Entering the GSM

Jeff and Gavin knocked out 14.9 miles today. The hike up from Fontana Dam was pretty tough on them. But the weather was beautiful!

Fontana Dam is actually a town of a total of 10 people that call it home. It didn't incorporate until 2011. Fontana Dam itself is the tallest one east of the Rockies. There's a small visitor center there and a campground at the base if you ever want to drive to check it out. 

The hike to the peak today was about 2900 feet in elevation gain but now that they made that hike the rest of the Smokey's won't have as steep descents and inclines. 

The sunrise this morning was amazing over the lake. Check out the picture below. The picture on the right is the bottom of the dam where the Little Tennessee River continues to flow.

I feel like most people relate the Great Smoky Mountains with black bears. Well, I do. According to Google, there are about 1,900 black bears in the GSM and if it makes you feel better, the bears here are one of the smallest black bear species. It's still a requirement to hang a bear bag. I don't have a video to show how this is done but I do have pictures for you to see. You want to hang the bear bags so that they don't get into your food. A lot of shelters have hanging systems set up for you to use or you use a paracord and a rock. All their food goes up in the trees for safe keeping.

The plan is about 15 miles again tomorrow, but they are calling for some rain tomorrow also. Gavin's hiking has caught up with him and currently his foot is hurting some. We gotta get them healthy this weekend. 

As usual, I'll keep you posted.

~Julie