I woke up knowing that it would be a shorter day. 7 miles into Fontana dam. Easy peasy I told myself. It’s basically a day off. I laid in bed a few minutes longer than normal and spent a couple more minutes eating breakfast and chatting with folks than I typically would. 

But I always forget. Even if I’m feeling great, 7 miles is still 7 miles. With some hills thrown in, it’s hard to walk it in much less than 3 hours. So our “nearo” (near zero) day felt much more like a regular day to me than a zero day. But none the less, we powered through the hike into Fontana. 

We saw the lake first, followed by the dam. (It was a dam pretty view hahahahha) But it was hard to comprehend how far away we still were when we first saw them. They were giant and due to their size, looked to be just around the corner even from afar. eventually they grew bigger and bigger as McKay and I got closer to our goal. To the parking lot where his parents waited – handing out snacks and sodas to beleaguered hikers. 

We hung out there chatting with them and the other hikers who came through until it was just us, Mamas boy and Caleb. Eventually we said goodbye to the others and his folks drove us to a hotel they had rented in Fontana village. 

Fontana village was originally a company town built by the Tennessee valley authority as they were building the dam. it has since, however, been converted to a vacation destination. With its half corporate campus, half cabin in the woods vibe, it makes for quite an odd place. Starting with the fact that check in is a half mile walk away from the hotel itself. 

We spent the rest of the day washing up and eating. We took showers (first shower in a week! The water turned as brown and muddy as you’re thinking) and did laundry before his parents fed us lunch and then dinner.  

The Seatons were too kind and drove us to Dinner almost an hour away so we could stop by an outdoors shop so I could finally get some new socks – hopefully finishing my anti blister makeover. I’m looking forward to hitting the trail tomorrow, with new socks on my toes, ready to climb into the Smokey mountains. 

It looks like McKay is going to stick back a bit to hang out with his parents a bit longer. Will the heroic duo be reunited tomorrow? Or will the separation sow discontent? Tune in tomorrow to find out! 

Key stats:

Miles: 7 

Elevation gained: 1100 ft

Coca colas drank: 3