April 15, 2006: Sassafras Gap Shelter to Fontana Dam...22.1mi

Not a real pleasant night at Sassafras Gap...High winds whipped up some dust which ended up covering everything inside and outside of my tent...including me... Anyway I shake the dust off and pack up for another long day... my longest ever 22mi... Im out by 0730 and soon come across some lovely campsites, not in my book, on the top of Cheoah Bald. I stop for a moment and chat with a woman who stayed the night up there with her dog and admired the views... I push on and while descending into Stecoah Gap around 1000, I come across some Trail Majik... A large basket full of fruit, chips, and snacks of all sorts... Probably $50.00 worth of goods there... I take a few and sit at a picnic table down at the gap to savor my first majic... Its too early for a long break so Im soon off and arrive at the Brown Fork Gap shelter for lunch around 1130. I have lunch there with a gentleman called "Tipper" and take my 1hr break... About 1230 Im off again and headed for Fontana Dam where I get my first glimpse of the reservoir at about 1500. Its still a long walk to the Dam though, and by 1800 I finally arrive and call the hotel for a pickup...The shin is aching quite a bit more after today and Im not sure what tomorrow will hold. Nancy Hoch from the"Hike Inn" picks me up shortly after I call but not before I experience my second "Trail Majic" of the day... A group of hikers has put on a picnic for all thru-hikers serving all sorts of stuff...I grab myself a Heinekin, a burger and a dog and quickly down them all before Nancy arrives... After a quick shower, I put on my cleanest clothes, lol...and we head into town for dinner...Im still pretty hungry and have dinner with an elderly couple from South Africa who are thru-hiking...We have a lovely dinner at the local Mexican Restaraunt and soon I retire for the night hoping that my shin pain will subside by morning...
Pictures:
1. Lunch with "Tipper", yes he is wearing a kilt and doing some work for the ATC while on his Thru-hike North...
2. One of many lovely views to be had on this beautiful day before Easter
3. These butterflies are all over the place down here...This guy stayed still long enough for a pic...
4. A not so typical South bound hiker almost stepped on near the Cable Gap Shelter....A crawfish up here???
5. My first views of the the Fontana Dam resevoir
6. The Hike Inn