Date: 2010-03-17
From: Fontana Dam

To: Smoky Mountains!
Miles today: 28.0
Weather: light rain

I talked to Jusin last night- Tuesday, March 16th. He was in a shelter right outside of Fontana Dam- one that is known as the "Fontata Dam Hilton" because it is pretty large and roomy- sleepy over 20 people and has a bathroom and shower with hot water! He was pretty excited about it and I don't blame him.He had gone into town to pick-up his mail drop with lots of food from his mom and a few suprise notes from his brothers and dad! He also picked up a little treat- beer- to share with a few of the guys he would be spending the night with. He wasn't aware that today was St. Patty's day, but when informed said that was the reason for the beer then! He was also able to drop some weight from his pack since he had some extra food and the smokys were going to be alittle difficult. He sent his radio, some extra clothes and a few other 'extras' to Hot Springs where he would pick it up again. It was about 2miles to the 'resort' to pickup everything up, but luckily he was able to get a ride. Yesterday was the first day in awhile he was seeing the sun. When he got back on the trail on Sunday, March 14th, he had left at about noon. Within an hour it started drizzling and after 2 hours when he was at higher elevation it started snowing! It snowed about 1/4 of an inch he said. When he got to a shelter around 3-4:00 he decided to call it a day instead of walking through the snow, making it only about an 8 mile day, and would make up for it the next day. Monday he was able to do about 15 miles. He was disappointed with the weather the past few days, because he was missing out on some good views and has not been getting good pictures. He has pretty much been walking in cloud banks only able to see white 10feet in front of him when getting to lookout points. Yesterdays sunny weather was a nice change and hopefully it stays that way!He has been with a few guys- one 'yellow-mellow' who wears yellow crocs and is a student at Udel so around the same age as Justin. They hike around the same pace which is good. He also knows that a few other guys are just alittle ahead of him- 2 circles and hobbit- who he will probably catch up to soon.The Smokys are usually pretty regulated, he was explaining. You have to register and get a park permit with a time limit on it. If you are found in the park past that date they can fine you. The box, however, was full of applications so it didn't look like he would have to worry about that too much. There are also shelters in 'clusters'- a few within a short distance from eachother compared to other areas of the trail. He didn't have a 'set' plan as to where he was going to try to get to in a certain time. The first shelter is 11 miles away, but then after that they're within 3miles or so. The first few days ahead will be mostly uphill which was another reason he wasn't too sure of his pace. The trails have not been clear- broken branches everywhere. He saw a clean up crew out the one day and was told that they aren't allowed to go out and clean up the trail when there's a certain amount of snow due to insurance reasons. Justin told him that the conditions were pretty bad so he called in some more help. Hopefully now that the weather is better the conditions will also get better.He's heard, as well as I have read, some of the horror stories of the Smoky's. He isn't too worried and is actually excited about it. He has already dealt with some bad conditions and feels that he can take on anything that comes his way. This part also seems like it will be the most challenging, so once done in a week or so the rest of his time will be easier and he is looking forward to that. His first day out on the approach trail has still been the hardest! He is so far a fan of Georgia more than North Carolina. It is much more challeging instead of in Georgia where you walked up a mountain and then walked down the other side. So he is looking forward to moving on to the next state!He is still doing great. He has been complimented on his 'relaxed' attitude- not rushing to get to a shelter everyday but instead enjoying the vacation he is on. Some have told him they are also going to start doing that. He personally enjoys sleeping at camp grounds now, because he sleeps better on the dirt and likes sleeping in his tent- which is another reason to not rush to get a spot in a shelter. If you know Justin I am sure you can guess what he misses most- real food! He missses 'playing around' in the kitchen. Even though he stops at restaurants when going into town, that is more like diner food to him. I guess thats the chef in him though!