Yay for vaccinations! We hadn’t made any hard or fast plans for travel in 2021 until we had a better idea of the how and when of vaccinations. Steve and I were able to get in under the Federal roll out for teachers and then it was game on for spring break plans! We knew we didn’t want to fly yet and we also didn’t want to spend days driving, so the Smoky Mtns was an ideal spot! Bill and Angie (Steve’s dad and step-mom) have an absolute wonderful setting to base adventures out of. I mean, I’m sitting on the porch right now writing this, listening to the rushing creak, the tinkle of wind chimes, and the sound of boys splitting wood! With everyone down there vaccinated and Tserka with a negative test, we felt reasonably safe to set off on an adventure!

Friday March 12 – We left Columbus late on Friday after I did the CrossFit Open 21.1 wod, nothing like smoked shoulders to begin an 8 hr drive! A quick stop at a Panera and Steve hopped up on caffeine, we made it to the cabin in record time. The Canada house was all set up and a great nights sleep was had by all!

Saturday March 13 – A leisurely morning, with way too much bacon, eggs, and coffee before setting off on a short waterfall hike to Dry Falls. This is a pretty popular tourist destination so we did a fast out and back then took off to quieter areas.

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Farther down the same creek we found a nice pull out so we could explore and relax. Of course this quickly became a challenge of can you get across the creek and stay dry. Steve made it, mostly!

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Back at the cabin for some lunch and then a hike to the top of property. Their property goes all the way up the mountain to the top, the last bit with no trails, just a scrabble. On the way up Steve spotted what he thought was a cave so we decided to work our way over instead of just heading back down. Turned out to not be a cave at all, just a dark outcrop of rock, but he did try out some holds. Back home for some creek beers and a campfire. I wanted to make some fire starters to use with my new solo camp stove. This quickly got taken over by the guys and soon I had more than I could use on one trip!

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Sunday March 14 – Another great start to the day, this time with some of the best blueberry pancakes I’ve ever had! The plan for the day was a canoe trip down the Tuckasegee River. Unfortunately the canoe wasn’t really set up for three people, especially with the the class 2 rapids. I opted to stay behind, since our IU class needed some major video uploading and the internet in the mountains is pretty slow. In the end, I think everyone had a great day! I had a relaxing day after my Pie day run, drinking coffee, reading on the porch swing, and getting our IU class ready. Steve and Tserka spent about five hours on the river with no dumps, which given it was Tserka’s first time, is really impressive! I can guarantee if I had gone, we would have been upside down on the first rapid!

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Monday March 15 – Day 1 of hiking: Bill drove us the the trailhead for the start of our hike. We began at the Tunnel to Nowhere and continued on the Lakeshore Trail. Day 1 was about 6 miles to our campsite. The trail was wide open and we made good time. We missed one turn and headed down to the lake shore instead of skirting around the cove. This was fine but it did result in our first creek crossing since the trail we needed was on the other side! The water was swift and cold but thanks to Tserka’s hiking poles (I’ll be buying a pair for myself!) and my Crocs, the crossing was a piece of cake! From there we made camp with light to spare and got everything set up. The guys had hiked in 3 beers so after chilling them in creek we enjoyed a tasty beverage in a dry (for now) camp!

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Tuesday March 16 – Day 2 hiking, the Hard Day: I knew going in that day 2 would be rough, it was just the way it had to be. Well, it started rougher than planned when our tent decided it was no longer waterproof and it pretty much rained all night long. We woke up in puddle in the tent and then just got wetter from there! Luckily the impulse tarp purchase I made at REI worked great, so we had some shelter to huddle under for coffee and breakfast. The freeze dried meals from PeakRefuel were amazing! The breakfast skillet tasted legit like something fresh cooked in a kitchen, not something that we just added boiling water to and let sit for 15 mins! Fueled up and packed up, we headed out for the 3 mile uphill climb of our 9 mile hike.

