Date: 2006-05-05
To: Newfound Gap 
Miles today: 40.0
Weather: light rain

A Walk In the Park ¢ by RightyAfter reading that title are you thinking that this hiking thing has gotten easier for me? NO, It¢s still a hard days work! I was just being facecious in the title because we are getting ready to walk through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park (GSMNP). The photo insert shows Lefty and I ready to leave Fontana Dam. If we¢re not looking too enthusiastic, it¢s because of the 40+ pounds strapped to our backs. We are hopeful and determined, however. Just as we were to leave, it started to rain so we had to pull out rain covers for our packs and ourselves. Day 1 - It¢s a 9.9 mile hike from Fontana Dam to Mollies Shelter, our destination for the night. Almost all of it was uphill. Before I had gone even a mile, I had to stop and take off my rain gear and my poly-pro. I was sweating so profusely, they were wet from the inside out as well as outside in. I made about 1 mile an hour for the first 3 miles. I had to stop frequently to catch my breath and let my leg muscles relax. There were two good reasons not to tarry long though. The first was you needed to stay uphill (upwind) from your own body odor. The second was, once you stopped, the knants, no see ums (and no, they are not the same thing), and biting flys attacked you. The uphill stretch seemed endless (about 7 miles). You would get to a point where you could see the tops of trees and blue skies and think you were almost there. But, when you got there, there would be a switchback and MORE mountain to climb. The last couple of miles was easier; however it had started raining again. It was wonderful when we finally got to the shelter. It was already quite full, but those there made room for us. There¢s a saying on the AT that no shelter is full till the last hiker is in. Shelter journal notes mentioned that two bears had been roaming around from 12:00am-3am; so it was safer in the shelter than in a tent. This was the first time Lefty and I had stayed in a shelter. Best way to describe it is ¢cozy¢. The shelter had two levels. The top level was about 2 feet from the slanted roofline ¢¦ a bit too tight for me. The bottom level had about 3 foot clearance. There was room for 8 bodies lined up shoulder to shoulder on each level. As far as shelters go, we were told it was ¢fancy¢ because it had a fireplace built into the stone wall and had a carport type eating/cooking area outside. About 11pm we were all awakened with an unbelievable thunder and lightening show; then rain and hail for about an hour. We were really thankful to be inside that shelter and not in our tents.Day 2 - We had an 11.3 mile hike from Mollies Shelter to Derreks Knob shelter. Everyone got a late start because of the rain storm. It was still overcast and drizzly. We were definitely in the ¢smokies¢. We were told that this would be an easier day because now we were already ¢UP¢ and we would just be hiking from peak to peak. There were a lot of ups and downs; but really not too bad. After about 4 miles I spotted some bear droppings on the trail. I wasn¢t too concerned because I had on Jillie¢s bear bells but I did stop and pull out my whistle and pepper spray. A few minutes later I heard a loud noise in the forest (like a bulldozer going through brush). I stopped and looked around but saw nothing. I cautiously moved forward (there¢s no such thing as back tracking) and soon came to a switchback and then found more bear skat, this time fresh, I then knew that I had startled a bear and it had taken off through the brush. I scanned the woods again and looked up into the trees and saw nothing¢¦ which suited me fine. Not seeing a bear was close enough for me. Now, Lefty, on the other hand, would have been disappointed. She wants to have a face to face encounter. The next part of the hike was beautiful. The fog cleared and it turned into a beautiful day. We crossed alpine meadows where the grass was verdant, wild flowers were profuse, and crab apple trees were just beginning to flower. You could look in any direction and see multi-tears of mountains. After a fairly arduous climb uphill through lots of rocks, I heard music in the distance. Once I reached the crest of ¢Rocky Mountain¢ I found a lady (Ann) sitting on the rocks playing Rocky Top, on her banjo. She and her husband, Gary, were day hiking and had brought brownies for the thru hikers. I sat there and had my lunch and visited with them until other hikers arrived and Ann played more tunes. Trail angels just make your day! Thanks Ann and Gary. Leaving there was down hill again and after about a mile I slipped and fell. I landed with my bad knee bent under me. After a quick, excruciating pain and a few choice expletives, I did have the good sense to lean back on my pack (I looked like a turtle on its back) and get my leg straightened out; I was actually relieved to see that I could straighten it. I thought I had done some serious damage it hurt so much. Next, I unharnessed myself from my pack and scooted to the side of the trail where I immediately started to cry. The pain was over; so I must have cried out of relief and frustration. Shortly, feelling a little foolish, I stood up, tested my leg, took 6 Ibuprofin (aka Vitamin I to hikers) and continued on. I MUSTBE GETTING TOUGHER. It was a long 4 miles to the next shelter but I made it. Lefty was already there and Buoy who had hiked in from the North arrived soon after.Day 3 - Today everyone in the shelter got up early because we had a 15 mile trek which included going up and over Clingman¢s Dome and into Mount Collins shelter. Lefty. Buoy and I were the last to leave the shelter and we had the good fortune to watch 3 deer come into the clearing and check us out. They were hesitant but not afraid. The hike today was uneventful but LONG. I was way past tired when I arrived after 5pm. It was a quick dinner and early to bed for me.Day 4 - YEAH, only a 5 mile hike out to New Found Gap where Andre had left the van 4 days ago. We had to drive to Fontana Dam to pick him up at the southern end of the Smokies. This afternoon we¢ll do laundry and get caught up on the computer and then back in to the woods tomorrow to continue our walk through the top half of the GSMNP.