Date: 2009-04-10
From: Fontana Dam, NC

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter, GSMNP, NC
Miles today: 12.4
Weather: light rain

April 10 Good Friday --It was a slow start giving up the room, Hobbit had to board her dog, Jumar, since they are not allowed to hike in the Great Smokey Mountains Nat'l Park, it was thunderstorming by 8:00, check out was 11:00 which we took. The $3 each shuttle ride for Sally, Coli and me, Hobbit & Knickers hitched to the marina to do the 1.1m they missed on Thursday, that we had done to the Fontana Dam Shelter. When our shuttle van arrived, there were more Trail Angels, school kids, supervised, that had a spread of coldcuts for sandwiches with all the fixin's. And cupcakes, cookies, candy bars, lots of stuff. I ran into Cruiser Don, he'd just walked up and would stay at the shelter, but had a PO pickup. I couldn't eat anything, well, 2 cookies and a mini-Butterfingers, I woke up stuffed from the $27 steak dinner last night, and that was after eating free lunch from Spoonman's friend, who was there topick up his dog, beer, chips and sardines all afternoon, so I went to breakfast anyway with Coli and Knickers to get coffee andtoast and ordered the Sunshie Special, 2 eggs, sausage, toast and really felt stuffed. Well, it seems like a long journey since Fontana Dam through the Great Smokey Mtns Nat'l Park that began with a long road walk past the visitor center, where we stopped briefly to file for our park permits to hike(free), a somewhat rediculous requirement that, according to the Thru Hiker's Companion, 2008 edition, could result in a $125 fine "if caught" without it, followed by a road walk across the dam and a uphill road walk past the entrance sign to the park, and finally the woods trail. Hauling the pack on the road, level or not, somehow feels like extra work, like having to carry laundry 3 blocks from your house, or lugging your stuff to a safer place when your car breaks down, it quickly removes the appeal from hiking. The day had started with thunderstorms, stopped about 10am, but now at midafternoon was threatening return after climbing the old fire tower. The wind up there made me recall the Weather Channel forecast that morning had been thunderstorms, tornadoes, and apple, yes, he said apple sized hail, and about 45 minutes later I donned my rain jacket as the thunder/lightning started. I was split up from everyone, last, and we all agreed to stay at the Mollie Ridge Shelter. The rain lasted for more than an hour and the downhill trail was now a muddy stream with thunder and lightning regular. The storm passed right over me, and counting the time between flash and sound became uncomfortably short. I finally made it to the shelter about 7pm. Slow going with mud holding the poles with each step, and each step a slide of some length. The rain stopped gradually and now the wind blew hard(again!) under a starry night. the shelter was packed and we all five tented along with 4-5 others. I realised then it'll be a crowded walk through the GSMNP since no camping, tenting, is allowed other than at shelter areas. I am very exhausted today, left ankle is now the complaint, I had to take afternoon advil, 2 more tabs. The shocking news of the day was that Coli took a partial lightning hit, feeling it leave his left hand(we hike with aluminum trekking poles!) while knocking him to the ground. There were no apparent after effects, ear-ringing, dizziness, etc, so he won the lucky-man-of-the-day award, hands down.