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My garmin lost it’s mind on this day and recorded the first section as 6 miles, and the next section as 9 miles… I guess the gps just wasn’t great in the mountains! The uphill just kept going and going and going! At the top we broke for lunch and it immediately began to mist and turn cold. Within 15 mins I went from shorts and a tee, sweating to wearing all my warm clothes, rain gear, and using hand warmers to feel my fingers again. We went a bit down the trail and the guys ran out to visit High Rocks. I sat on a rock and conserved my energy, knowing that I had 6+ miles to go and I was feeling it.

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The last 2/3 of the hike was mostly downhill, which should have been much easier. The only issue is that most of the time the trail was just the creek bed, so lots of large rocks, slick mud, and beautiful moss. If the ups were all hammies and glutes, the downs were all quads. We got to Hazel Creek crossing, which was marked on the map as a high water crossing. The patented Crocs and pole method served me well again! We rolled into another empty campsite with just enough light to spare to get the tarp strung up and the tent under the tarp, in case of rain. Dinner was Beef Pasta Primavera from PeakRefuel and it was delicious! No rain, a nice fire, another day well done!

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Wednesday March 17 – Day 3 Hiking: This was the easiest day since we just had a short 5 mile hike to get to Proctor campsite where Bill would pick us up via boat on Thursday. The weather was clear and mild, the hiking somewhat boring after the previous day. This area obviously gets a lot of use during the summer months. I was surprised to see so few people but Steve reminded me that yeah, it’s been raining and is going to continue to rain for days… On our way to Proctor, we passed the old lumber mill and did some exploring and photo shoots.

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The campsite was all ours once again, so we chose a primo spot and Steve set about engineering the driest camp yet! We will be shopping for a new backpacking tent asap though. We had lots of time so we had an afternoon chai latte boiled on my solo stove and then hiked down to where Bill was going to meet us with the boat. This turned out to be a good plan as what I thought would be a simple hike out turned out to be a major water crossing. There used to be a bridge… back in like 1929! During the summer water levels, this campsite is easily accessible by boat, during the low water winter season, not so much. We had no cell reception so Steve crossed over and hiked out to see if the boat could make it and if he could send a message. The water was swift but passable. I took the time to do some sunbathing and felt truly warm for the first time in a long time!

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After our scouting mission, we headed to camp and guess what? It started raining, and it never stopped for the next 15 hours. We had a quick dinner and then retired to our nice dry tent to listen to the rain and the sound of the creek rising. I’m not gonna lie, ever since our white water rafting experience in the Grand Canyon, I’m pretty anxious about white water. I’m a strong swimmer but my fear of getting stuck in a river washing machine is stronger! So, a not so restful night, complete with thunderstorms and lightening, resulted in a soggy morning. Tserka’s little camp stove made quick work of water for coffee and breakfast was cold granola, again from PeakRefuel and again delicious! Breaking camp was pretty quick and staying dry wasn’t a huge issue since we anticipated a very wet water crossing. After going to fill water bottles, I noticed that the river was up at least 2-3 feet from the night before. This made me very nervous! We hiked down to where Steve crossed the day before and he started to cross with his pack. We did tie old blue (our trusty rope) to his pack in case he went down and stripped it. The water that yesterday was just over his knees was now going to be up to his waist. Not a big deal in calm water but a no go with swift water. The deeper he got, the less he could resist the water and once the pack was submerged it would be game over. With much relief, we decided to backtrack to another trail that led to the lake and assume that Bill would figure it out and find us. Tserka and I played Sherpa with Steve’s pack so he could run ahead and try and find Bill. In the end, it all came together perfectly! Bill was there with the boat by the time Tserka and I got the lake shore. A short boat ride and bam, we were home!

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Trip Summary:

• 3 days/nights of backpacking, covering ~21 miles. Shortest day 5 miles, longest day 9 miles.
• I still like the idea of backpacking. This was my first “real” trip moving camp to camp each day. My pack could use some tweaking but feet felt good, no major issues!
• We used the MSR Trailshot water filter and it was fine. Not super fast but it is small and lightweight.
• Lake Fontana is super low during the winter, don’t plan on getting picked up by boat at Hazel Creek! Instead go to Ollie Cove!R
• PeakRefuel meals are great, pay more attention to total calories and buy enough!