Day 23 Apr 24 - Entering the Smokies

Day 23 Apr 24 Days miles 14.5AT mile 180.8
Hike time 8hr 830-430
Camped at Russell Field Shelter

So many milestones today:
Entered the Smokies
Finished a second state we are in Tennessee!
Hiked our furthest yet
Hiked our fasted average, 1.8mph!
Saw our first large game animal, a deer.
Also got our trail names I'm Misplace and Jen is Finder.

The day started out great, the first shuttle to the trail from Fontana Resort was 9am and with a long 14.5 mile day we wished we could get an  earlier start.  We got ready early and went up to the lodge at 7:30 to make sure we would be on the first shuttle, and since no cell service or wifi at our cabin we figured we could catch up with the internet.  While there we saw a fellow hiker Evac who is from Maine who we met yesterday.  He said he spoke to a shuttle driver that was off today but agreed to give him and another hiker a ride at 8am, we asked if we could be included and he said he would ask.  He then went off for breakfast.  Just before 8 he came back and said he had bathroom needs to attend to and wasn't sure he could leave at 8.  The shuttle driver then showed up in a tiny economy ev car with a short timeline and had to go. Evac said he couldn't go so gave up his spot to us!  we got on the trail an hour early!

It was a brutal hike up and out of the gap after crossing  Fontana Dam.  
The first stop was to drop our Smokie Mt permits in the overflowing box, and off we went.

At one point during the morning I looked down and didn' see or feel my fanny pack and I panicked I left it behind, it has my money, ID and credit cards!  Come to find out it was spun around and at my back!  Jen called me Misplace and I said you should be Finder as she always finds my stuff I misplace!

On the way we stopped at a tower which had the remnants of a cabin by it.  Must have been a fire watch tower.


We met several people that day including a couple about our age who we kept leapfrogging, Kathy and Dennis, from Rochester NY.  They were going to stop one shelter earlier but we think they pushed on to be with us as we did get along so well.  The shelters in the Smokies were built by the CCC back in the 1930s and are very cool.


While at the shelter we saw two deer, our first big game sighting.

These are the food hangs to keep the bears from getting our food bags.

This was the first day we hiked without Allagash and we went the furthest ever and increased our overall day speed avg to 1.8mph!

We also entered a new state, Tennessee.

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