Date: 2015-04-19
From: Fontana Dam/NC 28

To: Clingmans Dome /Tower Path
Miles today: 34.7

My time at the Lodge at Fontana Village was longer than I had initially planned. I arrived on Thursday, 4/9/15, and planned to leave on Saturday, 4/11/15. But I also know that I have to be flexible and take advantage of opportunities presented while on the trail. I had developed tendonitis in my right Achilles tendon during the steep descent into the NOC/river gorge. Doing back to back 14 mile days, even slack packing, obviously did not help the situation. I knew I should not attempt the Smokies until the tendonitis was resolved. Thanks to my WFR training, I knew it was not serious and I knew what to do. I extended my stay in Fontana so I could rest, elevate, and ice the tendon. Fortunately the ice machine was close to my room. Every few hours I iced my leg, I slept as much as I could, took my anti-inflammatory medication, and I drank lots of water. And of course I limited my walking.I extended my stay to 3 nights, then to a total of 6 nights. The tendon was gradually getting better, but not as quickly as I hoped. I was also watching the weather in the Smokies very closely, and I wanted to wait until a weather system cleared before heading out.During my extended stay in Fontana I attended some of the programs offered in the evenings by the lodge. One night I saw a film documenting the building of Fontana Dam, which I found very interesting. Another evening I discovered that the Lodge hosts a hike week gathering twice a year, in the spring and again in the fall, and the spring hike week was just getting started. Some folks have been coming for hike week for 20+ years. The group was made up of lovely friendly folks who invited me to join them. They were very interested in my AT thru hike experience, and I was glad to answer their questions. In return for my becoming an impromptu speaker I was provided with breakfast by the Lodge the next morning. Not a bad deal!Since I was resting my tendon, I did not participate in any of their day hikes, but I appreciated their invitation to join them for happy hour and I enjoyed hearing about their daily adventures. I also attended the related evening programs, which included a presentation about edible and medicinal plants found in the Smokies and a musical group which played guitars and fiddles in the lobby. Both programs were wonderful.With both my tendon and the weather improving, it was time to head out. So Wednesday, 4/15/15, I had breakfast with 2 Hiker Week Pals, Thelma & Louise, and then headed for the Smokies. To make sure I did not skip any of the trail, I caught a ride with 2 nice fishermen right back to the spot where I came off the trail, the bait shop/parking area, mile 164.7.I hiked to the Fontana Dam Shelter, known as the Fontana Hilton, because of the view, showers, and flush toilets. Then I hiked to the Dam Visitor's Center.   I spent some time looking at the displays and taking pictures. A light rain was already starting and the fog was rolling in. It was time for me to hike across the top of the dam and enter the Smokies.A sign on the other side of the dam indicates the National Park border, then there is a bit of a road walk before the AT enters the woods and there is a large mailbox to deposit your backcountry permit.The rain and fog increased, but I was very comfortable. Although I had absolutely no tendon pain, I was glad the climb was gradual and loaded with switchbacks.The first shelter was over 12 miles. I thought it was too far to push the tendon after 6 days of no hiking. So I stopped after a little over 7 miles and about 2,000 feet of elevation gain, at Birch Spring Gap campsite. I was able to get my tent up between rain showers and quickly got ready for bed. Several other thru hikers also stopped there for the night.The next day the rain held off until the afternoon. But the trail was a slick muddy brown ditch from all the rain, which required extra energy and diligence to keep from falling. I reached Mollies Ridge Shelter, a mere 5 miles, by early afternoon just as there was a loud clap of thunder and a drenching rain started. What luck! I ducked inside to find a warming fire and a few fellow hikers.   I listened as they debated whether to stay or continue hiking to the next shelter. Although it was early in the day, almost everyone, including me, stayed.In the Smokies thru hikers are required to stay in the shelters unless there is not enough room. To this point I had avoided the shelters and slept in my tent. Now I HAD to stay in a shelter. By morning I would no longer be a shelter virgin (not to be confused with a sheltered virgin).I picked a spot on the lower deck next to the wall near the door and started to lay out my sleeping pad and bag. Then I collected and filtered water, and cooked dinner. The tough part came when I needed to change into dry clothes before going to bed. Even with the fire, the temperature was dropping and we could see our breath inside the shelter. It is not easy to change clothes discreetly in front of 16 or so total strangers in a cramped space, but I managed. It felt so strange sleeping next to a man not my husband after more than 20 years of marriage. And of course I was worried about the mice that scurry about in the shelters after dark, raiding packs and searching for food. Specifically I was worried that one would jump on me, I would scream hysterically, and wake everyone in the shelter in the middle of the night. Just before everyone went to sleep a gentleman pulled out a fiddle and began to play by the