Date: 2007-04-05
From: Cable Gap Shelter, NC

To: Fontana Dam, NC
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Well, my nite was a little annoying. It dropped into the 20's. I had to get up(you'd think I would have learned by now LOL) and I staked the corners of mytarp directly to the ground and filled in any remaining gap with leaves again. My hangs are beautiful, but sometimes my tarp work is down right hideous, buthey, all I care about is staying warm! Here's a huge clue about heat loss thru convection. If your back is warm, butyour top is chilled, and you have several layers on, then you are not sealed upwell enough. I knew something was wrong when my thermometer read 49 degrees,and I was chilled.The nite followed suite of the previous screwed up day. Feet and legs werekilling me, and waking me up despite taking Vitamin I. I was pretty restless.I warmed up after redoing my tarp, but early in the a.m., I woke up chilledagain, but really didn't know why. I "dealt" with it, and finally 7:30 arrivedas did the bird chirping that I love to hear. It was then that I discoveredthat all of my tossing and turning had moved my ccf pad almost sideways, so mychills were caused by not being on it. First time that happened, so I'm notthinking it will be a continuous problem. I had ice built up on my tarp (moisture provided by my breath). Also, my waterdrinking tube was frozen as well. I forgot to blow the water back out of itwhen I got a drink in the middle of the nite.I remedied that by feeding the tube down my pant leg and thawing it while eatingbreakfast.My temp said 32 when I woke up, but Nicole reported 28 in her tent. It wasanother cold and windy day again...brrrrr. The goal was Fontana Dam, whereNicole's fiancee would meet her in the evening.The sun was out, so psychologically, it helped me believe it was warmer than itreally was. (Since they say 90% of this is mental, then I'm ok with believingthings that may not be true! LOL)Oh, I have decided what I am going to do when I complete this hike. I am goingto write a best-selling self-help book entitled, "How to Combat DemoralizationCaused By Bikini Line Chaffing" I just know there are thousands (if notmillions) of other sufferers out there! (I am dying laughing right now by theway).Seriously, it doesn't take much on some days to totally wreck your mood outhere. It's not much different than normal everyday life, but the things thatcan set you off are different. For instance, I don't worry about the copymachine breaking down...again. I don't worry about looking crisp andprofessional, because I pretty much know I am going to stink and wearing thesame outfit everyday actually reduces stress for me. However, in the "real world," I also never worried about accidentally copping asquat over poison ivy, or whether or not a bear could reach all of the food Ihad to my name either! So I guess you've gotta decide which set of worries you'd rather deal with. Today's hike, started @ 8:53 a.m. was interesting in that I was constantlytaking layers off and putting them back on. You really want to prevent sweatingwhen it is colder, due to hypothermia. I'd go uphill and be really hot, go downhill and cool off really fast. I could see Fontana Lake for much of the hike in. It was a fairly easy hike,and at one point, I sat down on a log and just couldn't believe the perfection of the moment. I was lower, so no wind was blowing. The sun was shining warming beams on me. Everywhere I looked, I saw a brilliant green, where all of the new leaves werebudding. The sound of birds all around me, and a feeling of being embraced bythe little valley I was in. It was like the experiential definition of absoluteserenity. I took a picture, which captured a sunbeam, and hope to reflect uponthis one moment in time in the upcoming days ahead of me, which will bechallenging.Hiking towards Fontana Dam is a bit confusing. You see your first sign statingTVA Fontana Dam, but no white blazes. We followed the arrow on a sign thatdirected us to the Fontana Hilton Shelter (so named because it is really nice). A picnic area, bathrooms up the hill, water fountain, and a view of the lake. The shelter is open on two sides, so the freezing cold wind whips right thru it. There are a few hanging options down a hill, but it isn't the best site forhanging. We didn't know where the AT actually was, so we hiked back up to the road (whichyou hike on for awhile before). Finally, in the distance we saw a road sign, so we just kept walking on asidewalk and saw the Fontana Dam Visitor's Center, which was closed. Wewandered around and by luck, a shuttle from the Fontana Village showed up and wehopped a ride for $2.00 each, to the lodge. It was all a bit confusing.So, Nicole (now named Persistent), checked into her room, which Eric hadreserved.I was in a place where I really needed to be alone in my own space, so I got aroom all by myself. It was exactly what I needed. Again, I am surprised at how exhausted my brain is at the end of everyday. Whenyou get into a space where you can just "be" and not have to work to be warm orprotected from the elements, it is sometimes surprising how emotions startsurfacing. You know Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs (it supposedly shows the order of thingshumans need, with basic things like food and water on the first layer and loveand job satisfaction towards the top tiers). I have found that even before foodand cleanliness, I require a place where I can just decompress and processeverything in my head.I got into my room, and just layed on the bed like a zombie. It was wonderful. Finally, Nicole and I went to the P.O., where my next set of maps and the food Imailed to myself was waiting. I stopped at the General Store and bought themost "white trash" dinner yet. Hotdog buns, a package of bologna, and someCombos pretzel snacks. To top off my gourmet meal, I got a small pakage ofOreos...mmmm. LOL Nicole was totally grossed out, but it sounded good to me.I spent my evening eating, showering, laying on the bed, and getting my gear inorder. I talked to Rachael, and she was (as always) so supportive. I told herI had a few rough days and she could have told me to come home, but sheunselfishly offered words of encouragement.I recommend to future hikers that you have someone you can call for support likethis. If you don't have anyone in your normal life reach out to someone in thehiking community who can be that person. Our culture doesn't teach us that itis ok to "need" other people, that individualism is what is normal. You'll findout here, that doesn't work. ~Certain