Date: 2016-04-24
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

April 21 (Thursday) ¢ Fontana Hilton to Great Smokey Mountains National Park ¢ 6.6 milesPART TWO!!!The dam was completed in 1944 and is absolutely astonishing. On one side the water is about 50 feet from the road on top while on the other side it appears the dam drops about 400 feet to the river below giving you the real impression just how deep this lake is. There are enormous water pipes made out of concrete about 100 feet in diameter to direct the water through the generators and into the river below. They simply drop nearly straight down into darkness. Cool Hand and I the night before climbed onto the dam visitor center roof where there was a lookout and could see the generator building below with lights on and cars that looked like spots.I patched up some hot spots on my feet before they turn to blisters and by now twilight was in the eastern sky. Several hikers were up and all were saying goodbye to Riley. I sat quietly thinking about my military career after seeing the Air Force C-130 flyby the night before.I believe my career was instrumental in defining who I was and gave me opportunities I could not ever dreamed about¢¦.but was I a good person? I always believed our role was to protect those unable to protect themselves from very bad people ¢¦. Those that did not believe in freedom or live, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and wanted to dominate and control the world at any cost. How could parents strap bombs to their children to kill us? I saw them simply as cowards and thugs that only cared about themselves. I wondered if this millennium generation really understood what is going on in the world or have they really understood history. Until this trail I believed most of the new generation was too self absorbed in their 15 minutes of fame all while their future is in real jeopardy. The elitist mindset that once controlled all of Europe was again taking over America who wanted to own and control everything just like royalty did until the 19th century where the common person did not own land, had no real rights and was subject to the elite few that dominated the world¢¦..other than the United States. Freedom and rights were and still a threat to those that believe they alone shall control everyone else and this generation did not realize the speeding train on the tracks heading for them. Yet on this trail I did start to see a glimmer that there is still hope. I would never have imagined a group of 20 somethings¢ sitting around a campfire and break out in the national anthem or god bless America like they did back in Wesser. Somehow this misfits or rag tag backpacking, pot smoking troubled youths were far above their peers who spent their free minutes gossiping on Facebook or watching every reality show. Many on the trail indicated they stopped watching television years ago.At the campfire I gave them a history of our forefathers and why they created the constitution. Most were far more educated and knowledgeable let alone agreeing in the constitution.We talked about being in the military and I was asked why many military people did not want to talk about their job just like everyone else does. It was hard to tell them that we were sending in kids their age to accomplish the most terrible of acts in the name of freedom and how does someone tell you of their experience . How do you tell someone that you are a good person and an honorable person yet you participated in the death of many including women and children. Other military members on the trail rarely talked about it other than to other military people.I decided that I was a good person. Or at least when I finally stopped acting like an immature kid around age 30. I started to think about all of my accomplishments and achievements but in the end there were only two that stood out for me. I am hoping those two really defined me. The military was an exciting life full of new adventures and opportunities to experience the world. I deployed to 22 countries after 9/11 including some of the most dangerous places on earth like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and others. I participated in missions to capture the number two war criminal in Serbia and interdict contraband being smuggled into Kosovo. I deployed to Washington D.C. to be part of the Crisis Action Team in deploying assets to the combat zones and served on the senior staff for all of the Middle East Area of Operation yet all of that did not rise to the top of my list. Instead¢¦My proudest moment was actually deploying to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I got the call around 7 in the morning after the collapse of the dikes. The caller was the Chief of Staff to the General in charge of all of Air Combat Command. He needed a team to deploy immediately to the area where no services were available for rescue operations to come to Bell Chase Naval Air Station. I was told thousands of people were stranded on their roofs, many who already died from exposure or drowned in oil contaminated water. Others were stranded at the Superdome. My unit responded with more volunteers than I could use. We were packed and ready for take off my early afternoon waiting for the C-130 to come for us. As I was riding in the plane I emotionally was detached from their peril wondering why were they so stubborn not to leave before the hurricane came. That all changed the moment I landed. You could smell death in the air even before the airplane landed. The temps were in the 90s with stifling humidity. We landed in a place like no other I have experienced. There simply was no water, food, power, government, services or anything else. Dead animals littered the base that perished in the flood waters. Water was contaminated and the entire area was as austere as you could envision. Not even police were seen. We took off in Army helecopters for the Super Dome to find survivors. When we arrived, my disdain for their stupidity vanished in a heartbeat. The Superdome wsa completely surrounded by oily