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May 25, Wednesday (1986 miles to go)
Beautiful
this morning, no rain last night. We stopped almost immediately
after beginning our hike today to take pictures of the accumulation
of clouds that had all sunk into the valleys around the Snowbird
Mountains during the night and had yet to burn off. Today would
be another fairly short day of about 14 miles to our next resupply
point at Fontana Village before entering the Smoky Mountains. The
trail seemed to be a little long right before Yellow Creek Road,
and then again before Highway 28 before heading into Fontana Village.
The Village is not directly on the trail. It is located two miles
down the road. We began hiking along the road and had gone at least
half way before we secured a ride from a guy and his two beagles
in a green pickup. He dropped us off at the entrance to the village,
but wouldn't you know there were two entrances, and we got off at
the wrong one. It took a little bit to find the Post Office and
store as a result. I received a lot of goodies from my mother and
a letter from my friend Dave Szabo. Good to know that someone is
thinking about you. Sent off the two rolls of film that I had shot,
and then went next door to the small store to resupply for the next
leg of our journey. Of course before buying essentials for the next
section, I had to have a pint of Cherry Vanilla ice cream and two
cokes. To help prepare for the next section I consulted the data
book to determine how many days worth of food I would need to reach
the next resupply point in Hot Springs, North Carolina. The data
book has all the major points along the trail listed with the distance
traveled accumulating from one point to the next. It is helpful
for getting a general idea of where you are, how much farther you
have to travel, where the shelters and campsites are, where the
groceries are and how far off the trail you must travel to get them.
I figure how many breakfasts, lunches and dinners are needed and
then subtract any food that I already have left over from the previous
section, or from either packages sent to me. Usually there is no
left over food since hikers tend to eat any extra the last day or
so before getting to town.
After buying your supplies, the ritual of paring down the extra
unnecessary weight of packaging begins. Peanut butter is taken out
of the glass jar and put into a plastic container; all the oatmeal
packets are taken out of the box and put into the food bag. All
items packaged in cardboard are taken out and the cardboard is discarded.
Sometimes the cardboard is used to make a hitching sign to get you
back to the trail. I made a sign that read "DAM" and stood
out by the entrance to the village beside the road leading back
to the trail near the Fontana Dam Shelter. We were automatically
picked up by a gift store employee and driven the two miles back
to the shelter.
The Fontana Dam Shelter also known as the "Fontana Hilton,"
is located about a quarter mile from the Dam that serves as the
Tennessee Valley Authoritie's pride and joy and produces electricity
for a large area. At the dam there is a visitors center, public
restrooms, and phone. The best part is that the restrooms have free
heated showers! Jim and I walked down the road to the complex and
alternated using the phone and taking a good lonnnnng shower. I
called home and had a Mountain Dew from the pop machine nearby.
On our trip back to the shelter, we noticed that "Ford",
the automobile company, was filming some footage for a commercial
for the '84 LTD on the road between the shelter and the visitor
complex. They kept driving back and forth in an attempt to get it
"just right." Ate Sweet Sue chicken and dumplins from
a can for supper, and brownies for dessert. The meals immediately
after resupply are always the best as they can be just about anything
rather than dehydrated or "just add water" type meals.
Even though this meal came from a can it was delicious. With numerous
trash cans nearby, the refuse can also be discarded rather than
being carried around for days.
Gonzo!
Appalachian Trail Journals ©1983
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