Date: 2005-04-05
From: Fontana Dam Shelter, NC

To: Mollie's Ridge Shelter, Great Smoky Mountains Park
Miles today: 11.3
Weather: broken clouds

The strangest thing happened: sometime between when I posted the last entry and right now, the ugly non-functional link I posted went away and someone changed it to a super-effective hyperlink from the text. Tammy, if that was you, good job. [I confess it was me. I could not resist what will undoubtedly be my once chance in life to be your ghostwriter. Also, this now reads too much like a TWoP review. ¢Tammy] Jess, if that was you, dude, stop fixing hyperlinks and walk somewhere. You have 2001 miles to go! Also, call me!Day 23, in which Jess climbs ev'ry mountain, makes me incredibly nostalgic for high school English class, hangs with people who contemplate eating fossils, realizes that she should not quit her day job (walking) to be a fireman, and enjoys the view: Up and up and up today! Hello Smokies! Another major milestone reached. There was a beautiful sunrise this morning, which gave way to nothing but sun. The snow is almost entirely gone now, and the memory of it too, except for a few small white patches and mud slicks at the higher elevations. Can the storm really have been so recent?CJ, WM, August, Linux and I set out from the shelter together. August quickly pulled ahead, and the other four of us stopped to take some pictures at the dam and the park entrance. We also met TABA on our way in-- a thru hiker from last year who now drives around in a converted Air France van offering trail magic to those in need.Climbing up into the Smokies, spring was imminent-- mists of vine turning green out of the corner of my eye. My knees felt good but my legs were a bit tired-- despite the melting snow, my calves and quads at least have retained some memory of trudging through it. So I went more slowly than usual, but it was a beautiful day for ambling.A few miles later I stopped at an overlook, and found Linux there with his copy of Leaves of Grass, affectionally referred to as the Good Book-- and all those lines they made us learn in high school come flooding back into my head: "I celebrate myself/I sing myself"... (here punctuated by a clear vision of Jeanie Goddard at her blackboard) "I sound my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world." ... "I stop somewhere waiting for you." The lines were always beautiful, but out here they echo, and resound. A hawk is circling and I think if I yelled it would echo back "in the deep heart's core." "I never got Whitman before," said Linux. "I thought out here I might get him. And I do."Shortly thereafter, a whole horde of hikers passes us-- Socks, KT, Tater, Feelin' Free, Andy, and Pacman-- and CJ, Linux, Feelin' Free and I end up eating lunch up by the old firetower on Shuckstack. I coaxed FF into climbing the tower-- admittedly a little rickety, and she's not too fond of heights-- but the climb was worth it, for the panoramic view. Fontana Lake was visible again, this time from the other side.FF found half a dessicated orange up in the observation booth, tucked behind the control box. "In a month," she said, "I bet I'd eat this." She squeezed the rotten old thing. "Look-- there's still a little juice left."Looking out from the tower, it's impossible to imagine the daily lives of the old fire-watchers. Can I imagine if this were my job? Just to sit up here all day and watch for smoke? My attention would wander after five minutes. The whole place would be charcoal by now. Below, we can see CJ and Linux, sprawled on the ground.The other hikers pushed pack Shuckstack without coming up to the viewpoint-- a bit difficult for me to understand. Why spend the better part of a morning climbing a beast like Shuckstack, and not spend ten minutes heading up the side trail that will take you to a place you can see out? There's no rainbow gold on the top of Katahdin-- this is it, right here. But to each her own.A big crowd at the shelter. Linux played an orange pennywhistle, Feelin' Free wore a hat with panda ears, and August made a fire and then played chess with Cuppa Joe, who looked remarkably like a Jedi knight, hunched over the chessboard with his frogtogs on and a hood over his eyes. We threatened to call him Cuppa Jedi.Mollie's Ridge is exactly 2001.0 miles from Katahdin. On my way.