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Appalachian Trail – Fontana Dam, North Carolina

North Carolina

“What if everything is an illusion and nothing exists? In that case, I definitely overpaid for my carpet.”

- Woody Allen

Journal Entry 3.16.00
“6pm at the Siler Bald Shelter. Hiked 12.5 miles today in the RAIN. All day. Yes, RAIN, ALL DAY long. I am soaked all the way through. Hiking in the rain is fun for about 2 hours. Then your feet start to get wet. Then all your wet clothes are sticking to your body. Then you have to pee and that sucks BIG TIME. Then you stop to eat and you get instantly cold so you have to shovel down the grub and continue on in the rain. Then you get to the shelter and it’s full, but not because people have HIKED there, but because people who CALL themselves thru-hikers were too much of a pansey-ass to hike in the rain so they SAT in the shelter ALL DAY and they won’t even make room for you because they don’t want all their nice dry gear to get wet. So then you have to sleep on the wet gravel just outside the shelter. It SUCKS!”

P.S. Those so-called thru-hikers that I mention NEVER even made it close to Maine.

Journal Entry 3.17.00
“Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Wouldn’t know it out here of course. But the big news of the day out here on the AT is #1- the sun came out and #2 – I replenished my toilet paper supply at the public restroom at Wayat Bald. A cold damp night followed by a cold dreary morning until the sun appeared this afternoon – what a welcome! As soon as I got to camp the drying out process began. Every article of clothing along with every other random wet item is now hung out to dry as I wait, drying out myself. Hoping for a shower and some good grub at NOC tomorrowê”

Journal Entry 3.18.00
“9pm at the hostel at NOC – Nantahala Outdoor Center – a late night for me! We hiked the 11.5 miles into the center today – a tough afternoon for me with my foot hurting the ENTIRE way down. But I made it. Had lunch at the restaurant – a salad (wow!!), black bean chili, and 3 LARGE diet Cokes. Hit the outdoor center next – a new lexan spoon (old one melted) and a bandana. Next we walked 1 mile up the road to the gas station to buy food for the next two days. Then we got the real treat – hot showers!! And someone left just enough VO5 for me to get a good shampoo. We treated our boots while doing wash, then we tried to go to dinner but the restaurant closed at 7pm. We reluctantly returned to the community center, hungry and bummed. Then a family heard what happened and offered us the rest of their burritos – lettuce, salsa, olives and wraps! My first real Trail Magic! The dad even gave us a beer! We are living the life of luxury for sure. Tomorrow it’s an early breakfast and then a hard day of hiking – up 3,000 feet, down 2,000 feet, with rain expected in the forecast. But tonight we are warm and dry and our bellies are full so we will enjoy it while we can!”

Journal Entry 3.21.00
“Our first rest day in two weeks – ahh, livin’ the good life at the Fontana Inn. Yeah, so we hiked 20.7 miles yesterday – lots of ups and downs. We left at 8am, hit the road at 7:30pm, facing a 2-mile walk up a winding road to the Inn when, by the grace of God, a man in a pick-up gave us a ride. I will never forget the satisfaction I felt when he pulled over ahead of us!! When we got to the Inn it was almost 8pm and we were walking around looking for the front desk. I went to a house phone and asked where to check in, and, another gift from God, the woman said she’d send a driver to come over and pick us up!! Then she called the restaurant and had them stay open late for us so we were still able to chow even though it was kind-of a nasty buffet. After food it was showers – ahhh! And then bed – double ahhh!! My feet were throbbing from the pain and abuse of the day but I was happy to be in a bed.

So today is our first no-hiking-official-rest-day-off. We walked down to the post office and picked up our mail drops and are now going through our loot and calling home. This is a weird little village/resort here. We thought we had it bad in Helen, GA but at least in Helen there was fast food and a market. Here there is NOTHING. There is one restaurant (which if I didn’t mention before, it SUCKS), and a crappy grocery store, no fast food, no nothing. I think the thru-hikers are the only thing keeping this “resort” alive in the off-season. Well I should enjoy this time while I can – it’s back to the trail and all the aches and pains tomorrow – the hip rash, foot pain, new left ankle pain, leg rub, and whatever else I forgot to mention. But for today life is good.”

Journal Index

Georgia – Overview And the poop on the Trail Divorce

0 (miles from Georgia) – Springer Mountain, Georgia Whose idea was this again??
87.7 – Georgia / North Carolina Aint no all-inclusive package vacation story…
161.7 – Fontana Dam, North Carolina No Rain, No Pain, No Maine
204.6 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park I My deodorant gets the heave-ho!
268.7 – Great Smoky Mountains National Park II The Food Appreciation Trail
336.5 – North Carolina / Tennessee & Trail Names How the Gimp got her name
390.7 – North Carolina / Tennessee The famous Roan Mountain hitch
452.9 – Crossing into Damascus, Virginia 3 states down, 11 to go!
516.7 – Grayson Highlands State Park Roughin it at Partnership Shelter
573.3 – Bland, Virginia My wonderful trail angels!
665.3 – Pearisburg, Virginia The switch from boots to sandals
767.4 – Catawba / Troutville, Virginia Heat wave in Virginia
839.4 – Montebello / Rockfish Gap, Virginia ‘Hiking with Gimpy Sr.
920.0 – Shenandoah National Park Rattlesnakes, Jack Daniels, and bears – oh my!
988.3 – Front Royal, Virginia Invasion of the Boy Scouts
1001.1 – Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia The mental half-way point
1061.4 – Maryland / Pennsyltucky Y’all done drank enough beer!
1123.8 – Duncannon, Pennsylvania The Half-Gallon Challenge
1208.9 – Port Clinton, Pennsylvania $1 Yuengling drafts and the rocks of PA
1283.9 – Pennsylvania / New Jersey Friends and family visit WonderGimp
1334.2 – High Point, New Jersey Rain, rain, rain, trail magic, and more rain
1440.7 – Bear Mountain, New York Hike Naked Day!
1486.1 – Kent, Connecticut Gimpy Sr. and Barkeater hike with W.Gimp
1543.8 – Great Barrington, MassachusettsWelcome to Mosquito Hell
1618.0 – Massachusetts / VermontPhoton and strobe lights for the 4th of July
1687.3 – Killington, Vermont The Inn at the Long Trail
1738.1 – New Hampshire Live Free or Die!
1794.4 – North Woodstock, New Hampshire Gettin’ above treeline
1814.4 – AMC-land, New Hampshire Entering the White Mountains!
1854.0 – Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire Mooning the tourists on Mt. Washington
1869.2 – Gorham, New Hampshire My first Moose sighting!
1920.7 – Andover, Maine The way Life should be…
1979.3 – Rangeley, Maine Closing in on the end
2015.6 – Kennebec River, Maine Eye of the Tiger!
2095.7 – Monson, Maine 100-mile Wilderness
2152.0 – Abol Bridge, Maine Katahdin is in sight!
2167.1 – Baxter Peak, Mount Katahdin, Maine Goodbye Capilene – Hello Cotton!!

Other Pages:
Map – Yep, 14 states
Gear – What to Bring
FAQs – See for yourself
Glossary (learn the AT lingo)
Links to Additional Info
Trail Injuries Everything from blisters to swampfoot
Trail Privies Bring your own TP
Class of 2000 Katahdin Thru-Hiker Pictures