Date: 2014-03-25
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Visitor Center
Miles today: 6.9
Weather: snow

In which I am met at Fontana Dam by my parents who pick me up for the weekend and provide trail magic of cookies to several hikers.Today is bitter sweet. On one hand I am super excited to get off the trail for a few days to visit with my kids, parents and friends (and eat a lot of food). On the other hand I am temporarily parting ways with my trail family and sad about that. Regardless, I am simply grateful that I get to experience any and all of this.I awoke to a gentle pinging on my tent at some point during the night or early morning. I didn't pay too much attention to it since it has been raining so much lately. Just some more rain coming through. Well, not so last night. Cold and blustery weather was predicted and sure enough I found snow on my tent and on the ground around me this morning. I love snow so I thought it was wonderful. I felt like a kid at Christmas and bolted out of my tent to get some pictures. Well, note to self. Don't wear crocs on the snow covered ground and expect to stay upright. Yup. I fell. Not just once but twice. The second time all I did was stand there, in one place on the ground and I went down. It was like someone pulled a sheet out from underneath me. Got a few good laughs out of all of that especially since I was taking a video during the first fall and sent my phone flying in the air when my feet went out from under me. And yes, these falls were very much witnessed by Thin Mint standing right next to me.I had one Starbuck's VIA Italian Roast coffee left so naturally I had to drink that for breakfast with my Pro Bar Meal, peanut butter chocolate chip. Those bars are so good, my new favorite. We hiked up a little bit from the shelter then it was a downhill walk in to Fontana Dam. As we approached the Marina the snow started to come down and the wind was a bit chilly. We took advantage of a heated bathroom to take care of business. DaVinci and OwlBear got a shuttle into Fontana Village. Thin Mint and I hiked on to the Fontana Hilton where we met Moxie and walked on down to the Visitor Center just to discover it was not open for the season yet.My parents were to meet me at 1400. It now was 1230ish. No van of theirs was in the parking area however, there was a van at the very far edge of the Dam towards the entrance to the Smokies, but that couldn't be them. So Moxie and Thin Mint got a ride into the village from man at the Visitor Center. I walked back up the road to the shelter lingering by the road anticipating that my parents would need to drive by here in order to get to the Visitor Center. No van or cars traveling by for that matter.Then the gentleman who shuttled Moxie and Thin Mint in to the village pulled up in the parking area. He asked if I was waiting for someone in a maroon van. I said "yes" and he drove me back down to the Visitor Center. There they were. My parents were that speck of a van on the far side of the dam. So glad we finally met up! Next we hunted down hikers and distributed cookies. We found Seminole, Eastwood and Growler. Then in to the village we found Thin Mint and Moxie and gave then a ride to the gas station. Also saw Simba and gave him some cookies.The snow was really coming down over the Smokies. Shuckstack tower was no longer visable due to the snow. Most of the Smokies were whited out and it was once again blustery and cold.Don't really know how long it took to get back to Asheville. I just know it took about 2 hours to drive what I just walked in two weeks. Very weird. Glad I didn't drive because I might have been poking along at 10 mph. So tonight I get to sleep in my bed, see my friend, have dinner with my parents, talk to !my kids and stay up journaling until 0300. I really need to figure this phone thing out! Next entry from my phone and the trail. Time will tell. Happy Trails!