Finding the right spot on the trail to do an overnight.

After finishing up a two week whirl wind trip visiting my kids, grand kids, and my siblings in KY, I left Mary's and headed south to Knoxville and points beyond.  My plan was to find a point on the Appalachian Trail to do an overnight hike.  I stopped at the TN visitor center and got a little info and maps.  Decided to go to Fontana Dam, NC and do my hike from there.  Stopped at a  Walmart somewhere south of Knoxville to stock up. On  Hwy 129 going into the mountains there was a section called THE TAIL OF THE DRAGON.  Lots of quick and sharp curves and a magnet for motor cycle riders.  I asked a group of bikers if there was a special event going on and they said, "No, this is just a normal day!"  It was a great drive.  I lost my coffee mug at a pull out after leaving it on the pickup "step", but back tracked and was able to find it.

Got to the Dam visitor center and checked it out.  Decided to hike south, away form the GSMNP.  After a false start the wrong way, (It just didn't look right) I went back to the VC and talked to the "information" person. which  was pretty useless, I decided the trail followed the road at least a little ways. I met a hiker, with no gear, who pointed me to the blue blase trail to the shelter and soon I was setting up for the night.

At the shelter a family group of hikers (six adult men and four of five kids) that started the NOC (Nantahala (River) Outdoor Center).  There was also a single male hiker, a Jamaica from Atlanta, that had hiked form Springer Mt.  His plan was a flip flop thru hike, hiking from both ends to the middle, due to the late start.  Two other young guys hiking from Springer joined us later.  Their plan was to hike to a couple of more weeks and the parents would pick them up.

Dinner time I used my new propane micro stove w/piezo electric lighter.  Sure faster than the CatCan stove.  I had the spegetti which I had dehydrated before.  It was great!  The Asian Stir Fry is still in my backpack for later.

I was going to leave the fly cover off of the tent but felt at least three drops of rain just as it was getting dark so I put the fly cover on, using a flash light.  There was no more rain.