Date: 2020-03-19
From: Winding Stair Gap

To: Fontana Dam Visitor's Center
Miles today: 56.4

This was an interesting week that began with us eating a pancake breakfast in the basement of a Baptist Church in Franklin, NC - and ended in a way we never expected.FoxGirl (FG) and Lola dropped me off at Winding Stair Gap in steady rain about 1100 last Sunday, March 15th. I followed Skirt up the hill to Siler Bald Shelter (see initial photo for March 15) and joined him and Shady there for lunch. The shelter is on a long, loopy, STEEP, blue-blaze trail that circumvents and doubles the distance over the more gentle AT white-blazed bald...not my smartest move.I found myself pressing down hill behind a bearded fellow who turned out to be an incredibly fit 40-yr old Brit called Insomnia. He started almost a week behind me and has been doing 20 mile-days since day 1; most impressive. Insomnia and I exchanged stories as we stopped for Trail Magic Cocoa provided by Lucky Moon (see pics #2 and 3 for 15 March) before climbing up, up, up to the tower atop Wayah Bald. We reached there about 5 PM on a gorgeous evening (see pic #4 for 15 March). After a pause for water and a snack, Insomnia shouldered his pack and headed off for 8 more miles; I never saw him again.I descended the mile or so to the Wayah Bald Shelter where I set up my tarp and hammock and joined fellow hikers for dinner-time chat at the shelter. Here I linked up with the crew I would be hiking with for much of the week: 3 fellow hammockers, Owl Cat and her pup PR, Pipes (whom FG had named as she heard his golden tones floating above Winding Stairs), and Griz. Tenters Northstar and newly-named Hummingbird. And shelter-dwellers, Ms AT and her pal, Puddles, who hiked barefoot in sandals. Great folks. We agreed on a 12 mile day the next day into Wesser Bald Shelter.I rolled out with my alarm the next morning at about 6:30 to thick fog. Could see about 10 feet. By this time, my morning routine was fairly refined. I was able to dress, stuff and compress my sleeping bag and underquilt, cook and eat breakfast, pack hammock and tarp, and get ready to hike in about an hour and a half.  So, about 8 AM I headed down the trail to Tellico Gap enroute Wesser Bald. The thick fog blanketed all of the vistas but at the micro-level offered beautiful mist-covered plants and spider webs (see photos #1 and 2 for 16 March). As I descended I ran into a group of fellows from University of Texas slogging up the hill towards me. They were not finding the damp, dreary, muddy AT to be the trail they had come East for. We would see them again.As I approached the Gap, I noticed a sign for Trail Magic beside the trail. Sure enough, as I stepped from the woods I met Vietnam Veteran River Squid and his wife with comfy chairs, sodas, cookies, candy, and snacks. I dropped my pack and exchanged stories with them. Turns out they regularly provide support to hikers, especially on weekdays. These wonderful folks are true Angels (see photo #3 for 16 March).From there it was up and over Wesser Bald - still enshrouded in fog - and down to the shelter. I was first to arrive at about 2 PM; others rolled in as I set up my tarp and hammock. By dinner time we had a good 25 folks in and around the shelter...including those folks from UT who had turned around. We learned that the President had just ordered no gatherings of more than 10 people due to Corona Virus - but we chuckled that we were probably safe from prosecution in our remote hideaway.That night it rained and rained and rained - through dawn and into the next morning without letting up.Few things are less enjoyable while on the trail than packing up wet gear - but it can't be avoided. So in a drenching downpour, we shouldered packs and headed down the steep, rocky, 5 mile trail to the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) fighting slippery roots and mud all the way. By the time we reached NOC I had fallen at least 5 times and was covered in mud. So I headed to the lovely warm laundry room, donned my less-grungy sleeping clothes, and exploded my pack to dry things out as my clothes washed and dried. FG and Lola, who were camped @ the NOC, found me there and soon we were caught up, clean, dry, and happy.It was @ NOC that we first began to understand the impact of the virus on the trail. Realizing that it was St Patty's Day, we had beer with lunch @ the NOC restaurant and were then told that this was the final meal they would serve as they were closing due to the virus. Almost all the facilities @ NOC were closing down. Our sad waitress told us she would remain in employee accommodations and hope to get some food from the kitchen but the closure was of indefinite duration.FG and I briefly stopped by the soon-to-be-closed outfitter, picked up my resupply meals, and began the 7 mile climb to Sassafras Shelter - one of the tougher sections on the AT. FG and Lola hiked with me for several hours before returning to our base camp @ NOC. I pushed on finally reaching the area around Sassafras Shelter @ dusk. I was exhausted. By the time I arrived there were no camping sites left. Fortunately, hammocks offer great flexibility in choosing "hang" sites and while the slope I ended up on was quite steep, I had my best night's sleep on the trail.We decided on another 12 mile day for the 18th to set the stage for our push into Fontana Dam. That morning we learned that due to the virus the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) had forbidden hikers who had not started the trail from beginning and counseled those of us on the trail to get off and spend at least a couple of weeks in isolation to ensure we were not carrying. We also learned that traditional "Trail Towns" like Hot Springs, NC were not allowing hikers in as then may be carrying the virus (This was not illogical as we had dined with many folks @ Lazy Hiker Brewery and 76 Outfitter in Franklin, NC and could have contacted the virus there. Rumor was that at least one fellow hiker behind us was showing symptoms of the virus.) But as there was nothing we could do, we set out for our morning objective, Stecoah Gap.Finally, we had a cool, clear gorgeous day and we swung along happily hiking above the clouds (see the 2 pics for 18 March). As we descended into the wayside picnic area at the Gap, we found that a thoughtful day hiker had left us a big box of luscious (and washed!) strawberries and a mound of candy bars - heaven! From there it seemed like a very long stretch into the campsite @ Cody Gap but were were in by 4 PM. We rushed to set up as a drizzle began but it didn't amount to much and we ate dinner looking forward to taking some time off when we reached the Fontana Lake/Dam complex.  A spirited young Boy Scout took the pic that accompanies this post as we ate breakfast on 19 March. This would be a 9 mile day into Fontana Village and the exquisite "Fontana Hilton" shelter with running water, showers, solar powered electricity and other amenities. FG and I would be staying @ a B&B and one of the proprietors offered to meet me where the AT crosses a road near his home and take some of my pack items there for me. I welcomed this opportunity to "slack pack" and cut the weight of my burden in half. Very nice. We hiked up and over our final hill and down a long reach into the Fontana Dam area. Our lunch stop was @ a trail crossing near a Marina. By now it was sunny and well into the 70s so as we waited for a shuttle into Fontana Village, we refreshed with ice-cold beer from the Marina store. When the shuttle arrived, I said good-bye to my hiking partners and headed to the Fontana Hilton to link up with FG and Lola. We linked up and enjoyed hiking together the mile + past the shelter to the Visitor Center @ the Dam where FG had parked.We swung by Fontana Village enroute our B&B and found that the majority of its stores and restaurants were closed. The only available resupply came from whatever boxes folks had sent to the Fontana Post Office. And next leg is the Smokies with no resupply available for 70-odd miles.By this time, I had heard from my Sister - a Doc - and from both my daughters. Each counseled that the virus was a serious deal and that we should get off trail. FG agreed.When we arrived @ the B&B I looked in a mirror for the first time in a week or so. I found that the white portion of my left eye was pretty well covered in blood. I assume this was a result of hitting my head when I fell in that shelter back on 13 March or so. That did it - I agreed to temporarily suspend our hike and head home to NoVA to get checked out.....I am convinced this is the right thing to do....but it is certainly not the way I had hoped the week would end.