Date: 2005-03-29
From: Fontana Dam Village

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 16.6
Weather: clear sky

Miles hiked today : 16.616.4 AT miles + 0.2 miles of side trailI didn't get to bed until 11:00 p.m. last night because I stayed up to pack my foodbag and clean my water filter, which works much, much better now.I set an alarm for the first time on this trip and woke up this morning at 6:30 a.m. I had the intention of packing up and using the internet kiosk at the Fontana Dam Village registration office. After checking out, I discovered that there was a $0.20 per minute charge to use the internet. I decided that I could wait until I reached a public library.Joe and I caught the 9:00 a.m. shuttle back to Fontana Dam and hit the trail at 9:20 a.m. My pack was so heavy due to the maildrop I picked up, the 3.4 liters of water I was carrying, and the goodies from Hepzibah. We stopped for pictures at the sign to the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which seems to be a picture I've seen many times, only with different people. After a short roadwalk, we were back on actual trail and Joe was gone for the rest of the day, as my pack was way too heavy for me to race up the hill.Seriously, I was not having fun, mostly due to the pack weight, but also due to the sun. I could definitely feel the extra weight in my knees and was stepping carefully to avoid injury.The initial climb was 2,305 feet to Shuckstack Mountain. I hiked for 2 hours, 45 minutes before I finally had to take a break. I could see the next hill was very steep and rested for 15 minutes before continuing on. What happened next seems to be a reoccuring theme as of late. I'd walked no more than 100 feet when I noticed that the AT veered off sharply to the right. The steep trail was actually a side trail to a firetower, which meant that I was already at Shuckstack Mountain and hadn't even known it. The largest climb of the day was already done with.I trudged along and stopped for a lunch break right before the climb to Doe Knob. I figured that eating some of my food would be one way to lighten my pack. After lunch, I continued on at the same pace as before, though maybe 0.5 mile later, the bottom strap of my shoulder harness came loose and I nearly dropped my entire pack. I re-threaded the strap and pulled both of the bottom straps a little tighter. This had a very profound effect on how my load felt and I continued on much more comfortable than before.I reached Mollies Ridge Shelter at 4:20 p.m. and stopped only long enough to massage my feet. Incuding rest breaks and lunch, it had taken me 7 hours to hike 11 miles. My pack was definitely slowing me down. I continued 2.5 miles to Russell Field Shelter, arriving at 5:45 p.m. During that 2.5 miles, I'd passed through the Devils Tater Patch, possibly named because of the muddy descent liberally strewn with rocks.I had thought that Joe and I were stopping at Russell Field Shelter for the evening, though another hiker said that Joe had continued on. Sigh...I was out of water and figured that I had a little less than two hours of daylight left to cover 3.1 miles to the next shelter.I surprised myself this afternoon.   I reached down and grabbed my last energy reserve to climb nearly 800 feet to reach the summit of Little Bald. Between the excellent grading and my desire for dinner and water, I made short work of that hill.Despite the fact that I was hiking at a fast pace, I had thought that I still had a mile left to hike when I reached a clearing and was greeted by Joe and Bones. I asked them if they'd decided to stop short and they told me the shelter was just ahead. I was floored, as this meant that I had hiked 3.1 miles in 1 hour, 15 minutes.Upon my 7:00 p.m. arrival, I filtered water and drank heartily before making dinner with s'mores for dessert. The shelters in the Smokiesre different than what I've previously encountered. The shelters themselves are made of stone, have fireplaces, and the front of the shelter is a chain link fence with a latching gate style door. I find it amusing to ponder whether the fence is to keep bears out or hikers in.Tomorrow, I'm planning a 13.5 mile day, which will put me just before Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the AT. As the joke goes, it's all downhill from there.Bedtime at 9:45 p.m.