Date: 2010-03-02
From: Fontana Dam Visitor Center

To: Fontana Dam Visitor Center
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

¢Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.¢ Quote from Maria RobinsonDon't let the daily mileage fool you. Fahmah got up, shuttled to Fontana Dam Shelter and met up with Knee-Deep & Toe Man. They all started off on their hike of the GSMNP. They got over the dam and on to the AT and started up Shuckstack, a climb from 1700 ft elev to 3800 ft elev. It was snowing when they left but the ground was just white, not too much snow. The higher they climbed, the heavier the snow falling became and the wetter. The temperatures dropped. With each major change in elevation, Fahmah realized he was getting colder and wetter. Knee-Deep kept waiting up for him, but he realized he was holding him back. Finally after about 2 1/2 miles he told Knee-Deep the problem with the wetness. He was either sweating or his rain jacket was doing some major leaking. Knee-Deep took a look and sure enough it was leaking. It was another 7 or more miles to the shelter and would he be able to dry his clothes out and get warm once he was there? He made the decision then that it would be better for him to turn around. He could not go in to the Park without the proper rain gear to stay dry. Fahmah turned around and headed back to the Fontana Dam Shelter and the phone to the Hike Inn. Knee-Deep & Toe Man continued on. It took about an hour & a half to get back down and he called the Hike Inn to come and pick him up. By that time the snow had accumulated to a heavy, wet 4 to 5 inches. Nancy at the Hike Inn said they could not drive on the roads to go get Fahmah, but she would call the Fontana Lodge and arrange for them to pick him up and have him stay there for the night. She even took my home number and called me to give me the news of his return and the phone & room number. We were both so thankful for their generous help. That was wonderful of them. Now, while all this was happening with Fahmah, I was in contact with Takethisbread, another thru hiker who was driving up to Fontana to walk the Smokies with another hiker. He had called the Hike Inn shortly after Fahmah had called them, and Nancy told him that Fahmah had turned around. He sent me a message and told me about Fahmah, but I hadn't heard anything yet. Could that be true?? Fahmah would have called me! Of course there is no phone service there, how did they know? All those questions, I was in a panic. Then I got the call from Nancy and the questions answered. I called Fahmah as soon as he got settled in his room and he told me the whole scoop. He would meet Takethisbread at the Lodge around 4 p.m. and they would discuss what they would do. Takethisbread was debating whether to head in to the Smokies or jump forward to Hot Springs and take Fahmah with him. I believe he and River decided to go in to the Smokies tomorrow morning. That was the last news I had from Fahmah, but as you know, all things change, some faster than the others. After we talked about it, Fahmah has decided to get a shuttle ride from Jeff at the Hike Inn to jump forward to Hot Springs. There is an outfitter there where he can get new rain gear. (This was a brand new one he had purchased at Neels Gap a couple weeks ago, don't know the problem with it.) He doesn't expect to find all that much better weather in Hot Springs, but at least he has a way off the trail if the going gets too much. In the Park he didn't have that option. Spring is coming.......when???? Fahmah believes that seeing an eagle is often an omen. This morning as they were walking over the dam, an eagle swooped over and glided over and above them, back and forth then slowly turned back down toward the river and glided away. Hmmmmmm"FOR YOU JIM"