Day 16 - Cable Gap Shelter to Fontana Dam

It was pouring in the morning, which makes packing up all that more slow and difficult. I didn’t even bother wearing my jacket, because it gets wet on the outside and I sweat so much that my clothes get wet anyway. 

Dave and I didn’t have anything for breakfast, as we had eaten our pop-tarts after dinner. I guess I should have bought extra food just in case. Now I know. 

We had 6.6 miles to do to get to Fontana Dam, and Dave was raring to go. I had to run on the flat parts to catch up with him. The rain was pouring down, which made the leaves, roots, and rocks that much more slippery. 

I had this strange flashback to a raincoat I had when I was little. It said “Rain is a pain in the shell” and had a picture of a blue turtle on the back. Then, what did we encounter on the trail but a small turtle -- orange and yellow and black. It blended in well with the dead leaves on the ground. 

We made it to Fontana by 10:30. Were walking to the showers when T-Bo drove by with Charlie, Dan, and Ken inside. He picked us all up and took us to the “resort.” This isn’t a real town, just a touristy village with a hotel, cabins, grocery store, laundromat, etc. We got the only available clean room at the time. Murph and Charlie are going in on it with us, so it comes to only $10 per person. I took a wonderfully hot shower that blasted the dirt right off of me.

Just hanging in Fontana today. Did laundry, resupplied, sent a few things home (two Nalgene bottles, extra gloves, half of my guidebooks, multi-tool). Waiting for the dinner buffet to start at 5. Hope I can sleep tonight, but if not, I’ll be dry, warm, and comfortable. Maybe earplugs will help.