Date: 2013-05-03
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter- The Hilton
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

Day 5 Cable Gap Shelter to Fontana Dam ShelterShe¢ll be coming around the mountain when she comes and ¢a woman in every port¢Less than 7 miles to a shower and a beer...one needs to have priorities in life! It is not possible to skip down this mountain, but I'm fairly certain there were large portions that I glided over without a boot touching the ground. There were climbs, but they did not matter! There were knee crunching descents but they did not matter. The battery in my camera continued to give me problems but again, no matter. I was on the way down the mountain and headed towards a nero day (hiking days that are close to zero miles) where I could do the chores I needed to do before starting the Smokys. Today was again filled with flowers through the descent towards Fontana Dam; they were beautiful, varied in form and color and fragrant. I played catch with SIS through the morning, stopping when I got too far ahead and finding interesting flowers to photograph. What a wonderful time of the year to hike. I've never seen so many varieties of flowers. Perhaps it was the extra cold and wet spring that seems to have hit the country?!Everyone from Cable Gap Shelter (last night) was on their way to Fontana, no surprise- they had restaurants and a bar as well as hot showers and flush toilets, all not far at all from what was reported to be one of the nicest shelters on the trail (the Fontana Hilton). And while room service didn't quite work, there was a shuttle that you could catch between the shelter and the village area for $3 per/person each way (I bet they make a ton of money in hiker season- hell, I gave them $12). Day 5- Fontana Dam Village SnapsSis and I caught a shuttle into the village and what a wild sight at the resort. It seems there is a Mini Cooper Rally each year and this weekend was it. I later found out that there were over 600 Minis on the resort property today. It was like a huge NASCAR party on a micro-car level . First stop for me was the resort registration desk. There I met Tim. Tim was awesome! He gave me my food box and then was kind enough to print off my updated Smoky Mtn Park pass. Maybe that doesn't seem like much but imagine a smelly hiker walking into a nicely appointed resort and maybe you'll understand how big a deal his courtesy really was. Thanks, Tim! And now a shameless plug for The Fontana Dam Village Resort, really it was beautiful and I plan to find an excuse to go back as a less smelly hiker in the future. (Check my "mail drops link" for the address to the resort and check them out! They're good people. It's a nice location and for you crazy driving people, The Tail of the Dragon (google it) is nearby!!!)From the resort, I headed to restaurant where Sis and I had lunch (for me: a HUGE plate of fried pickles and a pulled pork sandwich (also huge), fries and a tasty local beer (later there would be a chocolate cupcake, ice cream and BBQ potato chips). Gluttony sated, I exercised the ¢cleanliness is next to godliness¢ routine and hit the laundry and a (VERY, VERY cold) shower. I felt near human again! In our wanderings through the village we saw a lot of other hikers- Frodo, Alana, Paul, Thumper, Fire Hydrant, Honey & her boyfriend, Nightlight (Slow-Go¢en), Rider and others. SIS introduced me to Rider, whom I found out was an accountant from CA (damn, I already filed my taxes!) and a very funny gentleman. Rider has been in the Fontana Village vortex for two days now because the US Postal service lied about it¢s ¢If it fits, it ships¢ guarantee¢¦his food package was supposed to arrive 3 days ago but seems to have gotten lost in transit- he called the Post Office and all they said was: ¢sorry¢ and ¢no refund¢. Personally, I¢ve not had trouble with the USPS, but that is a sucky attitude to take with a customer. Boooooo!Today¢s story: How I met Fire Hydrant. While waiting outside the general store for a shuttle, I was sitting near 2-3 other hikers whom I did not know and a lady who was there for the Cooper rally. She started to talk to me and a young guy (Fire Hydrant) and ask all kinds of questions about hiking and life on the trail. Then she asks him whether we are ¢together¢ and whether he picks up a new girl in every town. I nearly died laughing. Fire Hydrant, laughing, said he didn¢t engage in such behaviors and not only were we not ¢together¢ but that we had not even met yet! After such an intimate conversation, I introduced myself and we joked later that evening about the traveling ¢harem¢ he has on the trail: ¢I like the stocky, strong ones, they can carry my pack and food and fan me along the trail.¢ By the way Fire Hydrant, my better-half says he feels the same way about those strong women ! One other word of note, I found out Fire Hydrant was from the same town as Matt¢s daughter and her family and lived next door to their old office building- small world!Back to the Hilton/frat house, we enjoyed some great music from our resident artist- Thumper who is in a band back in VT. He is playing the Mandolin tonight, and is quite exceptional for someone who only started to play on the trail (about 3 weeks ago). Today marks a milestone (no, not my first shower in 5 days), I threw out my first map set for the trip AND it is the last day before I enter the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The weather for the next few days is forecast as rain and wind, with elevations between 4000 & 5000 feet you lose about 3.5 degrees per 1k of elevation gain and the temperatures down here are not all that warm already. Keep your fingers crossed that Mother Nature will be kind and that Matt¢s weather-god status will keep things dry and reasonable.Day 5- Day 5 HighlightsGood night from the Dam Hilton .More photos for day 5 of the trip can be seen at: 2000Miler