16 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - NORTH CAROLINA - Sección 2.4 - Great Smoky Mountains - De Fontana Dam a Mollies Ridge Shelter
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 10.99 mi
- Elevation gain
- 3,822 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Difficult
- Elevation loss
- 1,463 ft
- Max elevation
- 4,633 ft
- TrailRank
-
91
5
- Min elevation
- 1,699 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Time
- 7 hours 32 minutes
- Coordinates
- 1594
- Uploaded
- May 5, 2016
- Recorded
- April 2016
near Fontana Village, North Carolina (United States)
Viewed 1253 times, downloaded 28 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
|
Stage 16
⇐ Link to the previous stage: 15 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - NORTH CAROLINA - Sections 4 and 3. From Stecoah Gap to Little Tennessee River, Fontana Dam
⇒ Link to next leg: 17 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - NORTH CAROLINA - Section 2.3 - Great Smoky Mountains - Mollies Ridge Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter
⇒ Link to the complete itinerary in North Carolina: 257.5 km - Appalachian Trail in the State of North Carolina (complete itinerary)
Tour of the Appalachian Trail (Appalachian Trail), as it passes through the states of North Carolina and Tennessee (United States), from south to north, through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park , which With its 2,108 square kilometers (a surface larger than that of the entire province of Guipúzcoa, and very similar to that of the entire province of Vizcaya, in Spain), it represents one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States, and was declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco (1976) and a World Heritage Site (1983).
The Appalachian Trail runs through this great National Park, along about 115 km, between the Little Tennessee River, at Fontana Dam, and Davenport Gap, being necessary to complete this route, six to seven days of walking, with very few options exit for provisioning in towns close to the route.
To spend the night in the park it is mandatory to do so in the existing shelters, with prior reservation, obtaining in advance a permit issued by the National Park Service. Camping is only allowed for ¨thru hikers¨, also under prior permission and certain restrictions.
Today's stage starts from the banks of the Little Tennessee River, at Fontana Dam, ending at the Mollies Ridge Shelter, and corresponds to section 2.4 of the trail, in accordance with the official distribution of stages in Georgia and North Carolina, although it also it is identified in the official guides as section 18.4 of North Carolina and Tennessee.
This duplicity is due to the difficulty in determining which state the Appalachian Trail runs through at any given time, in this border area between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee.
In fact, most of the route through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park follows the dividing line between the two states, along the crest of the mountain range, although in the specific case of this section, the AT runs for the first eight miles entirely through North Carolina, to the place known as Doe Knob (4,520 feet).
From there, and for more than 350 km. (until shortly before the end of stage 35 - From Carvers Gap to Route US-19-E, Roan Mountain), the trail will now stray very little, and on very few occasions, from the aforementioned border line, although for practical reasons, we will cite as stages of North Carolina , all those that are shared with Tennessee until shortly before the end of the route through the Great Smoky Mountains, and from that point we will classify all of them, up to Virginia, as belonging to Tennessee , although as we have indicated , it is an itinerary that is actually shared between both states.
We begin the tour next to the Fontana Dam ¨Visitors Center¨, located right next to the southern end of this large hydroelectric dam, which contains the waters of the Little Tennessee River and Fontana Lake.
Start of the stage. Fontana Dam. Little Tennessee River
Spring is already well advanced, and the contrast of the intense green of the valleys and mountains that surround Fontana Lake, with the stillness of the waters of the lake itself, produce a relaxing and captivating effect. One feels that the camera is not capable of capturing the spectacular nature of this landscape in all its magnitude.
We first follow the existing paved road over the same dam, and at the end of it we turn east, also on a paved road, entering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A kilometer later, the paved road cuts off, next to a small parking lot, and the AT follows the mountain path located to the left of the track.
Already in the first steps there is a steep slope, higher than usual in other sections of the Appalachian Trail, and although the zigzag of the path moderates the unevenness a bit, the climb is hard, especially when carrying a backpack full of load and provisions for several days.
Trail up to the top of Shuckstack Mountain (3,800 feet). Gradual but quite steep
We have started from an approximate elevation of 1,700 feet, and the first important peak, which we are heading to, is Schuckstack Mountain, with an elevation of 3,800 feet. They are five and a half kilometers of continuous ascent, with very few breaths.
The AT deviates a few meters before the top, leaving those who feel fresh and willing to do so, the option to climb a little more, to the highest area of Schuckstack Mountain, where there is a forest watchtower, with a impressive 360º panoramic view.
