Date: 2004-03-13
From: Cheoah Bald

To: Fontana Dam Shelter
Miles today: 20.6
Weather: overcast clouds

Day 14, March 13, 2004A sunrise is one thing that does not get old, and one thing you will never get tired of seeing; something so simple, yet so beautiful. It¢s something that a lot of people (myself included) take for granted, and rarely take the time to watch and enjoy. Yesterday before going to bed I strapped my watch to the back of my backpack. I have always worn a watch, always. Not wearing one today was a little strange. But honestly, what good does it do you in the middle of the woods? From here on out the sun will tell the time. Will wake up with it and go to sleep with it. When it gets near the horizon, it¢s time to pick a camp site or find a nearby shelter. No longer will I care what day of the week it is, or what the date is. Time is on my side for once.After the sunrise, I got moving fast and was out of camp just after sunrise. That was before 7 (I had to check :-). My earliest leave time yet - a good thing too because today I hiked 20.6 miles. This was my longest day yet. My day was average until noon when I looked behind me to find 2 dogs following me. I don¢t know how long they had been following. They were both wagging their tales, and looked well fed and happy. They both stayed about 10 yards behind and would stop when I stopped. One was a beagle, and the other looked like a blood hound. Both had collars on with identification. I was expecting them to follow for a bit and turn around. They both followed for about half a mile. At this point I thought it might be a good idea to get the phone number off the tags. The beagle came right up to me and let me record the info. The bloodhound kept its distance, but appeared to have the same sort of collar. Just as soon as I had the info down the blood hound took off into the woods apparently tracking something. The beagle quickly followed yelping all the way. That dog sure could bark! I wished them luck on finding their owners and was back on my way. Within minutes the dogs were out of ear shot. One half hour later I stopped to fill my water bottle and noticed the little beagle was again following me. I felt like the guy on Dances with Wolves where the wolf kept appearing at his camp. It was nice to have the company. This was a very well behaved dog. Our dog at home can't be trusted off leash. That is one quality I have always wanted in a dog. Hiked for another 2 miles and sure enough that dog was happily following me. I have no clue how it found me. Must have followed my thru-hiker stench :-) Offered it some water from my cook pot but it did not drink. It just sat there, then curled into a ball waiting for me. Another 2 miles and it was still on my tail. Came to a road crossing and flagged down a car. They did not have a cell, but the second car did. They were able to contact the owners. Said they would be right out to get he dog. So there we sat, and sat, and sat. I tried to eat lunch, but the dog would try to eat it. The owner showed up and thanked me. He said that this was a house dog and the other one was a hunting dog. He said the hunting dog would probably find its way back, but not the beagle. That was my good deed for the day. Felt good to help someone, and know the dog was home safe. Ate lunch and was feeling good. At this point I figured might as well push for Fontana Dam, and if the light started to fade or my energy level started to dwindle it would be simple to find a camp spot. Turns out Fontana was in reach. That was a really long day. Did not really push that hard though. Walked my normal pace. Can definitely feel a change in leg muscle strength. The early start and fewer breaks needed made it all possible without too much strain. Got into the shelter bout 30 min before sunset. Was happy with that. Did not realize it was a 20 mile day until LWOP told me the distance. Plan to share a hotel room tomorrow and do all my shopping. Then head out and start the Smokies early Monday. If it snows I might hold off a day. It should only take 5 days to complete the Smokies. Don¢t think it will be that difficult. The snow is what worries me the most. Its unpredictable at the high elevations of the Smokies, and can accumulate quickly. Only time will tell. Need to get some sleep, will be busy! Restaurants to eat in, food shopping, and warm beds to sleep in. It¢s a rough life out here.