Date: 2004-05-28
From: Fontana Dam, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: overcast clouds

So, first a summary:Day 11: 18 miles, out of fontana dam village, across fontana dam, and into the smokeys. the Great Smokey Mountains have the highest concentration of bears - 2000 - in the united states. it also has the highest peak on the AT, Clingmans dome, at 6,643 feet.Day 12: 14 miles to double springs shelter, just 2.9 miles from the top of clingmans dome. The shelter has a chainlink fence across the front to keep the bears out (or the people in?). We woke up in the middle of the night thinking there was a bear outside. When we got out there, it was just a large deer.Day 13: 21.2 miles. We woke up at 4 am and hiked to the summit of clingman's dome for sunrise. we got there by 5:30, it was cold, foggy, and windy. We missed the sunrise in the clouds. There were a few moments of clear spots and i got one good picture, but that's it. We ate breakfast and hiked on as soon as it was light out. Talking to another hiker later in the day, he told us that Natahala, the name of the river south of the smokies, roughly translates to 'noonday sun' becuase its always cloudy until noon in the smokies. that's probably where they get their name too, clouds=smoke. We ate lunch at charlie's bunion, a big rock sticking out of the middle of a steep cliff. Most of the day was spent on ridgelines or very steep slopes, but the trail traversed most of them and was generally flat.Day 14: 34 miles. Plan was to hike 20 miles to the davenport gap shelter. Pete and Colin had to get there in time for peter to catch his shuttle to gatlinberg and colin to meet his cousin. Colin has to go to his sister's graduation, so they will be off the trail for 3 days. After i take a few zero days, they may catch up. At davenport gap, we took a 1.5 mile trip down to "mountain momma's kuntry store" (that's how the sign is spelled) I ate a huge burger, 3 cans of lemonade, and some ice cream. I took the side trip because i needed to get to a phone so i could call GoLite to get them to replace my pack. They said they would ship it overnight and charge me, then credit me when i send them the one that is falling apart. The pack still works fine, but the stiching holding the waist belt to the pack is literally falling apart. There are a few other parts of it that are wearing way too fast. I am especially careful with it, and i haven't overloaded it yet (rated for 20 pounds, my weight right now with 7 days of food is 18 pounds) so hopefully the new one, which they say has some better reinforcement on the seams, will last more than 270 miles. I got back to the trail by 5:00 (20 miles + 1 to road + 3 round trip to mountain mommas). Rather than backtrack a mile to the last shelter, i figured i could try to make the next shelter 10 miles ahead. I caught up with greg on the trail just as it started to pour. We essentially jogged the last 5 miles in an hour and a half, and slept in a dry shelter (or tried to, amidst the noise of some loud section hikers)Day 14: 23 miles. Was going to try to make it to hot springs for a hostel night, but took a nap to make up for lost sleep, and woke up with just enough time to get to deer park shelter. A couple hours after we got there, 4 guys showed up and said they had to hike in because all of the hotels and hostels in hot springs were full - good thing i didn't push too far.Day 15: zero day, 3 miles so far. Woke up and got to hot springs by 8 am for a sausage egg and cheese, cheddar/broccoli/bacon omlette, and a bowl of grits. Made it to the post office to pick stuff up, then sorted and organized in the laundromat. My backpack had just arrived via fedex when i got to the outfitter. I also bought a princeton tech LED headlamp to replace my broken princeton tech LED clip light, which i bought to replace my broken princeton tech keychain light. I got it out of the package at the laundromat, and it was broken. That is the last time i buy anything from princeton tech. I exchanged it for the more expensive (and heavier) petzl, which will hopefully last longer.All of the hostels are full, and all of the hotels/motels i can afford are full. Greg and i will go to the campground and pay $2 for a shower, then hike on to the first tentsite or shelter (depending on how we feel)I am in the library using the internet. Its free, but there's a half hour limit and a bunch of section hikers and yellow blazers who want to use it. Ben will have pictures up soon...-joe