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| April 1 No Complaints Hi. Paul did indeed make it to Fontana Village on friday. He checked in from The Hike Inn, a hiker friendly motel located about 6 miles off the AT. It is owned by Nancy and Jeff Hoch, who are extremely kind to thru-hikers. Paul told me that they provide laundry service, showers, shuttle to and from town and trail, they filled Paul's fuel container for no additional charge, and have been a valuable source of information for what to expect in The Smoky Mountain National Park. For those who know the AT, here is a detail of where Paul has been spending his nights since Goose Creek Hostel at Neels Gap, as well as miles from Springer Mountain. Low Gap Shelter-41.3, Tray Mountain Shelter-56.2, Plum Orchard Gap Shelter-71.1, Standing Indian Shelter-83.3, Rock Gap-103.1, Cold Spring Shelter-122.6, NOC-134.1(this is where he called), Locust Cove Gap-144.6, and The Hike Inn, where Paul has now hiked 170 miles. I think there was another night between Locust Cove and The Hike Inn, 25miles seems long for one day. Even though many of these spots are shelters, most have been full by the time Paul had arrived, so he has been sleeping in his tent near the shelters. Most of these shelters have been over capacity by 2:30pm. One exception was Plum Orchard Gap Shelter, where Paul reported this to be the first shelter that he slept in. This is a big shelter, which fits 20 hikers comfortably, and has 3 floors. There were only two other hikers that night, so Paul had his own floor, well sort of. He shared his shelter with some mice, or more like they shared with him, since Paul is the visitor. One of these little critters actually ate some of Paul's towel, which was hanging off his pack. Paul is meeting many thru-hikers, who usually consist of couples, or men hiking alone. Apparently the men seem to form into groups, but also split apart, and then seem to routinely reunite. Paul still does not have a trailname, but as he put it, he has only gone about an inch, so there is plenty of time. Dogs are common along the AT as well. Most thru-hikers that Paul has met so far are from Georgia and Florida, or northeast states like New York and Maine, and yes, Massachusetts has a large representation on the AT as well. It was wonderful to hear Paul's voice, he seems really happy, and has no complaints about anything. This is the first time that I have spoke with Paul when he feels confident that he will reach Kadahdin this season. Uncle Phil wrote that Wesser Bald is one of the more physically challenging parts of the AT, and when I asked Paul about it, he said that he was fine with it. But he also said that he felt particularly strong that day, as he had a good breakfast. That was reassuring to hear. Paul's first maildrop is scheduled for Hot Springs, located on the northern end of The Smoky Mountain National Park. This is about 100 miles from Fontana, and where Paul will check in next. It will take about a week for him to get there, so be sure to check back. Paul mailed some film to me a few days ago, so I will be adding his pictures to this site very soon. Todd |
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