fire. YES, in addition to carrying a full pack, this man is carrying a fiddle in a hard case!!!Surprisingly I slept well and was undisturbed by the mice. It was nice not having to pack up a wet tent in the morning. But with everyone trying to pack up and get out, it took a while to hit the trail. Of course, with all the rain, the mud was even deeper and slicker. I stopped briefly at Russell Field Shelter, and pressed on to Spence Field Shelter, another short day, only 5.7 miles. But I was afraid if I pressed on to the next shelter, about 6 more miles, I may not get a spot in the shelter and it was getting ready to storm again. Everything was so wet there was no fire. But I managed to get a lower spot near the wall again. So I settled in for another night in a shelter.Again I slept well and heard nothing during the night, but in the morning,I found nuts, some chewed, in my pack. While tenting I have found similar caches of nuts in my boots and in my tent vestibule. I was grateful the mice brought their own food, left me alone, and did not chew holes in my pack looking for food. Of course I always put all my food in my bear bag and hang the bag on the bear cables provided at the shelters. I also unzip all the pockets on my pack so the mice can explore without chewing.The day started out clear and beautiful, and I got a relatively early start. It was time to knock out some higher mileage. The tendon was doing well, and I wanted to position myself to climb Clingmans Dome early the next day, while I had more energy.The views from Rocky Top were nothing short of breathtaking. It is always nice to be rewarded with a beautiful view after a climb. At roughly 5500 feet, on a crystal clear day, I felt amply rewarded and took lots of pictures. The trail conditions continued to be a problem. Heavy hiker traffic combined with heavy rain, made the trail exhausting to navigate. There also seemed to be more than 1 type of mud. There was a deceptively thin layer of mud that was super slick. Then there was the thicker slippery mud. And finally there was the deep really thick mud that tried to suck the boots right off your feet and swallow your poles.I stopped briefly at Derrick Knob Shelter and then pressed on to Siler Bald Shelter, for a little over 12 miles total. It was getting late and I was concerned the shelter would be full. But I really lucked out. There was one spot left on the bottom next to the wall with the fireplace, and they had a fire going. I quickly layed out my pad and bag, collected and filtered water, made a bag dinner, changed clothes, and went to bed.This time I did not sleep well. Someone was snoring loudly. Then a terrible storm started dumping water and debris on the roof while the wind whipped the tarp covering the shelter opening. At about midnight I started to hear little chewing noises. I was tempted to grab my headlamp to see what was making the noise, but I decided in the long run I was better off not knowing what was there, how close it was, and how many there were. I just focused on trying to get some sleep.I got an early start in the morning. I was relieved to find no evidence of the chewing creature(s) despite the fact that the chewing went on for most of the night. I easily made it to Double Spring Gap Shelter, where I stopped briefly before starting the climb up Clingmans Dome, elevation well over 6600 feet.It was a cold, rainy, windy, foggy day. The trail was not only boot-sucking muddy, but the trail was actually a stream in most places. The trail was basically straight up, so the water naturally ran down the ditch that is the trail. The higher I went, the harder the wind seemed to blow. In exposed areas, the wind blew the rain and fog sideways, and at times it was difficult to remain upright. Visibility was less than 100 feet. I saw no other hikers.My boots, socks, and feet were soaked. Even in rain gear the rest of my body was soaked to the bone as well. I was actually gratefull for the climb because the workout kept me warm. I hiked through an absolutely beautiful evergreen forest covered in moss. But the conditions were too wet and terrible to linger or take pictures.Then I got to the slick wet rocks, of course with a nice stream running,down the center of the trail. With little tree cover to protect me from the wind and pelting rain I had to keep moving, but watched my step to keep from slipping and falling. I was concentrating so hard I did not notice my pack cover was collecting water at the bottom until,I felt something smack me in the butt as I hopped from rock to rock. I reached back to find a load of water about the size of a watermelon!!! I can only imagine how much that weighed!!Higher and higher I climbed as the wind whipped around me. FINALLY I reached the paved trail between the tower and the visitors center at CLing man's Dome. In a downpour I made it to the visitors center in the hopes of catching a ride into Gatlinburg.   The Rangers and volunteers helped me try to find a ride, but we had no luck calling any of the shuttle numbers.   Fortunately a kind hearted single mother with 3 boys agreed to take me to the Visitor's Center just outside Gatlinburg.   A very caring park volunteer took me the rest of the way to Gatlinburg to pick up my resupply box and to a motel.The Smokies are incredibly challenging because of the elevations, weather systems, trail conditions, and limited access to the trail. The AT is calling ... and I still have half the Smokies to finish. But first I need to dry out, warm up, rest up, and wash out some of the mud from me, my clothes, and my gear.