Date: 2016-10-25
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Lodge (Dam Visitor Center)
Miles today: 7.1
Weather: clear sky

10/25 Day 3: We got packed up and were happy we had a short day to Fontana Lodge planned, where we had shipped our resupply boxes. After a ¢good morning¢ 800 foot climb out of Cable Gap Shelter, we did a fair amount of ridge walking and started to see Fontana Lake in the distance. As we descended, the trail got pretty steep with lots of rock steps. I did not envy the people who were going south that had to climb up this hill. Also as we walked, we saw and smelled a lot of smoke in the air. There was a haze that almost obstructed our view of the Smoky mountains across the lake. We came to find out later that there was a small forest fire near Ashville, NC and the wind had blown the smoke into this bowl of Fontana Lake. Also, somewhere coming down the hill, I realized we actually had to walk almost a couple extra miles to get to the Dam Visitor Center in lieu of the marina because we already had a 12 mile day going up into the Smokys set up for the next day and didn¢t want to add 2 miles to that.When I got to the marina, I picked up the phone that is hooked to the wall of the first building to the right of the trail and dialed ¢0¢ like it said on the sign to reach the front desk. I asked about the shuttle and to my surprise, the lady on the other end said she would try to get us a shuttle, but they can¢t guarantee it. Uh oh, I thought, with no shuttle, we might have to walk an additional 1.5 miles to the lodge on top of the other ¢addition¢ that day. The walk to the Dam Visitor center was on some wonderfully groomed trails. We got there in no time. I kind of regret not stopping in to see the Fontana Hilton, but we had things to do at the lodge with limited time. We made it to the visitor center and the volunteers called the lodge for us. My fears of no ride were subsided when the volunteer told me they would be here in 10 minutes to get us. Phew. Outside the visitor center, an Asian lady was talking with Blister and asked if she could lift his pack to see how heavy. When she tried, she started saying in a thick Asian accent, ¢Oh nooooo, way to heavy¢¦¢ We all had a chuckle at that.The Fontana Lodge was nice, but probably a little pricey for a hiker, although they did have a walk up rate that was better. We got our resupply boxes and I immediately started paring down what I was going to bring. With all the water we were going to have to carry, there was no way I was going to carry this much food weight as well, not to mention, I think I really overpacked food anyway. I took out a bunch of trail mix (I forgot that I got sick of that pretty fast), tuna packets, and a few other items, making my next 7 days of food probably weigh 12 pounds. We next walked down the hill to the laundry mat, threw some clothes in and went to eat a giant super pork sandwich at the grill restaurant located on the property. Once back at our laundry, we started talking to a guy who was thru-hiking with his pit bull. Apparently, the dog had gotten a lot of poison ivy at a caretakers house that it had to stay at while this kid was hiking the Smokys, because they don¢t allow dogs in the National Park.We bought a few items at the general store. The store was stocked sufficiently to get a hiker through the Smokys, and even though it was priced a little higher ($6.25 for a box of Triscuits), considering what it cost me to send my food box there, it might have been the smarter option. I will certainly consider that in the future, but this late in the hiking season, you never know what will still be stocked and open.The evening ended in a soft and comfy bed watching a few innings of the World Series.