Date: 2003-04-20
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: overcast clouds

The alarm went off at 3:45 am. I wanted to set it for 4 am, but the minutes wouldn¢t change. I ate some Advil and waited for them to kick in. Around 4:30, I got out of my hammock and started to pack up. There was no rain last night, and it was warm. I noticed poison ivy everywhere I was camped and around the spring. I got a little water and I was off. This was the first time I hiked at night. At first it was hard to see the trail, but after awhile I could see it was darker than the tan leaves that cover the forest. It was cloudy and the almost full moon barely shone though the clouds. I was lucky, and the trail was smooth. I don¢t care that much about up and down. It seems you¢re either doing one or the other, and both hurt. But it is smooth dirt I don¢t have to watch every step. If my ankle is getting better, it isn¢t happening fast. Soon the sun rose, but it just made the sky a lighter gray. It was eerie, and I was hoping this wasn¢t Blair Witch County. I was really tired, so I stopped for a quick breakfast and drank the last of my water. I had to get moving to achieve my goal. At the top of the last hill, I could see the lights of Fontana Dam, but I wasn¢t out of the woods yet (I¢ve been waiting to use that). Fontana Dam is the dam in The Fugitive (the remake with Tommy Lee Jones). It is the largest in the East. It was 8:15 when I came upon a road with a well-timed public bathroom. Things naturally go my way, always have, always will. There was a soda machine that only dispenses Mellow Yellow. I was still 1.1 miles from my goal, so I hurried. I walked a couple short hills and then I finally found Loser. Loser is the guy with a guitar from York, PA that I mentioned a few days back. He is a really good gospel singer. Sometimes you can hear him as your walking to the top of a mountain. I tell you, when he sings, it will send chills up your spine. So there he was waiting on a shuttle. He was surprised to see me limping along. The reason I wanted to meet up with Loser is because it¢s Easter Sunday, and I knew he would be going to church. The night before at the shelter, I asked if anyone wanted to go to Easter service and they all started moving away from me like I was going to start passing out Bibles and begin preaching. I asked Loser if I had time to get a shower, but the shuttle was overdue now. I dropped my pack at the shelter, put on my cleanest shirt and headed out with Loser and Shankadelic. Shankadelic is a California hippy wearing a tie-dye. So the shuttle drops us off at a very small Southern Baptist church. People were in their very Sunday best and here we are in hiker clothes. I didn¢t smell very good, and hoped the church wouldn¢t be crowded.This is only a summer community and there are only 26 people in attendance. First, the choir sang 3 hymns. This is not organized at all. There are no bulletins showing an itinerary. The choir faces the piano and small children walk around their legs. There was a guy playing a guitar, but I could never hear it. After the hymns, a guy from the congregation with no experience read some scriptures. Then it was time to pray. Half the people knelt behind the pulpit and everyone said a different prayer out loud at the same time without three part harmony.   It was the closest thing to anarchy I¢ve ever seen. Soon, another man comes from the congregation and starts preaching. There was no stopping this guy. Everyone has a deep southern accent, but it is X10 when they¢re preaching. I really don¢t know what he was talking about, but I did hear, ¢If you ain¢t found Jesus, you¢re as dumb as a box of rocks.¢ Then he sat down and it was time for the main event. A man about 50 who looks like a bank manager takes the pulpit. He starts off about how you¢re not going to find Jesus in Calvary. And soon, he starts getting more excited. He takes off his tie and says, ¢You¢re not going to find Jesus in those big fancy churches.¢ ¢No, you won¢t, praise the Lord!¢ someone shouted. Now he¢s unbuttoning his shirt and talking louder. ¢You won¢t find Jesus in Nazareth.¢ He takes off his jacket and everything changes. He now starts pacing and talking more like an auctioneer. He really gets into it, and pulls out a white handkerchief and starts wiping the sweat from his face. I look around, and everyone has a blank look on their face like this happens everyday. He is using 6 extra syllables for every word, pacing faster and faster. I said to myself, ¢If he starts dancing around with a snake, I¢m outta here.¢ ¢Ya¢ll can¢t find Jesus in Jerusalem!¢ He¢s slamming his fist on the podium. Soon I can¢t tell what he is ranting about, but he means business. I¢m just glued watching him waving his arms, pacing faster and faster, and wiping his face. Soon it all stops, and no one has changed the expression on their face through the whole thing. I thought I just saw an edited portion of a Porky¢s movie. The choir sang another hymn, and while they did so the preacher continued to preach, but much more calmly. Then he asked if anyone wanted to come up and sing. I nudged Loser in the arm and he volunteered. He picked up someone else¢s guitar and started strumming it like it was his own. He told what his song was about and then started singing. He was great ¢ goose bumps with every note. I looked around and everyone was still. No one smiled, tapped their foot. Nothing. Soon he was done, and still the room was silent. I thought, ¢Uh oh, he sang something wrong; there¢s going to be a lynching today.¢ I told him, ¢Good job,¢ as he passed me, sitting down. We then all, one by one, took flowers up and put them on a cross and said a little prayer. Then it was all over. Everyone came around and shook our hands. They then said Loser¢s song was great. One woman had him write down the words. All in all, it was a 3 hour service. I was glad to introduce myself as Dutch instead of Loser or Shankadelic. The whole scene was incredible. Definitely an Easter to remember. I had to hike 22 miles in 24 hours on a bad ankle to get there, but if I was to do it again, I would have hike faster so I would have time to shower. The shuttle took us to a restaurant and I got a good burger. Back at the shelter, everyone came in. This is one of the greatest shelters on the trail. It is nicknamed the Fontana Hilton. There are public bathrooms, and showers and a payphone are 0.3 miles away at the visitors¢ center of the dam. Quite a large group is here since everyone has to wait for a mail drop tomorrow. Lone Wolf is here and he still doesn¢t shut up, but I¢m getting used to it. There is a stray dog that begs for food every night at suppertime. We named him Nipples. He is so cute I wish I could take him with me. The Great Smokey Mountains are just on the other side of the dam. For Easter supper, I had stove top stuffing, instant gravy, and cranberries.This adventure is huge. Not in miles or months. Huge in experiences and the people I meet. It¢s huge in pain and anguish, beauty, and joy. I personally am on the edge of my seat, because I can¢t wait to see how it all ends.