Then back on trail I disappear like a gorilla in the mist.
Got to camp quite early, well before it's dark
To stay at Russell Shelter in Great Smoky
National Park.It started raining early in the morning, but faded away just as I needed to get up, packed and away. Mostly a descent to Fontana Dam on the early trek. The trees are still bare at the 3,000 foot level, but the forest floor is now a carpet of greenery interspersed with the whites, yellows and pinks of wildflowers. At lower elevations near the dam, all the trees had their light green leaves of spring.
I took my morning break at the "Fontana Hilton" and was lucky to find the last backcountry permit for the Smokies on a shelf there. Not that anybody asked to check it while I was in the park, but better safe than sorry when it comes to picking up a $125 fine if you're asked for it and can't produce it. While filling the water bottle at the restroom and using the facilities, I saw a huge brown spider crawling on the tiled floor. Would have hated to meet that thing in the shower! Reminded me of a few lines from an Australian song about spiders and dinkum dunnies:
There was a Redback on the toilet seat when I was there last night
I didn't see it in the dark, but boy I felt it's bite
Now here I am in hospital a sad and sorry sight
God, curse that Redback spider on the toilet seat last night!
Fontana Dam itself was an engineering wonder, staking claim to the largest of its kind east of the Mississippi. It was a dizzying experience to look down over the railing and into the spillway several hundred feet below. Still too early in the season for many travelers so the visitors center was closed. Had to make do reading the information boards located at different points around the area.
Quite a milestone to pass the signs indicating that I had just entered Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I'd looked forward to being once again in one of the nation's premier parks, especially having the opportunity to hike through it. The last time I'd passed this way was on a road trip in the summer before my senior year at university.
On the climb up to Shuckstack, I sneaked up on a few people without them knowing it. Wrapped up in his own thoughts, the first guy I passed was muttering something about broken promises and issuing a few commands to go @*%# themselves to whomever had done him wrong. I guess he was using the trail time to exorcise a few demons. The first group I passed was discussing the awesome possibility of doing a 20-mile day. Good for them. One rather large individual (300+ pounds) was huffing and puffing at a small bend in the trail near a stream crossing, vowing to himself that he would cut down on the number of cheeseburgers he consumed. I later learned his trailname was Chicken Wing and that he was using the hike as a way to lose weight. Supposedly, he had already dropped significant pounds, but he still had a long way to go. If he sticks with it, the trail will definitely do its part to help him shed the fat.
Mollies Ridge Shelter was much like Cold Spring Shelter a few days ago, plagued by flies. Luckily for me Russell Field Shelter was much better. When I arrived around four in the afternoon, there was only one person there, but by the time it grew dark, the place was pretty much full. Why had I stopped early and at a shelter no less? Simple, really. Park regulations require you to stay in shelters while in the boundaries of the park. A bit of snoring during the night, but nothing too bad to prevent me from sleeping.
Green Carpet and Wildflowers
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