Snow Day and Birthday Party.

So we’ve made it into Fontana Lake and are staying at the Fontana Lake Resort and Lodge. It was a five day trek from Franklin, but it sure feels like it was longer than that. It’s funny how the days out here feel – something that happened just the day before might feel like it was a month ago.

The first day out of Franklin we took really slow and easy. We had heavy packs and the weather was looking grim for the evening. We decided to stay at the Siler Bald Shelter, just 4.2 miles in. This is where we met Bailey and Josh, siblings who decided to thru-hike. We’ve been running into them daily since then. They’re from Colorado and make some of the best food I’ve seen backpacking, the whole camp is always envious. We got to the shelter by about 2, this was after a rather lazy morning in Franklin. I’m glad we decided to stay there because not long after we got there the weather got worse. It started with rain, then sleet, next was hail, and finally it just snowed. The forecast was for 1-2″ and that’s about what we got. Not enough that we had to post hole the next morning, but it was still a winter wonderland. We all stayed in the shelter, accompanied by Josh, Bailey, and Tetris. We’ve run into Tetris a few times, I like him. He carries a snoopie doll as a mascot, something that makes everyone smile. It was a cold night, but I did learn a trick. If you heat water to a near boil and put it in a Nalgene bottle, you have a hot water bottle. Stick it between your knees and you femoral artery will carry the heat all throughout your body. It works wonders until the water is cold and you’re just keeping it warm.

The next day was a lot of work. The downhills were slow because you had to be careful with your footing, and it was just cold in general. The high was about 38, so it was definitely the coldest backpacking I’ve ever done. My feet stayed nice and warm despite periodically being submerged in snow. We got to Cold Springs Shelter which only slept 6, all spots were taken. We got a nice spot on the ridge above the shelter, and wind wasn’t too bad. I was still cold though. My water bottle didn’t freeze though, but I suspect it was still below freezing outside my tent. The ground was frozen solid the next morning.

 

The following day was a lot warmer with a high in the 50’s. It was a really nice break from all the cold. We were treated with a spectacular view too, atop the Wesser Bald observation tower. It made a really good lunch spot! After lunch we descended to A. Rufus Morgan Shelter. Here we decided to stay in the shelter and have an early morning into the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). The NOC does whitewater rafting and kayaking as well as zip lines. There was a restaurant that had a really nice breakfast. It was an awesome break from oatmeal every day. None of the girls finished their breakfast, which meant I ate about 2 and a half full sized breakfasts. I don’t think I’ve ever been so full before. It was amazing fuel for the rest of the day though. We had a 3000 foot climb out of the NOC and I felt strong the whole time. I was still full by lunch time, so didn’t really feel a need to stop. We got to Sassafras Gap Shelter atop the long climb and decided to push onward to Locust Cove Gap which just had tenting. I counted 22 tents that night, It was very tight. It’s alarming to think about how many people must try to camp there during the main thru-hiker bubble which I tried to avoid with an early start. A group of about 6 did a night hike with the full moon. They broke camp at 4 am, something I wasn’t about. I definitely want to try it later on though, it sounds peaceful.

 

The last night we went to Cable Gap Shelter. There was rain in the forecast but we were able to set up camp just before it started. It was a really nice evening spent listening to rain fall on my tent and reading my book.

Yesterday we just walked the 6 miles into Fontana Lake. We then checked into our room and got some lunch. Fontana Village is just the weirdest place. In the summer months its a large resort town, but in the off season it just feels empty. There are no residences it seems, just houses that are rented out to families on vacation. There’s mini golf, a pool, tennis courts, baseball, disc golf, and a cutesy general store. But it’s all closed right now. It was still a great place for a 21st birthday. The resort has a descent restaurant with a bar, so we had some fun. I will say though, no one checked my ID all day… oh well.

 

After a night of celebrating maybe too much, we decided to take a zero today. This will let us start the Smokies well rested and eager for adventure, something I fully expect out there. Photos from the last snow storm have me a little concerned, but I have good trust in my gear.