Date: 2014-04-23
From: Fontana Crossing

To: Russell Field Shelter
Miles today: 15.0
Weather: clear sky

Certain thru-hikers attain such celebrity status I feel they deserve special recognition in this journal. Rocky, for instance. And the smooth-talking Ben from Arkansas, also now known as T-Dub. By using his good looks and southern charm, Ben has befriended locals in each town along the trail, receiving beds, free meals, and personal shuttle service to and from various gaps. Thus, while the common hiker like myself has managed to score a real bed every third night or so, Ben has flipped that ratio in his favor. Furthermore, with the rides he receives from his devotees, he's frequently able to slack-pack with 10 pounds on his back, rather than the 30-40 the rest of us carry. I feel honored to have spent a night with him in Low Gap Shelter back in Georgia, one of the few times he's had to rough it so far.Ben is the subject of several wagers. At 6'3" and 165 pounds, he has not an ounce of fat on on his body. Thus, when Kimpossible suggested he would lose weight on the trail, Ben gladly put down $100 that said he'd be above 165 by Katahdin. And I bet Ben the same amount that he couldn't stay in shelters or his hammock for any continuous two-week stretch along the trail. I consider my bet an absolute lock.After ribbing Just Kate the past couple of days for locking her hiking poles in her room at the NOC, what do I do today? Leave my tent in the room at Fontana Lodge. And who should find it? Just Kate, of course. Since she isn't maintaining an online journal, I'll have to chastise myself here. Yo, Slim, that was a real boneheaded maneuver this morning. And then, as we're throwing our packs on the shuttle for the ride back to the trail, my phone fell on the ground unbeknownst to me. Fortunately, Puzzle spotted it; otherwise I wouldn't be journaling for a while.Today might have been the best hiking day on the trail so far. The air was clear, and there was a refreshing breeze, especially up on the ridge. We entered the Smokies at Fontana Dam and hiked up hill most of the day. We stopped for lunch where a short side trail led to a peak with an old fire tower. It was as tall and rickety as any I'd seen before, with rotten steps and a missing hand rail. I had to summon all my nerve to make it to the top, but the view of Fontana Lake far below and the Smokies to the north made it worthwhile.This afternoon we hit the Tennessee state line. There was no sign, but the ridge was covered in beautiful white flowers, a nice welcome to our third state. The AT straddles the NC/TN border through the Smokies, so I'll have my left foot in the Volunteer state and my right in the Tar Heal state for the next several days.Late in the afternoon, Kimpossible pulled me aside and told me I shouldn't be hiking with her and Just Kate anymore. She wasn't trying to ditch me, but she'd recognized that I was getting stronger the last couple of days, while she and Kate needed to back off and rest their sore legs. She knew I had a timetable, that I'd told my wife, Tor, I'd be off the trail in five months. Simply put, our paces were no longer compatible. I spent the next couple of miles hiking alone, thinking about what Kimpossible had said. And I realized she was right. Now that we were up on the ridge with the cooler weather that suits me, I was ready for some big-mileage days.By far the toughest thing for me about hiking the AT is the constant goodbyes. Intense friendships develop in a matter of days, and then for various reasons you need to part ways. Today, Puzzle decided to stop at the Mollies Ridge Shelter due to blisters that had been plaguing him for days. I can't imagine there being a more generous person on the AT, especially with his food. And tomorrow I'd be leaving Kimpossible and Just Kate behind. Our little band of four will have splintered in a span of 24 hours.