Tuesday 4-9

Tuesday 4-9

We left Fontana Lodge and headed for the dam. The AT runs across the dam and down the road for a bit, maybe about a mile, before entering the Smokey Mountains national park. We put our Smokey Mountains back country permits into the box ($20 per thru-hiker and you have 8 days to make it through the park). We had a little over 10 miles to the first shelter, Mollies Ridge, and it was a huge climb. We had four miles up hill to Shuckstack fire tower. It was about a 15% grade but got even steeper for a few miles to the top. It dipped down and around and then we climbed some more. Today, overall, we climbed about 3,000 feet in elevation. Today was hot!!! It was a little over 80 degrees. Apparently spring doesn't feel like showing her face this year and we seem to have skipped straight from winter to summer. We poured sweat as we trudged up all those mountains. I could feel beads of sweat rolling down my back. I know you've heard of "swamp ass" or "monkey butt" but I saw a few people today who had it so bad that it had soaked through their pants and they were rocking a seriously wet behind. Today also seemed to be the day that many bugs decided to come out and harass us hikers. At any given moment I guarantee every hiker had a swarm of about 60 gnats swarming their head. Cody had a cloud of them flying behind him as he hiked, and not because he stunk (he showered this morning before we left). They didn't bite Cody but apparently I taste great to bugs. I got bit multiple times before yelling and then drenching myself in a healthy coating of 98% deet. Hiking today I noticed an odd sound, a rustling of sorts, similar to rain drops hitting dead, dry leaves on the ground. It took me a second to figure out that it was hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny baby grasshoppers leaping out of my way on the trail and landing on the dead leaves that line the path. It was weird. We finally made it to the shelter and it has about 20-25 people camping around and sleeping in the shelter tonight (combined). I had a few choice words today about "Molly" of Mollies Ridge on our way up the final climb today to the shelter. Cody just informed me, while reading our AT Thru-hiker companion that it's named for a Cherokee woman who froze to death on the ridge while looking for a missing hunter. The book also says her ghost apparently haunts this ridge, lovely. I hope ghosts are deaf. Mollies Ridge is right on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. We will officially be in Tennessee in about 2 or so miles!