Into the Smokies - Brown Fork Gap to Gatlinburg

Many other hikers arrived at Brown Fork Shelter after us and it was clear that the gathering at the NOC had bunched many of the hikers together. We left camp early and were the first ones out on the way to Fontana Dam. One of the reasons we get up early is because we are not as fast as some of the other hikers, so if we want to make the miles, we have to put in more time. It was 14 miles to the road crossing where we could get a shuttle into Fontana Dam and pick up our mail drop and another 1.1 miles to the shelter. Fontana Dam is only a little resort village outside the Smokies so there isn't a whole lot to choose from as far as supplies. Along the way we started hiking on and off with Fatty and Funny Bone. They are hilarious and good hiking partners and we are still with them today. It kind of felt like a race getting into Fontana Dam because no one knew what supplies would be available and we all didn't want to have to wait on the shuttle. Once we got to the road crossing it only took about 15 minutes for the shuttle to return to get us. I also got a new blister along the way on the steep downhill to the dam. We went straight to the post office to pick up our mail drop from my mom but the mail clerk was obviously very flustered from all the thru hikers and said that she didn't have anything. I was ready to strangle her when MC suggested we should go get some lunch and give her some time to collect herself. We hiked up the hill for a less than memorable lunch, but it was worth it because when we got back down to the post office she had found our box. By the way, the mail lady also put in her two week notice that day or so we heard. There was even a surprise Easter basket waiting in our resupply box! It was wonderful. We organized everything and made our way to the shelter which is known on the trail as the Fontana Hilton because there is a bath house where you can shower and the shelter that sleeps 20 and is right next to Fontana Lake. We didn't want to deal with the snoring so we put up our tent and enjoyed the breeze. There were lots of hikers here too because it is the last campsite you can stay at before you enter The Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

That next morning we woke up early and with Sleeping Beauty, Fatty, and Funny Bones we entered the park. In the park you can only camp at the provided shelters and you have to sleep in them unless day hikers with shelter permits come in an there is not enough room for everyone. It is kind of a pain and many thru hikers disagree with the policy, but it is to keep down the wear and tear on the most heavily visited national park in the country. On this day we hiked 16.7 miles to the Spence Field Shelter. Along the way we came across the Shuckstack fire tower which gave us 360 views of the river valley and surrounding mountains. Truly beautiful. We made it to camp, cooked our dinner and tended to our blisters before calling it a night.

The next day was our big push. We had to hike 20.5 miles to get to the shelter closest to Newfound Gap if we wanted to avoid the upcoming storm. That would be hard on normal terrain, but we were in the Smokies an also had to hike over the highest point on the Appalachian Trail to get there. We started somewhere around 4,000 feet and had to go over Clingman's Dome which reaches 6,643 feet. That day was the hardest so far. I don't remember much except sore feet, heavy breathing, and beautiful views of the mountains. It was also the hottest day so far and our pink sunkissed skin now reminds us to apply sunscreen every morning. Clingman's Dome was great. The views weren't as spectacular as I had expected due to a forrest fire east of us, but it was a great achievement to hike over the highest point on the whole AT. One memorable thing just before we hobbled into camp was a bird fight we observed. We just stood still and watched them battle for their territory across the trail. It was pretty awesome. We FINALLY got to camp, set up our tent, made dinner, and passed out. We were too tired to even take care of our feet. We knew we had taken ourselves to our physical limits and we could also see it on our hiking partners faces. That was the best night of sleep I have had in a long time.

We let ourselves sleep in until 8 am then had a quick breakfast, packed up and hiked the 5 miles to Newfound Gap. We had to hitch a ride down the mountain 15 miles into Gatlinburg and the first car that drove by was Beth and she pulled over and gave us a ride. She had just finished a visit with her thru hiking boyfriend Yukon Cornelius and had dropped him off at Clingman's Dome so it worked out perfect for her to drive us into Gatlinburg on her way to work. We had a pleasant conversation with her and enjoyed the company. She dropped us off at the gear store where we were meeting up with everyone else. We all bought the supplies we needed, went out for pizza (a lot of pizza) then found a hotel room we could all fit in. So now we sit here reorganizing our packs hoping that this storm passes before 10am tomorrow when our shuttle will take us back up the mountain and back onto the trail.

Below is a group picture of Funny Bone, Fatty, Paddy Cakes and Puddin'.