Day 23 - Retro Entry from : Sep 28, 2013

Leave Fontana dam and enter the smokies. The problem with Gaps is that you have to hike down into them be then you have to hike out of them. So after a nice walk around of the visitors center and I didn't use the outside bathroom hot showers, I trucked across the dam. There was some question as it was 0930 as to whether or not I should wait until 10000 when the snack bar was supposed to open. But really with the resupply box heaven on my back what was I going to buy that I wouldn't have carry? So I headed out. The first part of the day I followed a road and lots of people simple drove to the trail head for a day of hiking. I seem to be able to pass these day hikers pretty easily. Saw a great big white tail buck cross the trail in front of me and lots of partridges. This 11 mile day was quite an uphill slog. My brain is 50 ft ahead of my feet picking the path. At first glimpse there's almost an urge to scurry rigt up there where my brain has picked out places for my feet- and poles. What actually happens is when my feet actually reach the places my brain has already located the conversation goes like this: oh here you are feet, finally, well let's get a move on shall we? And the idea of getting more and more miles in seems more dependent on the evenness of the trail. Not even whether it's up or down just how difficult it is to find footing. And the faster you want to go means more and more focus on your feet and the trail closer and closer to your feet. I'm really glad I have two hiking poles. I haven't done a face plant or a turtle yet knock on wood but I've come darn close.
The picture is the top of the TVA visitors center looking across the dam second largest in somewhere North America? And into the smokys. Just last week a bear mom with three cubs came across the dam and frolicked on the lawn
-83.8023°, 35.4518°

Day 23 -RETro Entry from Sep 27, 2013

Fontana Hilton. I share pumpkin chichi chip cookies and a whoopsie pie with a young Tennesseean he's going to go north as best he can but wishes his dad could be hiking with him. I shared couscous and little Okies for supper with him. He was carrying a bear bell and a air horn no bear was going to get him. Funny that I never saw him again I wonder if he was following the AT or just going to bush sack. After all the running around I did to get my permit for GSMNP I wonder if he did the same. He did saw he had to be back to his factory job to gear up for thanksgiving and Christmas . It was really surprising the visitors center had very little GSMNP info. It was all TVA stuff which was really interesting. There were two retired TVA volunteers who come up and spend two weeks in a cabin to volunteer here. When their two weeks is up two more volunteers come in. The whole TVA experience during the war was incredible. That host reunions for the children and grand children of the workers that built this place. The "Dam kids"
75° Sunny
Nantahala National Forest, Fontana Dam, NC, United States

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Day 22 Entry: Oct 2, 2013 - FIrst day of government shutdown

Leave Gatlingburg with food for two days. This is what I saw as I was leaving new found gap yesterday: apparently there's some sort of shutdown going on? You should see all the cars lined up trying to get into any of the GSMNP attractions. I bet it's a boon for Dollywood. So I figure I'll just get dropped off at the barriers and see if anyone tries to stop me. Really I can see them emptying out the campgrounds but the whole AT? The signs say all "facilities" Are closed. I think that means toilets and drinking fountains at the fancier and bigger pull outs. I bought a liter of spring water, new batteries for my headlamp and two suppers this town trip. The spring water because after drinking my filtered spring water this town stuff taste bad. I did walk down Main street as far as I could stand it . I think I got as far as the Fillets Believe it or Not Museum. The one with the pseudo cracked brickwork just past TGIFs and the Cars of the Stars museum. It looked like Times Square.
61° Partly Cloudy
US-441, Gatlinburg, TN, United States

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Day Twenty One ALSO: Oct 1, 2013

Hanging in Gatlinburg. Walked past TGIF and all the other fisherman ward attractions to find the Shamrock Lounge with live music ( he just left and the new guy is setting up) and ab empty deck . Wings and a salad . There Are two gondola rides within sight of each other. It was a 7 mile hiker in from Mt Collins shelter and then a phone call to get a ride although I was talking to a couple and they offered me a free ride after I had committed to this other fellow for 20$. Another fellow and I had slogged into this leanto from Derrick Knob Shelter. Apparently "knob" is a legitimate geological feature. Well at least Derrick's is. I guess I now see that I ascended a couple other knobs yesterday… This 13.5 slog was long. Most everything was fogged in and I didn't make the 1 mile diversion to Clingmans Dome- would not have seen much but mist. But even with my direct approach today I arrived at the shelter just a bit before headlamp time. The opportunity for water resupply was limited. I had thought I would get an orange soda at Clingman Dome. There has to be a snack shop amidst the great big parking lot and bumping-us concrete-tower right? Nope a guy hiking with me says there's nothing maybe a drinking fountain in the parking lot another half mile away from the trail.
77° Mostly Cloudy
105 Reagan Dr, Gatlinburg, TN, United States

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Day Twenty One - Entry: Oct 1, 2013

State number three although for the past two days the AT has let me walk with one foot on Tennesssee and one foot on NC
59° Cloudy
United States

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Day What ? Entry: out of order? Punctuation free....

A 15.2 mile day. Sassafras Gap Shelter to Cable Gap Shelter 15.2 miles. I probably won't have done it if Jay wasn't here. At 9.1 miles we pondered a stop at Brown Fork Gap and decided we could push on to Cable Gap. We talked about almonds of thing. Our sore muscles complaining and the. Passing away forgotten . We'd both been stung by something's and I was glad j had that Epi pen. It was a good day for walking. When I woke up this morning I was so intent on gettin my warm dry Burt into wet underwear wet shorts wet shirt and wet socks I slid my feet into my wet boots did I mention cold? That I forgot to put the innersoles back in my boots. They are probably still at the shelter and everyone I have see. Headed that way I told them to take em if they want. I walked for the next 2 days with out innersoles and we marveled at what litte impact ther was on the comfort of my wet feet especially since the first thing every hiking boot salesperson tries to do is sell you a pair of fancy inner soles when you buy the boots. It wasn't until Fontana dam when things were getting dried out did I begging to realize just how hard the bottom of these boots are. Fortunately jay and his bro in law were schlepping me all over Fontana that I got a new pair of innersoles. It was a long day in good company
0°, 0°

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Jay makes it

Jay reaches the great smokies
-83.8085°, 35.4528°

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