NS: GSMNP 2003 August

“August 11-13 - Met my daughter(20) at the Atlanta Airport. She was returning from a visit with her mother in Panama. We drove north through scenic Helen and then Hiawassee, GA, to Jackrabbit CG, where I had a campsite. With part of Lake Chatuge on three sides, we enjoyed watching three types of ducks swimming near us, fish jumping and rabbits. After a day of packing, sightseeing and pounding on a library's computers, we headed for the AT at Clinkmans Dome. I saw one deer and she saw a rabbit as we picked berries, while hiking to Double Spring Gap Shelter. Bears had already stripped most of the berries and moved on, so we did not see any bears during this trip.

August 14 - We continued to Silers Bald where we enjoyed the remodeled shelter and then RAIN! Along the trail we ate more blueberries and blackberries and enjoyed seeing black and yellow butterflies, snails, slugs, centipedes, spiders and many types of fungi. We encountered a plant protected from bugs by a cage!

August 15 - We returned to Double Spring Gap Shelter. My daughter located the second of the springs. Three hikers paused for a while before going to Silers Bald. They were great people and we enjoyed conversing during some showers. One was a TT Poster, Timbros. My daughter collected some blueberries for adding to our morning oatmeal.

August 16 - It was a long, tiring hike for me to Clinkmans Dome. We ate plenty of berries along the way. Then it was hot showers at the Fontana Dam and a night in the Fontana Hilton Shelter.

Non-bp'ing Section

August 17 - We visited Abrams CG and the trailhead of Rabbit Creek Trail. Then we headed NW and drove past the St. Louis Arch.

August 18-25 - We continued to Grinnell, IA, and unloaded some things from the car. Then I missed a stop sign and was pretty shaken. http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread.php?id=24827&q=nav&age=-1 We, also, missed simer190, who was playing golf. Spent four nights in Minnesota, where we experienced a cut-up tent and a stolen backpack. http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread.php?id=24835&q=nav&age=-1 Introduced my 20 year old daughter to her 40 year old brother, whom I had not seen for 26 years. It was a great reunion. Took a grandson, a granddaughter, and two daughters to the Mall-of-the-Americas, where we had a great day in the large, indoor, amusement part. After leaving our site at Lake Elmo Park Reserve, we learned that two small planes had collided in the air and crashed in the vicinity during the night! I remembered hearing some small planes flying low. Sure glad that they missed the campground. We picked up my daughter's cat and returned to Grinnell, again missing simer190. We had a nice campfire and roasted marshmellows and ate ice cream. We even went to church together. I called lizs to see about arranging a meeting, but she was busy, so I returned to GSMNP. Stopped for a great evening and night with an old, highschool friend and his wife near Chicago.”

“Glad you had a good reunion, Nowslimmer.”

“Hey!

Thanks for the report.
I'm jealous!”

“Nowslimmer,
You're back from MN already? Dang that was fast!”