Trip Report: Clingman's to Fontana Dam

“Well this ended up being a strange and shorter than expected trip. Been planning this one for quite a while. I left home Friday 9/7 at about 4pm starting a 13 hour drive. Been a long couple of weeks. Some family health problems, work issues, etc. Almost cancelled the trip. Friday was a long day as soon as I got on the road it started to rain. Travelling up 1-75 in the dark and rain and I seems to be the only car on the road. Every other vehicle was a large semi truck. Finally just called it a day.
Saturday was a much better day. I enjoyed the trip through Georgia, especially once you get past Atlanta. Arrive at the Hike Inn not far from The Fontana Dam that afternoon. Got everything ready for my morning shuttle trip to Clingman?s Dome. Got to bed early.
Sunday was a great day. Got up and got ready for my hike. Was shuttled to Clingman?s, stopped at Shoney?s for a big breakfast buffet. When I got to Clingman?s it was very foggy and a little cool. The cool was great since I had just left 90-degree weather in Florida. There was almost no one around. The parking lot was deserted, so I quickly hit the trail. The first few miles are great. You are traveling on the ridgeline and the views are great. Saw several people on the trail and had about a 9 mile hike that went great. Saw a father and son we told me a bear was hanging around the shelter I was staying at that night. Evidently someone had trashed Derrick?s Knob shelter. I was really not looking forward to chasing or being chased away from the shelter by a bear. Got to the shelter, no bear, but there were two large bags hanging from the bear pole. I first thought it was great I will have a little company. Since I was solo I would not have minded a couple of people in the shelter. Upon further inspection, it was not packs hanging from the pole; it was bags full of garbage. There must have been 50 lbs. of garbage in those bags. From reading the shelter journal one group must have left that much garbage. How could someone haul that much stuff in, much less leave it? This shelter is not close to any road. Well, at least someone had cleaned the shelter and surrounding area and hung the garbage. They even apologized in the Shelter journal for not being able to pack it out. Since the ups and down were already getting to me and I had my hardest day coming up. I also sadly decided I could not haul any of the garbage out either. I ate a cold dinner not wanting to attract the bear and hit the sack early.
Monday was another great day. The weather was still cool which was nice. It was also very foggy which wasn?t so nice. Since most of the scenic views would be today. I hit the trail about 8 and was moving along great. This is where the trip starts to get a little more weird. Walking along and look up and there stands a very large, very naked man. He sees me and says ?don?t mind me?. We were on a part of the trail that is beside the ridgeline. I had to go right by him on the trail to pass him. So I started walking forward and said ? sorry guess I caught you at a bad time.? Then I noticed he did have on hiking boots and a backpack. He laughed and said no he was just drying out. The part of the trail he had just come from was real wet. He was traveling very light and trying to dry out his clothes. He didn?t think he would see anybody this early on this part of the trial. After that saw about 9 clothed hikers. They said there was 10 people in Spence Field shelter. Made me kind of glad to have had a shelter to myself. Hiked on over Thunderhead Mountain and Rocky Top. Stopped on Rocky Top and hollered GO GATORS hoping that would get that song out of my head. The views were nonexistent due to the fog. However Rocky Top and Spence Field were kind of neat and surreal in the heavy fog. Got to Mollies Ridge late afternoon very tired. It was a good hiking day.
Tuesday 9/11 was another strange day. Saw a few other hikers that morning. I saw some guys from Florida with huge packs. They were taking a break on the trail. They actually had to help each other pick up their packs to get them on their backs. I could not bring myself to tell them about the extreme ups and downs that lay ahead. Then traveled the last 5 or 6 miles without seeing anybody else. The weather had cleared and it began to get hot. Most of the day was down hill and I had been on this part of the trail before so I tried to make good time. The plan was to get to the Dam early, find some food and rest up, then do another hike for a couple of days.
I got to the trailhead and rested took some pictures. Then traveled on the paved road that leads to the Dam. I walked across the Dam and did not see a soul. Got to the other side and the visitor center were closed. I went to the payphone and called my shuttle. Nancy from the Hike Inn then told me there was a ?situation? the dam was closed off with roadblocks. I came out of the woods after three days to hear the news. At the time, it just didn?t seem real. I had just strolled across a Dam that was closed for security reasons. No one except some painters had seen me and no one tried to stop me. Nancy called the TVA to see if they could come get me. The sheriffs on duty decided at that point they should come get me. By this time one of the painters had offered to give me a ride up to the roadblock. I got to the roadblock and there were two deputies and my ride back to the motel. The deputy then informed me that I would have to be search before I could leave. Seemed kind of funny to search me, since I was now about one mile away from the dam. I noticed neither of the deputies approached me. Remember I had been on the ridgeline for three days. No bath. So I opened my pack shuffled some stuff around and they were happy. Then I left; they told the shuttle driver that I sure did smell.
After calling home and all the tragic events of the day. I decided to call an end to my trip. I was tired and kind of bummed. Woke up and watch some T.V. That?s when the tragic events of the prior day hit. I really didn?t want to be out of touch with my wife for the next few days. So I drove back to Florida on Wednesday. Went back to work on Thursday, so now I still have a couple of vacation day?s left.
A strange, somewhat sad, shortened but great all around backpacking trip. Glad I went and certainly have some memories. I always wish to come back from these trips somewhat changed, but the world changed while I was on this Bping trip.”

“Thank you for your great trip report.. brings back some good memories since I hiked that same trip up to Mollie's Ridge back over Memorial Day weekend.

http://members.tripod.com/towndawg/sandals.htm

Sorry to hear about the sh*theads trashing Derrick's Knob.”

