Bud and Vicki Hogan's 1996 Appalachian Trail Journey
June 5
Fontana Dam to Birch Spring Shelter.................................................................5 miles
Prepared for the hike, taped feet, and checked out of the motel. The motel furnished a shuttle for us back to the marina. For what we had to pay for the room they should have sent a limo. We could have skipped several miles of the trail and gone straight to the dam, but we wanted to hike the AT, not just jump around it, so we decided to go back to where we had left the trail at the marina.
As we waited for our shuttle on the front porch of the resort we met some of the counselors of the 4-H group that was there that week. We enjoyed meeting them, they were full of questions about our hike and seemed quite impressed about our accomplishment, so far. One of the sponsors gave us his card and offered us any help if we needed it. He was from up in Virginia, not far from Damascus.
The shuttle finally arrived, it was the resort security officer. I didn't care if it was Mother Teresa, we got a ride back to the marina. Found my walking sticks just where I had left them, (who in their right mind would want to take them) and started the trail. When we arrived at the lake we talked about going down to look at the "Fontana Hilton" that we had heard so much about, but decided it wasn't worth the walk. We kept heading for the dam. We had been led to believe that there was a restaurant there, and that we could fill out our back country permit before entering the Smokies.
Wrong again. At the dam we didn't find any food at all, and were told that the back country permits were back at the "Fontana Hilton". Everything looked pretty safe and secure, so I left Vicki to guard the packs while I hiked back, uphill of course, to get our permit to enter the Smokies. Don't you love "government red tape". A permit to walk in a national park, how nice. Got the permit, then started the walk across the dam.
What a beautiful view. Took a look over the side. That's a long way down. Did I mention that I did technical rock climbing. Vicki and I have been up the Durrance Route on Devil's Tower, in Wyoming. I have made the climb 5 times. The tower is about 600 feet high. Coming down is great. It takes 4-150 foot rappels. Did I mention that I have a fear of heights. The look over the side of the dam reminded me of my fear. That's a long, long, way down. I walked in the middle of the dam from there until the end.
Finally, after an eternity, we got to the end of the dam and looked for the trail. Not very well marked over here. We kept wondering if we were lost. Finally found the beginning of the trail into the Smokies. We stop for some gorp and snacks before we start up what we heard was a long, steep uphill. It's always a long steep uphill after you cross a road. Headed up the long, steep uphill with the heaviest packs yet, loaded with 10 days worth of food, my legs still hurt, but we don't have to stop as often as we used to. We must be getting better. Good wide trail, but steady ascent.
We easily found "Helter Shelter" (Birch Springs) so nick-named because it was dark and dank and the spring out front formed a huge mud wallow almost in front of the shelter. If this is what the Smokies are like, I'm not impressed. My wife nicknamed these the "reverse zoo shelters" because of the fence on one side. Animals, alright, bears, could stand outside the cage and look in at us. I personally felt better knowing that the bears were on one side and I was on the other side of the fence, no matter who was on the inside and who was on the outside. If I could just hike with a fence around me I believe that I would be more at peace with the outdoors.
We were the first to arrive that night, soon a southbound father/daughter team (ages 40's/12) from Laurel, Mississippi came in and assured us that this was the worst shelter that we would see in the Smokies. We'll see. Later, a northbound mother/daughter pair (ages 40's/18) from PA came in.
As we were settling in for the night, the mother/daughter were getting their water when I noticed that they were not having an easy go of it. I looked and saw that they were using the same filter that I had just sent home after two weeks of messing with it. I should have thrown the worthless water filter in the lake. I shared my experience with them, then saw my opportunity to do my good deed. I gave them a bottle of iodine pills. I had bought several bottles at Nantahala, plenty for me and plenty to share, just in case. These were two very independent women who didn't want any assistance of any kind. I almost had to force them to accept my help. Sometimes, it sure is hard to do a good deed. They finally accepted, I felt better knowing that they would at least have safe water to drink, if they wanted to use the pills.
Everyone soon settled down for the night, when all of a sudden it was time for a "Chinese fire drill." Everyone came out of their sleeping bags and started chasing mice. Even though our packs had been hung with the tuna can protectors, mice had managed to jump from the fence onto a pack. Then from one pack to another. We were chasing mice and taking down our packs as the beams from our flashlights danced all over the place. I think, at that moment, it would have been fun to be a bear, sitting outside of the shelter watching these very excitable, bi-pedal animals jumping around with flashlights in their mouths.
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