From this point, the trail continues along the crest of the mountain, for two kilometers, with successive small hills, until the Birch Spring Gap (3,834 feet), where until 2000 there was a refuge that has since been dismantled. There is currently a camping site in the area, removed from the path about a hundred meters down the slope.
From the Birch Spring Gap, we start a new climb of just under four kilometers, with a fairly steep first section, but which later becomes gradual, until we reach the border line between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee, in the aforementioned Doe Knob (4,520 feet).
The weather forecast for the day warned of the risk of electrical storms and rain starting in the early hours of the afternoon, and until now, nothing seemed to indicate that the forecast was going to come true, but when observing some thunderclouds on the horizon and a sudden breeze, we decided to speed up the pace, taking advantage of the drop of two kilometers between Doe Knob and the Ekaneetlee Gap (3,842 feet).
Before reaching the pass, it began to rain. First there were a few drops, and some light rain, but we were still three kilometers from the refuge, and it was necessary to protect the backpack and prepare to walk for an hour in those conditions.
Already on the final climb towards the Mollies Ridge Shelter, just over a kilometer from the shelter, the storm broke. A heavy downpour of rain and hail, accompanied by lightning and thunder made it necessary to seek immediate shelter, but there was no place for it.
The lightning fell closer and closer, getting dangerously close, so we decided to get rid of the backpack, poles, GPS and mobile phone, and put them under cover at a certain distance, and without time to take out the poncho and protect ourselves from the rain, we We went to an area of scrub and small trees and we squatted down, with the only protection of the windbreaker jacket and its hood, ready to wait as long as necessary until the storm receded.
The rain was very intense, and one of the lightning bolts had struck just two kilometers away, but some hikers did not seem to perceive the danger.
We saw several hikers pass by who, with a hurried step, continued the route under the downpour; some in flip flops and almost no clothes, to avoid getting wet. The proximity of the shelter prompted a choice between taking the risk or getting drenched, and some seemed more concerned with the latter than with being struck by lightning.
Finally, the storm temporarily moved away enough that we were able to resume our march.
When we arrived at Mollies Ridge Shelter, the fourteen-bed shelter was nearly full. Many ¨thru-hikers¨, who usually camp in the vicinity of the shelters, had chosen this time to take cover, in a safer place, given the certainty that the storm would intensify in the last hours of the afternoon and during the evening.
Mollies Ridge Shelter (4,570 ft)
... So it was. The intense rain, and the lightning and thunder, did not let up until late at night.
The continuous pattering of the rain on the tin roof, accompanied by the roar of thunder and the respectful silence of all, to allow those who were already asleep to rest, resembled a kind of concert offered by nature.
As a stage, behind a set of hanging backpacks and clothes, the only open wall of the shelter allowed us to contemplate the outside and the rain.
Luckily we were inside.
PPI Index: 89 HKG
Total distance: 17.47 km
Desn. cumulative ascent: 1296.06 m
Desn. cumulative descent: 410.48 m
Maximum height: 1398.36 m
Minimum height: 507.59 m
Total time: 7:32:30 p.m.
Moving time: 5:24:18 h
Stopped time: 2:08:12 h
Total average speed: 2.32 km/h
Average moving speed: 3.23 km/h
IBP index. IBP index is an automatic assessment system that rates the difficulty of a route traveled
⇐ Link to the previous stage: 15 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - NORTH CAROLINA - Sections 4 and 3. From Stecoah Gap to Little Tennessee River, Fontana Dam
⇒ Link to next leg: 17 - APPALACHIAN TRAIL - NORTH CAROLINA - Section 2.3 - Great Smoky Mountains - Mollies Ridge Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter
⇒ Link to the complete itinerary in North Carolina: 257.5 km - Appalachian Trail in the State of North Carolina (complete itinerary)
Tour of the Appalachian Trail (Appalachian Trail), as it passes through the states of North Carolina and Tennessee (United States), from south to north, through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park , which With its 2,108 square kilometers (a surface larger than that of the entire province of Guipúzcoa, and very similar to that of the entire province of Vizcaya, in Spain), it represents one of the largest protected areas in the eastern United States, and was declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco (1976) and a World Heritage Site (1983).