water. Buildings and houses in the area on fire. AS the choppers landed you could see feces on the tarmac around the Super Dome. As we opened the doors the combination of super heated air and death rushed out. These people have been living in hell for two days without anything. Dead bodies piled in the upper rows of the stadium. Complete darkness inside. These people lived through hell and it was the job I signed up for¢¦. Help those that cannot help themselves¢¦. I walked away from that tour knowing I was part of something good rather than destructive rescuing over 9000 people from certain death.My other moment was at the retirement ceremony of the Base Commander, General Terry Tripp. When I took over my unit in 20000 it was on the verge of collapse due to a multitude of personnel problems. I had no background in their mission or education in their technology ¢ combat weather. What the heck was that. I had no choice but to find the best people and trust in them. My trust was well spent as within two years the unit turned around, obtained the unthinkable perfect score in an Operational Readiness Inspection and became the unit of choice by name for deployments. After 9/11 I received the call that up to nine members of my unit would be deployed and join the Army¢s elite 82 Airborne on the initial assault into Baghdad. Two members that stood out were now Seargents¢ Magee and Brodin who two years earlier came right out of high school. At first I laughed with my Senior NCO how young and immature they were yet two years later they were what was to become one for the history books in the fastest, farthest, largest movement of military forces upon an enemy ever. When they all came home, I saw how professional and mature they had become. I received a call a couple of months later asking if both Brodin and Magee were available¢¦¢¦available for what¢¦¢¦Back to the base commander retirement¢¦.his proudest moment was standing behind those two as they met and exchanges coins with the president of the United States. Those guys I trusted in created one of the best units in the entire Air Force inventory, receiving multiple national recognitions. That day I was not their commander but their ¢dad¢ proud of their people who proved they can live up to any challenge.Commissioner and I went to breakfast at the resort for the same hillbilly breakfast then turned Riley over to the Kennel place. I would not see him for a week. After Riley departed, Commissioner and I began the trip into the national park. A steep 3000 climb over six miles lead us to a campground with rain fast approaching. We set up, ate dinner and settled in. By 8:30 I was bored and the rain had not started so I got out of the tent. Commissioner asked if I was bored to which I said yes so we got up and walked around finding other hikers that had a campfire. We joined them but as the fire died down commissioner asked me if I brought a flashlight¢¦..no I did not. We both turned around to see nothing but black, not even trees could be seen. No sooner after looking around did the rain start and did it start¢¦.pouring within seconds. One of the hikers used his headlamp but by the time we reached our tents 50 yards away we were already completely soaked. To make matters worse I did not close my rain fly door and the top of my sleeping bag was soaked. Somehow I did get a good nights sleep.April 22 (Friday) ¢ GMSNP Campground to Russel Field ¢ 8.1 milesIt was an all day pouring. The trail was so worn that sections were a foot or more lower than the surrounding ground turning the trail into rushing river. My boots were filled with water and the only solution was to keep hiking to the next stop. Most of the mountain was covered in dense fog. We reached the shelter around 5pm and the rain cleared a little. The ridge runner controlling the shelter was named Carl, a 72 year old man who has been doing this for 13 years. He completed the Appalachian Trail in 1999 and took this job after. Around the shelter were these small plants about 8 inches high with a single center stem and eight leaves in p perfect circle making the plant look like one of those tropical beach umbrellas. I did not know what they were other than cool. Rain returned so other than drying off there was nothing to do but go to sleep. It rained on and off all night but the rain drowned out the snoring of the hikers.April 23 (Saturday) Russel Field to Silers Bald 14.6 milesBy morning the rain stopped. I could tell for the first time I was getting better at hiking and the backpack was not feeling so heavy. Off hiking for a long day as we planned to go into town if we could make NewFound Gap in two days. This was going to be my longest day yet. In the morning the group decided to modify my name from Mr Weather or Knots to Weather or Knot. They thought too formal and too long and shortly it was just ¢Weather¢. So from now on I would be the hiker known s Weather Or Knot.I came across workers fixing the trail from the enormous rainfall. The hard work they had in front of them. When I reached Silers¢ Bald. Commissioner was already there and had already organized a slow clap for me as I came in. that was a first for me in my life and felt pretty good. He even had the park ranger be part of the greeting and clapping.The park ranger set up tent next to me so we started to chat. Eathan, his first name was a mid twentied rugged good looking guy much like Jeremiah Johnson, the mountain man. A Naval Academy graduate he was also a nationals champion rower and was training for the 2020 Olympics. He used this job to hike 20 miles a day in the park from shelter to shelter to stay fit. Pretty impressive guy and very grounded. I asked him if he was packing and he showed me is Sig Saur. I asked him if he slept with it and he just smiled and patted his hip.Commission already worked the plan for tomorrow to get up at 3am to climb Clingmans Dome, get to New Found Gap, hitch a ride into Gatlingburg to see the Stanley Cup games which started at noon. I of course told him not a chance and would catch up to him later as I would sleep in until 6 or so.