Date: 2018-03-18
From:  Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Shelter (ÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂHiltonÃÂÃÂ¢ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ)
Miles today: 6.6
Weather: clear sky

When we crawled inside our tent last night, the wind was blowing hard and the sky was lit up with lightning. But, following a great night¢s sleep in the cool mountain air, we were pleasantly surprised to find that our tent was completely dry this morning. What? No rain! The day just got better from there.We set out from the shelter a little after 0800, with just the right amount of chill in the air. Already in shorts, our fleece tops came off after the first climb. It was also a good spot to pause for our Sunday morning communion and worship. By this time, the sun had burned through most of the fog, and we were able to see Fontana Lake and the dam in the valley below. The lake view came in and out of the picture as we drew closer to our goal¢the Fontana Hilton (don¢t get too excited- it¢s actually a shelter). The hike itself was uneventful for the most part. A descent of 2,000 feet, over three miles, brought us to an elevation of 1,800¢. At this low elevation, we began to see signs of Spring. The Dogwoods and Redbuds were coming into bloom along the lake and Trillium with yellow and maroon blooms lined the trail as we neared the shelter. Oh, and the Fontana Shelter! It well earned its nickname, ¢The Fontana Hilton.¢ Sitting on a point overlooking the teal colored Fontana Lake, the shelter is plush by A.T. standards. It sits on a well- groomed landscape, sleeps 20, has running water, and a bathhouse, where we took a quick shower.  Over to Which Way to complete the post. - Next StepSo, as Next Step said, the Fontana Shelter had a bathhouse, but were missing one key ingredient...a bath towel. No worries. My dirty fleece jacket would work just fine. We were going to do laundry when we got into Fontana Village anyway. LolWe called for the shuttle and were told that we¢d have to wait half an hour for the shuttle driver to finish his lunch break before he could come get us. Sure, take your time, I¢ll just be over here eating my left arm! I was feeling a bit hangry at that moment, but managed a smile when he finally pulled up. Our shuttle driver took us straight to the Pit Stop for sausage dogs with chili, cheese and jalape±os. I have NEVER eaten a whole sausage dog in my life, until today. I¢ve also never hiked for three weeks and over 160 miles straight either?!? Oh and of course some bbq chips, a Coke Zero and ice cream treat to go with that sausage dog. We resupplied the remaining items we need to get us thru the first half of The Smokies. Then we walked a bit up the hill to the laundromat. Next Step and I got the laundry done and best of all, we were able to talk to both the kiddos and my parents while we waited for the laundry to finish. Then we walked WAAAYYY up the hill to the Mountainview Bistro for supper. Don¢t worry, we just had a nice salad, a cup of black bean and brisket soup and shared a blackened chicken flatbread sandwich. Fortunately the shuttle will come back to pick us up to take us back to the shelter. (Unless they¢re taking their supper break!! Just kidding!!! I know I¢m not the only one that needs to eat!!!)As we mentioned, we¢ll be heading into the Smokies tomorrow and will get picked up by our AMAZING Trail Angels, Susie and Al on Thursday. They¢re calling for snow on Tuesday and Wednesday. We¢ll be crossing the highest elevation on the AT on Thursday, so we would appreciate lots of prayers for the snow to either go somewhere else or at least to keep us safe if it does hit us. (But I prefer the former!!) Not sure what kind of cell service we¢ll have over the next few days, so don¢t worry if we aren¢t able to post on the journal every day. However, if you don¢t hear from us by supper time on Thursday evening, you might want to send the snow patrol!! I hope to be sending a message from the Mellow Mushroom in Gatlinburg by then:-)Hugs! - Which Way Update: We lingered too long at the Bistro and decided to get a room at the lodge. (Oh darn ¢ NOT!!!) Two showers in one day!!!Elevation Data:Ascent - 1,390Descent - 2,480Grade - 11.1Weather:Day - 66 / SunnyNight - 48 / Rain ShowersOver the Horizon: Clingman¢s Dome