The Appalachian Trail runs through this great National Park, along about 115 km, between the Little Tennessee River, at Fontana Dam, and Davenport Gap, being necessary to complete this route, six to seven days of walking, with very few options exit for provisioning in towns close to the route.
To spend the night in the park it is mandatory to do so in the existing shelters, with prior reservation, obtaining in advance a permit issued by the National Park Service. Camping is only allowed for ¨thru hikers¨, also under prior permission and certain restrictions.
Today's stage starts from the banks of the Little Tennessee River, at Fontana Dam, ending at the Mollies Ridge Shelter, and corresponds to section 2.4 of the trail, in accordance with the official distribution of stages in Georgia and North Carolina, although it also it is identified in the official guides as section 18.4 of North Carolina and Tennessee.
This duplicity is due to the difficulty in determining which state the Appalachian Trail runs through at any given time, in this border area between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee.
In fact, most of the route through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park follows the dividing line between the two states, along the crest of the mountain range, although in the specific case of this section, the AT runs for the first eight miles entirely through North Carolina, to the place known as Doe Knob (4,520 feet).
From there, and for more than 350 km. (until shortly before the end of stage 35 - From Carvers Gap to Route US-19-E, Roan Mountain), the trail will now stray very little, and on very few occasions, from the aforementioned border line, although for practical reasons, we will cite as stages of North Carolina , all those that are shared with Tennessee until shortly before the end of the route through the Great Smoky Mountains, and from that point we will classify all of them, up to Virginia, as belonging to Tennessee , although as we have indicated , it is an itinerary that is actually shared between both states.
We begin the tour next to the Fontana Dam ¨Visitors Center¨, located right next to the southern end of this large hydroelectric dam, which contains the waters of the Little Tennessee River and Fontana Lake.
Start of the stage. Fontana Dam. Little Tennessee River
Spring is already well advanced, and the contrast of the intense green of the valleys and mountains that surround Fontana Lake, with the stillness of the waters of the lake itself, produce a relaxing and captivating effect. One feels that the camera is not capable of capturing the spectacular nature of this landscape in all its magnitude.
We first follow the existing paved road over the same dam, and at the end of it we turn east, also on a paved road, entering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A kilometer later, the paved road cuts off, next to a small parking lot, and the AT follows the mountain path located to the left of the track.
Already in the first steps there is a steep slope, higher than usual in other sections of the Appalachian Trail, and although the zigzag of the path moderates the unevenness a bit, the climb is hard, especially when carrying a backpack full of load and provisions for several days.
Trail up to the top of Shuckstack Mountain (3,800 feet). Gradual but quite steep
We have started from an approximate elevation of 1,700 feet, and the first important peak, which we are heading to, is Schuckstack Mountain, with an elevation of 3,800 feet. They are five and a half kilometers of continuous ascent, with very few breaths.
The AT deviates a few meters before the top, leaving those who feel fresh and willing to do so, the option to climb a little more, to the highest area of Schuckstack Mountain, where there is a forest watchtower, with a impressive 360º panoramic view.
From this point, the trail continues along the crest of the mountain, for two kilometers, with successive small hills, until the Birch Spring Gap (3,834 feet), where until 2000 there was a refuge that has since been dismantled. There is currently a camping site in the area, removed from the path about a hundred meters down the slope.
From the Birch Spring Gap, we start a new climb of just under four kilometers, with a fairly steep first section, but which later becomes gradual, until we reach the border line between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee, in the aforementioned Doe Knob (4,520 feet).
The weather forecast for the day warned of the risk of electrical storms and rain starting in the early hours of the afternoon, and until now, nothing seemed to indicate that the forecast was going to come true, but when observing some thunderclouds on the horizon and a sudden breeze, we decided to speed up the pace, taking advantage of the drop of two kilometers between Doe Knob and the Ekaneetlee Gap (3,842 feet).
Before reaching the pass, it began to rain. First there were a few drops, and some light rain, but we were still three kilometers from the refuge, and it was necessary to protect the backpack and prepare to walk for an hour in those conditions.
Already on the final climb towards the Mollies Ridge Shelter, just over a kilometer from the shelter, the storm broke. A heavy downpour of rain and hail, accompanied by lightning and thunder made it necessary to seek immediate shelter, but there was no place for it.
