Date: 2018-02-22
From: Fontana

To: Fontana
Miles today: 0.0

After a couple of tough days we are spending a Zero here at Fontana Village before starting the Smokies tomorrow. People (more specifically my 6 year old granddaughter Lucy) ask how the Smoky Mountains got their name. It comes from the blue mist that always seems to hover around the peaks and valleys.  When vapor is released from the area¢s vegetation, the molecules in the vapor scatter the blue light. The Cherokee called this phenomenon blue smoke (in Cherokee of course).  At least the above is what Google tells me. We enjoyed a beautiful sunrise this morning at the Fontana Dam Shelter, before we headed over to Fontana Village. We will be spending the nite at Fontana Lodge, a very nice place. They have a hiker special that basically works out to $45/person for the nite. Night Train and I are sharing a room, Jeep and Capt. Blackbeard are in another room. Many shops etc. in the village are seasonal and are currently closed, but a restaurant and the laundromat are open - very important.Took the opportunity to do some laundry, take a shower and pickup my maildrop from home (thanks Kayanne!).  And of course we ate here at the restaurant a late breakfast and then dinner. We also purchased a few odds and ends to complete our food bags as it will be approximately 5 more days till the next opportunity for a resupply. Well now that we are here, I have a confession to make (I did not want to say anything before in my post, because I didn¢t want to interject any negativity/disappointment into my trail journal entries). I have plantar fasciitis, and 8 days into my hike my achilles on both feet had become so inflamed that I thought my hike was over. I was practically in tears (that picture of me soaking my feet in a creek with me smiling - well I was crying on the inside; reference my Day 8 entry/photo). I¢ve been wearing orthotics for about 15 years, and haven¢t had any serious outbreaks of inflamation since. For the life of me I couldn¢t understand what was going on, until it hit me - it was my boot insoles. At the suggestion of the salesperson at the outfitter where I purchased my boots, I cut the insole that came with the boot to fit around my orthotics (i. e. in the boot I left that piece of the insole that fell under the ball/toes of my foot). I had never done this before mind you, but I broke from normal practice and did it for my thru hike - the rationale being that the cushioning under the ball of my foot would better enable me to withstand the rigors of the pounding my feet would get on the trail. This turned out to be a huge mistake. Anyway a couple miles down the trail from where I had soaked my feet I removed both insole remnants, and within 30 minutes I noticed that my inflammation was already beginning to subside in both feet. THIRTY MINUTES!  I went from being as low as could be emotionally, to a state of absolute euphoria. The other 3 horsemen, who pulled ahead of me while I was soaking my feet, couldn¢t believe it when I arrived at camp right behind them beaming from ear to ear. My AT thru hike attempt had renewed life! Yes, I still have some inflammation in both achilles today on day 13, but my left foot is about 75% recovered and my right is about 50%. With each passing day the inflammation becomes less and less. YEAH!The Genesee Valley Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club today begins their annual winter Loj trip. I have been a trip participant for several years now, and am thinking of all my friends going on this year¢s trip. Hi everybody, be safe and have fun (don¢t do anything that I wouldn¢t do, HaHa)!!! May the snow be deep, and the temperatures cold! Opa is thinking of you and wishes each of you well - and I will want a full reporting of each day¢s adventures!That¢s it for today. My spirits remain very high, and I am looking forward to the challenge of the Smokies. I am safe, warm and dry tonite in my room at the Fontana Lodge, watching the Olympics after a nice dinner at the restaurant. Ahhhh, the tough life of an AT thru hiker, Ha Ha.