Date: 2013-04-07
From: Cable Gap Shelter

To: Fontana Lodge
Miles today: 5.4
Weather: broken clouds

The night was warmer than most recent nights, and we all slept well. RainbowBrite was the first to wake in the shelter, but I could hear that some of the campers behind us were up and about. I turned over and rested a few more minutes but was up by 8:00 a.m. It occurred to me that hikers are sleeping 10-11 hours per night, but our muscles need the rest.Packing up goes slightly quicker when there¢s no tent to store. RainbowBrite and Mr. Rogers cooked breakfast while I went with my usual no-cook, cold breakfast bars. Whole Bean and UV were the last to stir from the shelter. Their plans are to skip the Smokies, since their dog Maisy is not allowed, and return in the fall to complete their thruhike. The fall colors in the Smokies, as they pointed out, would be amazing. One of their friends was going to pick them up and shuttle them to Davenport Gap, on the other side of the Smokies. As we packed up, they dreamt of town food, like Taco Bell and Chick-Fil-A, but then they realized that Chick-Fil-A is not an option because it¢s Sunday.When Wales was finished packing, he came down to the shelter to say good morning and coordinate our plans. Mr. Rogers invited him to stay at the Fontana Lodge (hotel) instead of the Fontana Hilton (shelter). He agreed, as did Nova, and we found ourselves in a five-person loose confederation with RainbowBrite. Our plan was to meet up at the lodge and figure out the room situation. RB and Mr. R had prior plans to share a room with Willow and Lushes, but that was uncertain since W and L had pushed ahead last night to the Lodge and we assumed wouldn¢t take a zero to spend another night.Wales departed with Nova, and soon after, so did I. On my way out, I said good-bye to Canadian Bacon and Zen Master since their plans involved staying at the Hike Inn. They are entering the Smokies tomorrow, although probably slightly ahead of me. We agreed to sign in at each shelter so that we might catch up again.I left just before 9:00 a.m. and hiked up to views of Fontana Lake. I realized then that the lake had been visible from Wesser Bald, although at that time, I couldn¢t identify it. Although we could see the lake, the descent seemed to go on forever. The trail generally followed the contours and descended slowly. I managed to slip and fall, my third fall in as many days. Thankfully I fell backwards and my pack cushioned my fall.Once finally at the bottom, I called a shuttle for Mr. R, RB, and myself. Within minutes, we were whisked away to the resort. Waiting in the resort¢s parking lot were Nova and Wales. We all entered together and inquired about a room. They didn¢t have a room for five people, so we decided to stealthily sneak in the fifth person. Nova registered, paid $59, and soon we found ourselves in a very nice room with two queen beds. Wales volunteered to take the floor.When attempting to pay Nova, I realized that my wallet (a Ziploc bag with ID, credit cards, insurance card, and cash) was missing. I tried not to panic and retraced my steps since I last had my wallet. I spoke to the staff, and they were very helpful, but my wallet was MIA. My stomach turned when I considered how difficult it would be to obtain a new ID and credit cards and cash. I literally had $6 in my pockets, and I had already committed to the hotel room and a $12 shuttle to Robinsville with the group for dinner and resupply. The group gathered our dirty clothes; I, however, continued my quest for my wallet. My best guess was that I accidentally dropped it in or near the shuttle. When I saw the shuttle pull up, I intercepted the driver. She said she had just turned in a wallet to the front desk! I smiled broadly and rushed to the desk. The gentleman asked me for an ID, and I laughed out loud. No, sir, I do not have an ID. It should be in that bag in your hand. He searched, found my ID, confirmed my identity, and returned my wallet, Hallelujah! I then decided to carry separate wallets in different parts of my pack so that if I lost one again, I wouldn¢t be totally SOL.With my wallet in hand and a smile on my face, I returned to my room. I knocked but there was no answer. They had all left to do laundry, and I didn¢t have a room key. ARGH! Oh, well, it could have been worse, so I started on the 0.25-mile hike to the laundromat. Once there, I gave the good news regarding my wallet and borrowed a room key. I then showed up, charged up my electronics, and journaled.Our shuttle to Robinsville was scheduled for 3:30. They all returned at 3:20 and we hustled to the shuttle pick-up point. By 4:00, we were in Robinsville, at El Pacifico for another delicious Mexican meal.After dinner, we went to Ingles, the local grocery store, to resupply. I grabbed just a few items since I was expecting a maildrop at Fontana Village on Monday. I ran across the street to Kerr Drug to buy some Ibuprofen, and on my way back, I ran into Morris! He was zeroing and said he had nearly become hypothermic at Sassafras Gap above the NOC during the ice storm. I told him where I was, and he said he was getting back on at Stecoah Gap. He didn¢t know where Stupid was, but we¢re likely to catch up down the trail.We tried to buy beer in Robinsville, but just our luck, it was Sunday in a dry county. The south is just full of dry counties! Mr. R texted Willow and asked her to buy five 12-packs at the Lodge since it was in a different county. She came through!Once back at the Lodge, I visited the lobby to journal. Instead, I ended up socializing with Captain Dan, Jolly, Tie Dye, Tom (from the Hiker Hostel), and others. Mr. R then showed up and invited people to our room for beer. I went back to our room, and it became party central. The Warrior Hikers showed up, as did Paul Bunyan, Jolly, Flo, and others. We celebrated until 11:45 p.m., by far my latest night on the trail, but it was fun and well-earned!