Day 174: Fontana Dam Village

Start: Spence Field Shelter (AT mi 183.7). Stop: Fontana Dam Road (AT mi 164.3). Today’s miles: 19.4 miles. Total AT mileage: 2028.8 miles. States Completed: Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee

I eventually got warm in my sleeping bag, but any time I moved the cold sliced through me, starting all the shivering all over again. I had to get up to pee around midnight, in the pouring rain, causing a whole body shake for about 45 minutes after getting back into my sleeping bag. Apparently I didn’t put my toilet paper roll back into its zip lock bag, because I woke up surrounded by toilet paper confetti between my sleep stuff and the shelter wall. Mice found my TP and decided to use it for their nesting, shredding it all over the place. Whoops!

I got up just after 7am to it still raining and the wind creating a cacophony of noise. The wind was beating the trees and smacking nuts and limbs into the shelter roof. I packed, put my rain gear back on, and then got my food bag down to make breakfast. I ate with the REI ladies, and then headed out into the rain minutes later. They hooted and cheered for me, thinking I was nuts for hiking out into the rain and cold so early in the morning. They would eventually do the same, but they weren’t hiking many miles.

It was so cold, my fingers were numb, and my toes tingled in my socks and shoes, completely drenched through within minutes of walking out of camp. Before too long, they too were numb. It was so wet and sloshy on the trail, I could see each breath in front of me. I was supposed to be hiking to the Fontana Dam shelter, called the Fontana Hilton, but I was so miserable with the weather that I decided I’d try to get a room for the night so I could warm up and sleep in a dry space.

Once the rain slowed and I had service on my phone, I started making phone calls- the first 2 hostels I called were booked solid with people up visiting the mountains for the fall colors. I was calling the 3rd hostel when the call dropped. I couldn’t get my phone to make the calls again.. so, I text mom that guys number and told her the situation. The text made it through to her, thankfully, but then I lost service again. At some point I got service back and mom text me to tell me she got me a room at the Fontana Dam Resort Lodge because it was cheaper than the hostel would be after the charge for shuttling to get me and drop me back off tomorrow.

Happy, knowing I’d have somewhere warm to sleep tonight, I stopped at Mollies Ridge shelter and ate a peanut butter tortilla as quick as I could, too cold to sit still a second longer. And then kept on going. The trail was wet, sloshy, and slick, but again I had no falls. The views were non existent in the woods and with the ledges surrounded by rain clouds. Some time during a climb up to Doe Knob, I crossed out of Tennessee for the last time, although there was no sign saying that. I’ve officially completed 12 of the 14 states that the AT goes through!

After 1pm the rain stopped and the sun decided to come out. While the temperature didn’t improve, thanks to the wind, the rain stopping made it all so much better. I even started to feel my toes again. Sometime during this moment of enjoying the sunshine, I thought maybe I overreacted about needing a warm bed tonight.. and then decided that I do want that bed so, overreaction or not, it worked out how it should have.

The trail went down steep switchbacks to the valley that held the Fontana Dam Lake. It was beautiful, and the trail went along the road around the dam for awhile before snaking back into the woods along the water’s edge. I talked with some tourists driving through, they shared some water with me and I happily accepted it, not wanting to have to filter any. I got to the road crossing that held the marina just after 4pm. I walked down to the store at the marina, originally wanting to find something to snack on, but I was underwhelmed with the options, so I just got a shuttle instead.

The driver picked me up to take me into Fontana Village. This area used to be where the workers for the dam lived, now it’s a resort with a lodge, gas station, restaurant, laundry mat, post office, and general store. The lodge has hotel rooms and cabins, too. Plus a pool.. but it was too cold for pool fun. I had the driver stop at the gas station so I could resupply (and get snacks), then I was dropped off at the lodge to check in.

I got my room key and set off to find it and get into the shower immediately. My feet felt the way they do when you’ve stayed in the bath too long-and then ran a half marathon on them. They were tender and way too cold and soggy. I actually turned the heat on in the room before I got in the shower-with the water as hot as it would get. When I finally felt back to normal, I got out and got dressed. Then washed my socks and undies in the sink-there was a laundry mat but I was not about to walk to it.

I walked down to the restaurant around 6:30. When I was being seated, a man that I had briefly met on the trail doing maintenance work with some other people invited me to sit with him. His trail name is Ox, and he did the trail in 1997 and again in sections over the years since. He was so fun to talk with.. we laughed and shared stories for what felt like a minute but ended up being almost 2 hours. While we were eating, another hiker came up to us and remembered ox from years ago, doing trail maintenance during a sleet storm. We all 3 got a good laugh at them reminiscing.

I tried to pay my bill when the checks came, but Ox refused to let me. He payed for my dinner and beer. If I had known he was going to do that, I wouldn’t have ordered so much food! I was so grateful to him for his kindness, the company alone would have been more than enough. I took my left overs with me after we said our byes and made the cold walk back up to the lodge.

Back in my room, I smiled at how this day turned out. I started off cold and miserable, I’m ending with a full belly, great conversation, and a warm bed.. then I remembered the World Series! I quickly turned on the TV and started watching my Braves beat the Astros. I was planning to multitask, download the app my friend Tijuan’s movie is coming out on, upload pictures for the blog, post yesterday’s blog.. BUT, I didn’t have any service and apparently the WiFi only worked in the lobby. And I was not about to get out of that bed!

So, I’m laying here, eating the leftovers I thought I was too full to eat, typing this out, yelling at the TV like I’m at the game.. I doubt I’ll make it through the whole thing, I’m already tired and it’s inching close to 10pm.. way past my bedtime..
And so, this is time to say goodnight 🙂 sweet dreams!