“Don?t mind me.”

“Great trip report!

I've never backpacked east of the Rockies, so I wouldn't know, and I'm curious: what are these shelters like that you mention? I've never seen man-made structures in wilderness areas. Do they have bunks, or is it just a roof over a concrete pad? Are you required to camp at the shelter, or can you set up camp anywhere you want? Just wondering...

By the way, it's a relief to see a non-WTC thread get started that actually has to do with backpacking! Thank you!”

“I have several pics of the AT shelters on my webpages.. but basically three walled structures.. most likely a chain link fence for a front.. but the new ones have these kewl front porches and skylights..

Huge timbers, and flat boards for bunks.. straight across.. (one flat multi-sleeping space).. on the AT INSIDE of GSMNP you are required to camp at designated campsites or shelters.. you can only sleep outside in a tent if you are a thru-hiker, and reservations are required.

On the AT OUTSIDE of GSMNP you can sleep anywhere, first come, first served.”

“Ya.. but look at how they build them NOW.. :)

http://w3.one.net/~theobald/summer/new_silers_bald.jpg”

“http://w3.one.net/~theobald/summer/new_silers_bald.jpg">”

“It's still a mouse hole!”

“Oh yea, great trip report!



And, I really like the backpacking stove in that second picture.”

“Cool! These pictures make me think of Daniel Boone/Davy Crockett-type adventures! The cabin posted by Violin (btw - thanks, V!) looks like Fess Parker should step out of it any moment, wearing a deer-skin suit, complete with tassles. Hmmm, have to give doing the AT some more thought...Would be a H*ll of a drive, though.”

“the guy with the big stove ( on the right) has PLYWOOD, too!!!”

“Most of the shelters along the AT look like Violin's.. the one I posted is Siler's Bald. (The new one at IceWater Spring looks just like it.)

Now for the record.. the shelters along the AT in NH look like HOTELs.. :)”

“Great stuff, memories here too. Dawg-Is that sky-lighted pic the new rebuild of Icewater Springs? I remember trying to sleep there (6000 ft)a few Januarys back when it was -10deg and blowing like 40 mph. I was glad to be able to put plastic on the chain link fence to cut the wind then. No such luck now.”

“IceWater is just like that one.. but that one is Siler's Bald.”

“That is the only piece of AT through the park I haven't done, trying to get it on a end to end this year. I love the GSMNP in winter.thanks.”

“damn look at all that flat land......where the heck is that?

hey WD look at that. theres no rocks to climb over.”

“Nope.. it ain't the Presidentials, sirpete..

*still jealous of y'alls trip*”

“Nice report! Great memories for me, I did pretty much the same trip in January. Lots of snow and ice, and LOTSO solitude. It was great!
I've got some pics here Smokies Pics.”

“Nice photos m-nutz.

I think dead trees are fascinating too. Even after they're "gone," they still serve a purpose where they stand. Shade for the marmot, home for the chickeree, and a widow maker for the unsuspecting passer-by.


- Thanks for the write up, Flatlander. That was a pretty bizarre trip. That nude fellow on the trail was a little disturbing.”

“SirPete
Believe me there is not much flat land in that section. Plenty of rocks and roots. From Derrick Knob to Spence field is a pretty strenuous trail. Well it was for me, coming from prefectly level, sea level ground. It was a 32 mile trip, about 2 or 3 miles could be considered relatively flat.
Tekapo
The nude fellow did shake me up a first. However his mannerisms were not threating. I really think he was surprised to see someone that early on that part of the trail. I talked to some people that stayed in the shelter with him the night before. Seems he was actually a nice normal guy. Just liked to hike naked.
My thoughts on the shelters:
I really didn't mind the shelters. The only problem is it's hard to plan your hiking around them. Kind of makes the scheduling difficult. The first day I was at the shelter by 3:00 and got bored waiting for dark. The second day was a little too long trying to make the next shelter. They are actually kind of nice to have around for bad weather. So far I have been lucky. There has never been more than 3 people in a shelter when I have used them. I would think that in the spring with 12+ people it would be a little crowded.”

“nice report!....reminds me of my very first backpacking trip ....to spence field......it was foggy then too.......i guess they dont call em the smokies for nothing.......and i too, recall less flat than ups and downs....”

“I've been in them fully loaded,(usually 12 is max) its a royal pain. No cooking room, no place to ahng all the gear and you do not want it on the floor unless you like sharing meals with mice the shelters are loaded with mice, I really prefer a tent but you can't tent on the AT in GSMNP so...”

“Mtnman!.. geEeezz.. come on.. not THAT bad.. :)”

“Dawg- Not that I don't like them, they taste like chicken. They are pretty good foot warmers too. They are very industrious. I had one of these little buggers spend all night taking the trail mix from a bag in my pack, hanging on a rope with a mouse bell (how he made the leap I don't know) to put a good half pound of it in another guy's socks in the bottom of his pack across the shelter. I wish I had people to work that hard.;-)”

“The most loaded shelter I was ever in was 17 people at Mt. Collins in the Smokies this last March. Big snowstorm blew in and we all holed up there. It was tight but everyone was polite and it all worked out.”

“Thanks for the report... glad you got some good days in.”

“Mule- I was there in Feb, no crowd but we thought the roof was comming off any second from the tin banging in the wind. The Sugarland Mtn trail down from there is one of my favorites.”

“Thanks for the report, Flatlander - It's good to see, that a few people are getting out a bit”