The lightning fell closer and closer, getting dangerously close, so we decided to get rid of the backpack, poles, GPS and mobile phone, and put them under cover at a certain distance, and without time to take out the poncho and protect ourselves from the rain, we We went to an area of scrub and small trees and we squatted down, with the only protection of the windbreaker jacket and its hood, ready to wait as long as necessary until the storm receded.
The rain was very intense, and one of the lightning bolts had struck just two kilometers away, but some hikers did not seem to perceive the danger.
We saw several hikers pass by who, with a hurried step, continued the route under the downpour; some in flip flops and almost no clothes, to avoid getting wet. The proximity of the shelter prompted a choice between taking the risk or getting drenched, and some seemed more concerned with the latter than with being struck by lightning.
Finally, the storm temporarily moved away enough that we were able to resume our march.
When we arrived at Mollies Ridge Shelter, the fourteen-bed shelter was nearly full. Many ¨thru-hikers¨, who usually camp in the vicinity of the shelters, had chosen this time to take cover, in a safer place, given the certainty that the storm would intensify in the last hours of the afternoon and during the evening.
Mollies Ridge Shelter (4,570 ft)
... So it was. The intense rain, and the lightning and thunder, did not let up until late at night.
The continuous pattering of the rain on the tin roof, accompanied by the roar of thunder and the respectful silence of all, to allow those who were already asleep to rest, resembled a kind of concert offered by nature.
As a stage, behind a set of hanging backpacks and clothes, the only open wall of the shelter allowed us to contemplate the outside and the rain.
Luckily we were inside.
PPI Index: 89 HKG
Total distance: 17.47 km
Desn. cumulative ascent: 1296.06 m
Desn. cumulative descent: 410.48 m
Maximum height: 1398.36 m
Minimum height: 507.59 m
Total time: 7:32:30 p.m.
Moving time: 5:24:18 h
Stopped time: 2:08:12 h
Total average speed: 2.32 km/h
Average moving speed: 3.23 km/h
IBP index. IBP index is an automatic assessment system that rates the difficulty of a route traveled
Waypoints
Photo
1,740 ft
Inicio de la etapa. Fontana Dam. Little Tennessee River
Inicio de la etapa. Fontana Dam. Little Tennessee River
Photo
1,740 ft
Comienza el Great Smoky Mountains National Park, en el extremo norte de la presa
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park begins at the north end of the dam
|
Intersection
1,957 ft
Fin de la carretera asfaltada. Comienza el sendero
Fin de la carretera asfaltada. Comienza el sendero
Photo
2,269 ft
Sendero de subida hacia la cima de Shuckstack Mountain (3.800 pies). Gradual pero con bastante pendiente
Hiking trail to the summit of Shuckstack Mountain (3,800 feet). Gradual but with enough slope
|
Photo
3,392 ft
Continúa la subida hacia la cima de Shuckstack Mountain
Continúa la subida hacia la cima de Shuckstack Mountain
Panorama
Intersection
3,911 ft
Bifurcación antes de la cima de Shuckstack Mountain y, entre los árboles y a lo lejos, ultima vista de Fontana Lake
Bifurcation before the top of Shuckstack Mountain and, between the trees and far away, last view of Fontana Lake
|
Intersection
3,668 ft
Sassafras Gap (3.653 pies). Intersección del AT con el Lost Cove Trail (al este) y con el Twentymile Trail (al oeste)
Sassafras Gap (3,653 feet). Intersection of the AT with the Lost Cove Trail (to the east) and with the Twentymile Trail (to the west)
|
Mountain pass
Intersection
4,425 ft
Junto a Buck Gap. Intersección del AT con el sendero que se dirige al Gregory Bald (4.949 pies)
Next to Buck Gap. Intersection of the AT with the trail that goes to the Gregory Bald (4,949 feet)
|
Summit
Wilderness hut
Comments (4)
You can add a comment or review this trail
Una ruta muy bonita, aunque con una buena subida...
Estupendas fotos y explicaciones. ¡Gracias por compartir!
Muchas gracias por la valoración y el comentario.
Aunque pueda compartir las fotos, es difícil describir y mostrar íntegramente la belleza de estos parajes.
Son tantas las impresiones, y tan continuas, que la vista acaba acostumbrándose a este excepcional paisaje, y uno acaba extrañándolo cuando retorna a la vida cotidiana.
Bonita ruta.
Muchas gracias por compartirla
I have followed this trail View more
Information
Easy to follow
Scenery
Difficult
Bonita etapa. Me encantan las Great Smoky Mountains