Hiker Trash invade Damascus, VA

Any one who hikes often, reads backpacker magazine, or has been on the trail this season knows that Appalachian Trail Days is the party to attend.  This is a festival hosted by the city of Damascus, VA that welcomes hikers and vendors to enjoy the outdoors and adventure stories for an entire weekend.  Vendoirs set up as well as tenters throughout the town.  An area known as "tent city" is set up as a base camp, and a vendor area is set up downtown.  Weary hikers can set up and then explore to find hair cuts, medical exams, foot exams, even pet exams, free food, sales of the season, and lots of giveaways. 
So, finally, we have arrived... and so has the rain.  The rain will not rain on our parade.  Well, literally it might, but we will enjoy walking in this rain as long as it isn't cold and we can dry out afterwards. 

The Great Smoky Mountains have been an adventure.  And Gatlinburg was truely a tourist trap!  As all hikers have said, and many have ignored... hikers; do not enter Gatlinburg.  The chances that you will never leave, or leave broke are extremly high. 

But now that we have a weekend with some signal and places to charge our phones, multiple updates are soon to appear.  Stay tuned!  But for now, I am going to snag some free food and maybe some free booty.

A minor bump in the road

   We left the Nantahala Outdoor Center on Thursday.  It was a six mile climb that never seemed to end.  Evey time you came around a corner there was another hill to climb.  The spot known as the Jump Up is a rock outcrop with an incredible view, but is still not the end of the climb.  This climb was a true test of ones use of momentum.  Stopping to catch ones breath or readjust a pack strap, only makes the next three steps that much harder and more painful to get moving.  If that is what getting old feels like, no thank you. 
   That night wasn't much easier.  The Sassafras Gap shelter did not really have any good spots for a tent so we slept on a slope with the wind coming straight up the hillside and under the rain fly.  What's better is that Kris and I both got a bit of a head and chest cold.  Needless to say, the next day hiking was a bit tough and unfavourable weather was on its way in so we decided that a day off the trail was in order. 
   Donna from Cabin in the Woods picked us up at Stecoah Gap.  Her loft cabin was cozy, dry, and affordable.   It gave us a chance to recoup. She even gave us a ride into town to get some juice and cold medicine.   The weather only got worse while we were there, and with poor sleep because of the colds we stayed a couple of nights. 
Monday we had to get to Fontana Dam to pick up our packages that Momma Jane sent for us.  Our ride up there was a little later than we had hoped but we got to the Fontana Village and kind of fell in love with the place.  It is gorgeous.  The lodge gives awesome views of the smokeys.  The campus is huge.  There are rooms and cabins all different sizes.  Multiple swimming pools and playgrounds.  Hill billy putt putt and a full disc golf course.  Not to mention tons of hiking and outdoor recreation.  Since it was too late to get to the trail and we still had stuff to do, we decided to stay.  They gave us the thru-hiker rate, which was the deal of the century for this place. 
   The restaurant was a little pricey but man, did we eat.  2 appetizers,  2 entrees,  dessert, and drinks.  That food never stood a chance. 
So today we enter the Smokeys.  It will be a little while before I can update again.  Bringing up the rear for the Lollygaggers, we may see some of them again at Trail Days in Damascus.  We are planning on a mail drop in Gatlinburg, which unfortunately means we have to go into the tourist town, but I have been challenged in a hot sauce challenge, and the challenge has been accepted.  I just have to hike the 45 miles from the Dam to the road access to get there. 
   Check back in in about a week.  From Fontana Dam, the Great Smokey Mountain National Park Clingman Dome Lookout, and the Pepper Palace Nasal Napalm Challenge, there will be pictures. 

Photos below of wild flowers, a sweet rock outcrop from the climb out of the NOC, the view from the Fontana Lodge restaurant,  and a photo of Momma Jane at a waterfall on the AT during her visit. 

Wild flowers

One mile took me almost an hour today.  The wildflower explosion was almost over night. 
This is just a couple of my favorites so far :-)

Until next time!

Happy hikers

The Nantahala Cener gives hikers a chance for clean faces and full bellies. 
Ring Master
Kitty
Springbok
Iris
Mohawk

Photos

Cookeh climbing Siler Bald

Lollygaggers at the top of Siler Bald elev. 5,216

Trail magic

After a long and hard climb we found some trail magic.  Sandwiches and cold soda.  Even somewhere to wash our hands!  The trail angel was Kicho.

Nantahala National Forest

Nantahala National Forest is beautiful forest that the trail runs through from outside of Franklin NC, until reaching the boundary of the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  The Nantahala Outdoor Center is a great outdoor center outside of Bryson City.  The trail runs right through the park and gives a hungry hiker a chance for a burger and some clean laundry.  This place is a mecca for kayakers and rafters.
We entered the National Forest about a week ago (what day is it?).  We took a zero day in Franklin, NC because Momma Jane came to visit and bring us and a couple of the Lollygaggers some good home cooked food and homemade pecan pie. 
When we got back on the trail on Saturday, it was a rainy morning.  Mom dropped us off at Winding Stair Gap and walked about 0.1 miles on the trail to see the waterfall that the guide book said was there.  This just gave her a chance to see some white blazes and just a taste of the beauty and wildflowers.   It was really great to see her but we were ready to get back to it.  Then the rain really set in, the temperature dropped, and the flash flood warning came in.  So we got to a shelter at Siler Bald and claimed a spot in the shelter.  And it rained.  For 36 hours.  Those who were in their tents were damp or wet.  Those who were in the shelter were sardines.  And everyone was damp and cold.  Everyone that came in on Saturday stayed and took a zero day on Sunday because of the conditions.  Monday morning, the forecast was iffy so some of the Lollygaggers headed back to Franklin to dry out and jump ahead to Gatlinburg.  The others (ourselves included) pushed forward to the NOC and then to Fontana Dam. 
The three days since the deluge have been beautiful.  Every day I notice new wild flowers.  The forest is so green with new Spring growth.  The trail has taken us past water falls and springs with water flowing right out of the rock, so delicious and clear, we can't tell what has been filtered and what hasn't. I have lost track of all of the views of the landscape. 
It's difficult to walk and look at all of the beauty at the same time.  Shoot, sometimes  its just hard to figure out where to step, let alone figuring out what kind of bird you hear singing.  The descent into the NOC took almost a whole day and just about blew my knee out.  We were supposed to head back out today but it is a 7 mile ascent before the first shelter and after that burget, I'm just not sure that's gonna happen. 
So now, as I wait on the laundry to finish and drink this awesome soda, I think a beer and a nap by the river are in order before we try to find a campsite near by. 
We should be at Fontana Dam Friday or Saturday and then into the Smokeys!  I will try to post more and some photos later.