Date: 2016-06-25
From: Fontana Hilton

To: Mollies Ridge Shelter 
Miles today: 11.4
Weather: clear sky

Wow! We were up at 5:30am and broke camp by 10 to 7am (that's a first). The trail runs along the road across Fontana Dam and then into the woods and into the Smokies. What do you think was up a tree just by the black box where we had to deposite one section of our permit...a big old black bear! he was really big and very close. We hadn't even got one step on the trail and my worst fears materialized, 3 other people were in the parking lot and as I took a pic the bear started to climb down, as soon as he moved we all rushed over to the only car there though the bear went down the other way. You know, all this time I was secure in the knowledge that I would hear a bear crashing through the woods but all my illusions were shattered as we watched him walk through the forest underbrush he didn't make a sound. OMG! How am I going to hear them coming for me now if they tip toe about? Have a look at the pics..he really was big but kind of cute looking.Well after that harrowing escapade we started to walk into the Smokies, yes folks, of course it was all up hill for the first couple of hours anyway.We stopped for lunch (summer sausage and tortillas) and lo and behold standing right in front of us on the trail was another bloody bear. Richard didn't believe me "oh! For goodness sake it's a log" he said with derision...not with 4 legs it's not! We did as we were instructed and shouted at him, banged our hiking poles over our heads to appear bigger and that bear started to move towards us not at all scared or intimidated like we were told he would be. I grabbed my pepper spray and took the safety off and got a handful of rocks to throw at him. Richard brought out his whistle and took off his belt...I thought he was going to try to whip the bear to death but he says he took it off cos the buckle was twisted. Anyway we sure had no plan except to scare him with Richards whistle, which by the way he happened to find in the woods,I guess if that failed I would stone him to death and blind him (and probably us) with pepper spray. Richard blasted him twice with the whistle and he ambled off the path a couple of steps but still kept coming our way...very slowly and not at all scared then started to come around the side of us. We shouted and hollered and hurried up the trail away from him...I was shaking like a leaf.Not even an hour later we saw our 3rd bear..a cub that was scared and went rolling down the hill like a big ball of fur...we waited a while to make sure no siblings or angry mama bear was around. The hike was tough and it was extremely hot and humid. About half a mile from the shelter I heard a scrapping sound on a tree and Richard, who was behind me shouting "holy shit" a bear had slid down the tree right by Richard and as Richard shouted the bear stopped and looked at him before scurrying off into the forest. Boy! our first hike in the Smokies and we had seen 4 bears. I know irrational fears are often treated with immersion therapy but this was insane. Only one other person at camp had glimpsed a bear all day and I, who didn't want to see anything but a black behind running away was surrounded by the buggers.I'm writing this just before I go to sleep in a shelter made of logs with only 3 walls. We all (10 of us tonight) sleep with our heads towards the open air to try to avoid having the shelter mice run over our heads and in our hair.I was exhausted from the long hot hike which just seemed to go up all day and with no views which surprised me. I had been expecting wonderful views of the mountains but it really was just a walk in the (bear ridden) woods today. We did meet two fun guys from Knoxville, Keith and Anastacia, the poor girl had deep heel blisters and we met them at around 2pm and this is their first day of 7 in the Smokies.Some of the shelters have been closed because of aggressive bear activity so our hikes are longer than we wanted, tomorrow's is around 12 so I'd better put this weary anxious body to bed. Living the dream! Hmm let's hope I have no nightmares ha! Ha!