
My new friends were going to hike a few miles on the AT with me but changed their minds when the rain changed from drizzle to downpour. They soon left me and I returned to the Dam to wait for Deep DIsh. I heard from Picker that Deep Dish found my medical bag and (I hoped) my bear line. I left those items at Peck Corner Shelter. I had hiked out in the dark and missed those two items while packing up.
I found TIny TIm. He said that Deep DIsh and his dad were aways yet. I waited about 4 hours and eventually saw Deep and his dad coming in. His dad was freezing because they had been hiking in cold rain all day. I found out that he had carried out my medicine bag but not the bear rope. He knew the medicine bag was mine because it had this orange band inside. The bear rope didn't have any recognizable mark, so he wasn't sure it belonged to me. It may still be there, although it was a good rope and Madeline helped me pick out the caribener. I will miss it.
We went out for dinner at the lodge. Deep Dish and his dad were going to stay there a night and invited me to share their room. Because they were going to stay up watching football and because I wanted to get back on the trail early, I chose to head back to Fontana Dam, to stay in the shelter. As I was leaving my 4 friends found me. I introduced them to Deep Dish and his dad. They heard a few good stories before driving me, in the pouring rain, down to the dam where the shelter is. I had a good nights sleep there and headed out the following day. It was still raining.
THe next day I hiked 20 miles through the lovely Nantahala FOrest. There are some lovely mountains to hike over, several have BALDS, where there are shrubby plants, fields of grasses or both at the summits. THe day was rain and high winds. I heard a tree crashing down near me. As it went down it fell across the nearby tees causing them to sway like crazy. There was a powerful smell of earth as it was uprooted. All day the winds would bring in a period of driving rain, followed by a calm period of mist. By afternoon the calm period would have a tad of sunshine. Once there were high winds, followed by thunderstorms, followed by sunshine, followed by freezing rain. It was strange weather but when I summitted Cheola bald there was sunshine and a vista of North Carolina to be seen. I could see the dark clouds of a storm approaching so I quickly found the white blaze to make my descent. By the time I reached Sassafrass Gap Shelter it was sleeting. I was very cold. When I got to camp my hands were frozen and I could not unzip my zippers. I had to put my hands under my arm pits and run in place to warm them before I could remove my wet clothes and put on wool long underwear, I shivered for a long time that night.
I hiked through the Nantahala FOrest to the Georgia/North Carolina border over the following days. Before the state line, when I arrived at Sassafrass Gap, there was a bear dog, with a radio collar. She was skin and bones! I noticed that she followed me. I told her if she was still with me at the state line, I'd make us a tortilla, cheese and peanut butter sandwich. She was, and I did. After she gobbled up her food she looked longinly at mine, so I told her if she was still with me at Hiawassee I'd give her the rest of the peanut butter. She followed me a long ways, until we ran into another backpacker who was heading north. This woman was out for a weekend hike and loaded down with too much heavy gear. I told her about "my" dog and asked her if she had any food. She pulled out a black bean burrito, which the bear dog instantly gobbled up. THat was how I lost my dog. THe dog followed the food. I couldn't blame her either.
When I made it to Deep Gap, I noticed the ROAD Trek. Mom and dad were there waiting. They heard from other hikers that I was on my way out. Dad shuttled 2 hikers into town. We love and appreciate that kind of trail magic. After some hugging we stowed my smelly pack into the back of the road trek we headed to the Hiawassee Inn, a grungy little motel with backed up sinks.
We went out for dinner at the lodge. Deep Dish and his dad were going to stay there a night and invited me to share their room. Because they were going to stay up watching football and because I wanted to get back on the trail early, I chose to head back to Fontana Dam, to stay in the shelter. As I was leaving my 4 friends found me. I introduced them to Deep Dish and his dad. They heard a few good stories before driving me, in the pouring rain, down to the dam where the shelter is. I had a good nights sleep there and headed out the following day. It was still raining.
THe next day I hiked 20 miles through the lovely Nantahala FOrest. There are some lovely mountains to hike over, several have BALDS, where there are shrubby plants, fields of grasses or both at the summits. THe day was rain and high winds. I heard a tree crashing down near me. As it went down it fell across the nearby tees causing them to sway like crazy. There was a powerful smell of earth as it was uprooted. All day the winds would bring in a period of driving rain, followed by a calm period of mist. By afternoon the calm period would have a tad of sunshine. Once there were high winds, followed by thunderstorms, followed by sunshine, followed by freezing rain. It was strange weather but when I summitted Cheola bald there was sunshine and a vista of North Carolina to be seen. I could see the dark clouds of a storm approaching so I quickly found the white blaze to make my descent. By the time I reached Sassafrass Gap Shelter it was sleeting. I was very cold. When I got to camp my hands were frozen and I could not unzip my zippers. I had to put my hands under my arm pits and run in place to warm them before I could remove my wet clothes and put on wool long underwear, I shivered for a long time that night.
I hiked through the Nantahala FOrest to the Georgia/North Carolina border over the following days. Before the state line, when I arrived at Sassafrass Gap, there was a bear dog, with a radio collar. She was skin and bones! I noticed that she followed me. I told her if she was still with me at the state line, I'd make us a tortilla, cheese and peanut butter sandwich. She was, and I did. After she gobbled up her food she looked longinly at mine, so I told her if she was still with me at Hiawassee I'd give her the rest of the peanut butter. She followed me a long ways, until we ran into another backpacker who was heading north. This woman was out for a weekend hike and loaded down with too much heavy gear. I told her about "my" dog and asked her if she had any food. She pulled out a black bean burrito, which the bear dog instantly gobbled up. THat was how I lost my dog. THe dog followed the food. I couldn't blame her either.
When I made it to Deep Gap, I noticed the ROAD Trek. Mom and dad were there waiting. They heard from other hikers that I was on my way out. Dad shuttled 2 hikers into town. We love and appreciate that kind of trail magic. After some hugging we stowed my smelly pack into the back of the road trek we headed to the Hiawassee Inn, a grungy little motel with backed up sinks.
Over the next few days mom and dad slacked packed me. First from Deep Gap to Unicoi Gap. Next from Unicoi to Neels Gap. Neels Gap to High Tower Gap. High Tower to Springer Mountain and the Finale!
For the last two days Granny found a lovely cabin at Neels Gap. It is near Blood Mountain, thus named Blood Mountain Cabins. Each cabin is named for an animal and ours was; Raccoon. It had 4 taxidermy raccoons around the fireplace. If you remember Granny's encounter with the raccoon last year you might wonder if it was traumatic. Granny was not phased. She even laughed. Wish you all were there!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Mom
[birdy]
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