Date: 2021-05-09
From: Yellow Creek Gap Road

To: Birch Springs Campsite 
Miles today: 14.0
Weather: broken clouds

May 9 - Yellow Creek Gap Road to Birch Springs Tent-site - 14.0 miles (63.0 trip miles) - 34575 stepsI¢m back. Not much cell coverage in the Smokies and when I did it was cold and rainy. Last nights stay At Creekside Paradise worked out very well. Their house was very nice, set out in the woods with plenty of space for me to tent. There was another couple there who sat out by the fire pit but I had no problem falling asleep with the sound of the creek rushing by. Cynthia and Jeff were excellent hosts and I would recommend this establishment to future hikers. Additionally, I was able to get a good nights sleep which hasn¢t happened yet on this trip. That extra sleep paid off greatly today. They had me back to yellow Creek gap Road by 7:45 and I was on the trail shortly after.Today¢s hike was really two separate hikes. It was the park before Fontana Dam and the part after the dam in the Smokey Mountains. There was a long climb right to start but it wasn¢t that difficult. The trail was clear of rocks and roots which made the going much easier. Once I made the crest it was downhill for a few miles to the famous Fontana Hilton Shelter. I thought I would get some good views of the dam on the way down but the trees are leafing out quickly now. This Hilton is quite the set up. It can sleep up to 20 people inside (with snorers?), has space for plenty of tents, has running water, and it even has a charging port for phones. At the Hilton I had some lunch and snacks and filled up my water bottles ready to go for the big climb in the Smokies.To get to the Smokies you first have to do some road walking. That leads down to the Fontana dam. This dam is somewhat famous in that it provided jobs in the 40s to a very depressed area. It also provided electricity to this area of North Carolina which did not have any electricity at that time. Overall it was a win-win for both the workers and the residents of this area. The dam itself is quite long it took a while to get across. After getting across the trail turns to the right and follows a road up to the actual trail head entrance into the Smokies. At this point it¢s up and up and up. Similar to the climb out of the NOC this climb in the Smokies is somewhat notorious for being incredibly difficult. Like the climb out of the NOC I did not find this climb to be all that difficult. It did get my lungs going, though. It was hard and it was slow going but it was very bearable. Just before the end of the initial climb a hiker pointed out a mama bear with 3 Cubs. They were about 100 yards away. I saw a black thing moving around. We¢ll call it a bear. Once you reach the first summit and go along a Ridgeline you then go up steeply to reach a fire tower called Shuckstack. There were a few people hanging around the fire tower snacking and commenting on the poor condition of this fire tower. It appears it has not been used in an official manner in quite some time. I walked this far, so I was going to see what the view was like from the top of the tower. It was worth the climb up the tower, however, the tower floor at the summit leaves a lot to be desired. Also when I reached the top the wind begin gusting which caused the windows in the tower to pivot. If I hadn¢t been paying attention I may have been hit by one of those moving windows. After a few pictures it was time to go back down. From there it was a few miles along the rolling Ridge line with minor ups and downs to reach a campground area. I considered going on to the next shelter however with rain in the forecast, it was best to stay put. That made for a 14 mile day and it was overall a pretty good day. I feel good so far with only normal muscle tightness. So far on this trip I have had fantastic weather with almost 5 full days of hazy sunshine. I knew that my luck was going to run out and it finally did. While I am dictating this post in my tent the rains have begun. It¢s not too hard yet but the potential is there for heavy thunderstorms later. I am also seeing that I am not in the best camp spot as I am sort of in a low spot and I hope it doesn¢t flood. Only time will tell. Additionally the winds are supposed to begin gusting tonight up to 30 miles an hour. Wonderful.Tomorrow¢s goal is to get Derek Knob Shelter which is about 17.5 miles away. The terrain does not look that tough and it probably just runs along the ridge line of the Smokies.Until tomorrow.