Date: 2004-04-08
From: Stecoah Gap

To: Fontana Dam Shelter 
Miles today: 15.1
Weather: overcast clouds

"I am omni-potent." says Saltlick. "Wanna smell my pits?" he would offer to anyone and everyone. This is after not taking a shower or doing his laundry since Franklin a week ago. Why do I travel with this guy?But we insisted he try the free showers at the Fontana Dam about 3/4 of a mile from the shelter which has been titled The Hilton. It offers a cement picnic table, a night overhead lamp, a huge fire pit with an iron ring surrounding it, electricity, varnished wood floors, and a view of the lake. All this on impeccably kept grounds. The privy is heated and furbished with flush toilets. Oh yes, and a spicket for getting water sits outside the shelter.Everyone is hanging out and we managed to dub two thru-hikers with trailnames. Dave, now Zipcode, had been waiting for a maildrop that inadvertantly gone to NJ because of a bad zipcode. Andy from Texas, now Coccoon, because he hides all zipped up in his mummy bag in the mornings.It was a peaceful end after a hard day of hiking with a very unsettling start.We woke up at Stecoah Gap after a night of rain. I have decided that my tent is excellent since I didn't suffer any drenchings during the storm.Unfortunately I was slow packing and was left at the site with a very odd thru-hiker who gave me very unsettling vibes. He gave Cat unsettling vibes as well but I did not learn this until later. She also felt bad leaving me alone with him.After making it clear to him that I would prefer to hike alone, I started up the hill at a very fast pace to get away from him. I arrived at Brown Fork Shelter incensed by how the incident had affected me (or more likely shaken). Hightrailer and Saltlick listened patiently as I ranted. I thought for sure they would think I was hysterical, but they both encouraged me to go with my instincts and err towards the more cautious path-especially since I was a solo female hiker.Despite the whole ordeal, I forged ahead on the trail mostly alone because all our paces are different and I knew the "old-wing" guy was ahead. I bumped into Digit near a water source. He was using his cell phone to call family about maildrops. Digit is constantly pulling out notebooks and checking GPS devices.We hiked pretty close to each other until Yellow Creek Gap where he said he had to get off trail to satisfy his cigerette craving. I then decided to head for Cable Fork Shelter without him.Unfortunately, I realized that Saltlick was waiting for Digit at the agreed destination in Fontana Village to share a room at the hotel and did not think to ask Digit what I should tell Saltlick when I saw him.Hightrailer (www.trailjournals.com/hightrailer) stopped at Cable Gap Shelter for a few minutes, pointed out that we had over six miles to go and booked it up the mountain, which, by the way, was ill represented in the maps. I followed more slowly.I reached Walker Gap and knew the Trail would decend slowly into Fontana. Along the way, the woods burst with the color of a rich green and the air filled with the fragrance of early flowers. It was the first sign of spring I had seen since starting.I reached Fontana Village where Saltlick was hanging, drinking a coke. He had been waiting over an hour. I told him that Digit got off to get cigerettes. I was beat and not very happy. I wanted to relax before walking the last mile to the Hilton. Then Nancy from the Hike Inn showed up with Archaeopterix in the passanger seat of her truck. She told Saltlick that Digit took a room at the hotel and he is welcome to join him. But Saltlick balked at the invitation and thanked her for driving out to pick him up. Like me, Saltlick wanted to be with the other thru-hikers at the Hilton. Nancy also offered me a room because she had some cancelations, but I declined. I had a reservation at the Hike Inn for the next night with Catdog anyway.A friendly crowd greeted us at the Hilton. I related my disturbing morning to Palmtree, Hawk, and others. They all agreed that I should always go with my instincts and to ask someone to stay if I ever feel bothered again.On a lighter note, I lost my mitten early into my hike the day before. So I wrote in the registry at Sassafras Shelter requesting that if anyone found it, please bring to Fontana. Sure enough, I heard from a fellow hiker that Keith found it and is on his way.As for the free showers, I have to say that they were luxuriously refreshing with high pressure and ample heat to massage the aches and pains of the day out of any thru-hiker--compliments of the Tennessee Valley Authority.