Route: Campsite #90 on Eagle Creek to Fontana Dam Visitor Center via Lakeshore
trail and the Appalachian Trail (AT)
Statistics: 6.8 miles traveled. 2,043' of hill climbing and 2,046' of descending.
Average hiking speed 2.2 mph.
I'm on the trail by 8:15 am this Sunday morning. The Clemson
gang of seven are still ensconced in their tents with the only evidence they had been partying being a half-full bottle
of vodka perched on a rock in the center of their campsite.
Excepting the first 1/4 mile between my "Lost Cove" campsite (#90) and the Lost Cove trailhead I'd
hiked this route before, although it was in the opposite direction as part of a strenuous 12 mile loop hike Jan & I had
done a few years ago. I knew to expect a hilly route and that I'd find hulks of a few WW II era cars along the portion
of the trail that was once part of NC Hwy 288 which was cut-off when TVA closed this area to flood Fontana Lake. What
I didn't know was that I'd be hiking thru an area that was once part of the Fontana Copper Mine my hiking guide
says was active from 1926-44 and yielded over a half million tons of high grade copper ore (not to be confused
with the actual metal) plus 250 pounds of gold and 14,500 pounds of silver.
The old abandoned car hulks were still there although I didn't find any silver or gold. The only copper
I noticed was the taste in my mouth when I bit my tongue while chewing a piece of gum. The hiking guide says but for
the want of replacement tires some of the old cars were in running order at the time they were abandoned during
WW II when it was hard to get tires due to the wartime rationing followed by the abrupt evacuation of this area when the lake
was flooded.
There were a few fresh bear tracks in one muddy section of the trail and lots more mushrooms and summer
wildflowers. Just about 200 yards before the end of the trail I passed a small motorcycle that was chained to a tree--probably
for use as shuttle transportation by a solo hiker heading in this direction. My shuttle transportation wasn't due to
arrive until 1 pm so my 11 am arrival at the trailhead allowed me plenty of extra time to contemplate the experience of the
past few days. A convoy of cars filled with a group of folks from Charlotte arrive at the trailhead and query me
about the Lakeshore trail. Most of them are clad in pristine white sneakers and Sunday-go-to-meeting finery but seem
enthusiastic about hiking out to see "the old Buicks." I warn them about the muddy conditions and point out that the
old cars are nearly 2 miles from here. Less than 30 minutes later their convoy of cars pass me on their way back across
the dam.
I walked the 1-1/4 miles down the hill and across the Fontana Dam to the visitor center where I perched
my gear beside the road to await my ride. I never fail to be impressed by the sheer size of Fontana Dam. Standing
atop the massive structure looking down its 480' height on the discharge side it is hard for me to imagine they built this
thing in only three years (January 1942 - January 1945). The lake side view isn't nearly so impressive until you stop
to think about how deep the water is here: 440' at times of maximum levels! The dam is almost 1/2 mile long and
most of the time you can drive your car across the top. The AT was rerouted in 1946-47 to cross Fontana Dam but in 2002
AT hikers had to bypass the easier Fontana Dam route when, following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, TVA closed the
dam to both vehicles and pedestrians for security reasons. These days, except during temporary closures for maintenance,
the route across the dam is again open to the public.
Jan arrived to pick me up around noon and I enjoyed our reunion and an ice cold beverage she'd been thoughtful
enough to pack. The trip has been four days of hiking for a total of 35.8 miles including two more major trail segments
to mark off my checklist toward completing all of the trails in the Smokies. So far I've logged
2,058.2 miles of hiking in the Smokies with about 110 miles remaining to complete the "official" 797.8 miles of
hiking trails in the park. Those 110 miles of unhiked trails generally represent some of the most "difficult" interior
trails to access in the park but with Jan's help and more backpacking trips like this one I'll soon finish all of them.
I hope you enjoyed this hike journal and would very much appreciate any comments on my stories.
I'd especially enjoy reading of your experiences along trails you've hiked so get busy and write something even
if it is only a simple "I hiked from here to there way back during the summer of 1964" kind of story.
