Appalachian Trail - Fontana Dam to Newfound Gap

Last fall I was supposed to do this trek, but the Government Shutdown closed the National Parks and I was stuck. I had a nice vacation, but did little hiking.

So, for this year - I went a bit more ambitious. I am planning on leaving Fontana Dam, crossing the Great Smoky National Park and continuing on to Hot Springs, NC.

This is the tentative itinerary:

The goal was Fontana Dam to either the exit of the Great Smoky National Park or further onto Hot Springs if the weather held. Spoiler alert - it did not.

Day 1 - August 30, 2014

Had the folks dropping me off at Fontana Dam pretty early. I hiked up to the park entrance and made it to Mollies Ridge without too much issue.

Day 2 - August 31, 2014

Morning was cloudy, windy and threatening. The trail goes along the ridge and brought me over Rocky Top and Thunderhead. As I was making my way along that ridge-line the rain hit and started to hit hard. Lightning all around and heavy rain. Just a bit of small hail mixed in as well. I got over the high ridges without issue, but it was sketchy and nasty. I am pretty well prepared for fowl weather and it got miserable quick. There were folks not as well prepared who I had concerns about hypothermia and other life-and-death conditions. I made it to Derrick Knob well after dark and a hiking buddy from night one saved me a spot. I got a cheer of my name as I entered the shelter - which was a great boost. The place was packed. We were all soaked. The company was great though. It rained all night. Daylight was late in the morning because of the cloud cover.

Day 3 - September 1, 2014

It was a late start today. The rain had mostly ended, but it was cold and muddy going. I made it to Double Spring early afternoon. My goal was Mt Collins on the other side of Clingman's dome. It was mid afternoon and I had 6+ miles to go. I wasn't sure I could make it before it got too dark. I tried to call in for ride but couldn't make it work. So I hunkered down for the night. I spent the night in that shelter with just two other folks.

Day 4 - September 2, 2014

I got to Clingman's dome pretty early in the morning. It was socked in. I didn't even both climbing the observation deck. I headed down the hill to where I was supposed to be the night before and got to Mt Collings shelter in time for lunch. The weather started to clear and the bright sky began to show. Another 4.5 miles brought me to Newfound Gap and the hundreds and hundreds of tourists. I did the math - To get back to schedule I needed to get to Peck's corner - but it was mid afternoon and that is 10+ miles away. I could head to Ice Water Shelter, but I would still be 7+ miles behind schedule. My dad had some fixed schedule doctor's appointments and I didn't want to put those in risk.

I made a judgement call and pulled the rip cord. My folks came and picked me up and I spent the rest of my time hanging with Family.

It was literally the worst day of storm I have spent on the trail - including the first attempt near Gooch Gap in Georgia. I had honest safety concerns. My gear held up and I made smart choices so it worked out OK. But you have to be really prepared for this kind of thing.

Future plans: I am going to try and finish out the GSNP in two days with a super light pack in July. It is about 33 miles so it will be two long days, but if I can get my pack weight way down and only carry one night of provisions I should be able to do it.