Bad days make good stories ~Hiker Wisdom
April 28, 2023
AT miles: 15.1
Ascent: 2649’
Descent: 4026’
Weather: mid~50’s and soaking rain all day
Sightings: rain slickers and raindrops
High points: successfully navigating the super-slippery trail
The hostel owner was doing two shuttles to the trail — one at 6:00 am and one at 8:00 am. After some thought I decided to take the early bird one, so I was again on the trail before sunrise, night-hiking with the help of my head lamp. I wasn’t so nervous about it this time!
It rained all day — a solid soaking rain that made you want to drink tea in front of a fire. However, I had miles to hike, so I just put one foot in front of the other.
The dirt was slippery, the roots were slippery, and the rocks were slippery. The entire trail was like a skating rink.
I stopped at Brown Fork Gap Shelter for a snack. It is an older shelter built with huge logs. The wood roof shingles are covered with moss and ivy.
At the shelter, I passed John from the hostel. We proceeded to leapfrog multiple times and eventually to hike together for the rest of the day. We didn’t talk much, but it was nice to have company while sloshing down the treacherous trail.
The descent to Fontana Dam was long but not particularly steep. The only noteworthy part of this wet slippery hike was the cute bridge I crossed right near the end of the hike.
The bridge was accompanied by this adorable sign. I always loved the story of the three Billy Goats Gruff!
I reached a place where I could take a shuttle up to Fontana Lodge and get my car around 1:40 pm. However, I got rather confused as to where the trail went from here and convinced myself that I needed to hike another mile or so to get to the parking area where I will start my hike through Smoky Mountain National Park next month. Well, I was wrong, so I ended up hiking an extra three miles in the rain. I was pretty annoyed at myself, but after I finally got the shuttle up to Fontana Lodge I rewarded myself with some M&Ms. Thanks to my absent-mindedness, my actual hike today was 3 miles longer than the AT miles indicate. Oh well!
This is the marina at Fontana Dam in the rain.
After my hiking mix-up, I hopped in my car and drove four hours to the home of good friends who live in North Carolina. On very short notice they opened their home to me and wined and dined me. I really appreciate their hospitality!
I will head home tomorrow, but I hope to return in about a month to hike the remaining 150 miles of the southern part of the AT!
Today’s a great day for a long walk in the woods!