Date: 2012-04-06
From: GSNP Southern Terminus Fontana Dam Resort

To: GSNP Southern Terminus - The Hike Inn
Miles today: 0.0

Day 12 - Friday, April 6th Hiking Days 9 / Nero Days 2 / Zero Days 1Start Location: Great Smoky Mountain National Park Southern Terminus - Fontana Dam Resort - Mile Marker 167.1Ending Location: Great Smoky Mountain National Park Southern Terminus - Hike Inn - Mile Marker 167.1Time: 0h 00min - Zero Day #1Miles: 0.00Weather: rain at night - Morning cool but pleasant Day 65 Night 42 - mostly sunny all day.  Cool front starting to move in.  Scheduled to be 50-55 days and 32-37 nights for the next four to five days in the smokies.  Up at 6:10.  Even though i went to sleep late, 10:30, i was wide awake so I thought I may as well get up and start updating my long list of journals entries that I need to catch up on.  It took me 45 minutes just to get the headers complete.  Alarm went off at 6:45 none-the-less.  Continued my seam sealing project I started yesterday to my tarp-tent.  I need to gain much more confidence that it will perform as needed on those rainy nights.  Bugs are out early so I will be tenting much more then sheltering.  I am also hitting the major seams on my pack again.  It appears as if a larger needle is used to sew the gear made of cuben fiber.  At least  hoping the leaking was a cause of the seams and not the material itself.  This way I will at least know for sure.  Took another shower.  Not because I really needed one but since the opportunity is here, I took it.  Just because I guess.  Mixed up some protein mix.  Drank it.  Want to use it up so I could be done with it by New Found Gap and won't have to carry it anymore.  Fussed around a bit more and packed up.  Now 9:30 and I remembered there was coffee in the lodge lobby.  So up I went.  Grabbed a cup of joe, and started to update my trail journals since the lobby had good wi-fi reception.  Once on I noticed my total miles are off by one mile.  No time now but I will need to correct this next time I have good reception, whenever that may be.  Called over to the Hike Inn to see where they want to meet me.  I was told yesterday they would do a pick up around 10:30-11:00 but as it turned out they already did an early pick up at the shelter.  Jeff indicated that he would pick me up at 10:30 at the lodge entrance.  Sweeeet.  Right at 10 he wad there and I was on my way to enjoy me zero day #1.  Once here, I continued my seam sealing process. Will take a few more sessions but I should be able to complete what needs to be done.  At 12:15 Nancy came out with a lunch menu from a local restaurant.  Ordered a Reuben sandwich, fries and a hot dog. Going into Robinsville at 5:00 so this will do great for now.  Laundry now in process.  Even though a have them a wash yesterday, I did not use soap do although not dirty, they still ate not really all that clean either.  The weather channel is on on the background.  Colder weather is definitely on its way. Food arrived... Yum.  Reuben was good, hot dog ended up to be a chilly-dog but still yum.  Forgot to order a drink but I should be rehydrating with water.  And it is weird, maybe even a bit gay, but of 200 plus channels of dish tv to watch what do I choose ... "what not to wear".  Go figure.  I have finished my seam seal project, went to town, ate, got groceries, took an Epsom salt bath, rebandaged my foot, reapplied my Neo Sporin to my burns, ate my final burger I brought back, shaved, packed, and now relaxing.  All I need to do is to get my ham and cheese sub from the fridge in the morning.  That is my meal for tomorrow.  Ready for bed.  A big day tomorrow.