Appalachian Trail 2020, Day 17: Cody Gap to Fontana Dam Visitor Center

The third and final day of our section hike from the NOC brought ten miles of trail, a thunderstorm that rolled through the night before, and a slow walk into civilization that ended with a Big Mac in Robbinsville. Watch the video below, then read on for the full story.

A Thunderstorm at Cody Gap

We'd camped at Cody Gap the night before, sharing the handful of tent sites with four other hikers headed to the University of Tennessee. There was a decent breeze, which we needed in the July heat, and water nearby, so it was about as good a tent site as we could ask for. Overnight a thunderstorm skirted by a few miles off - close enough that one crack of thunder boomed through the mountains and rattled us lying there with no walls around us - before settling into a soft, steady rain that never really got into our tent. If anything, the white noise of the rain was a nice change from listening to a stream all night.

The Last Ten Miles

Ten miles stood between us and the car. We climbed out of Yellow Creek Gap Road and up Yellow Creek Mountain Road, topping off water along the way, then settled into the rhythm of the trail with some nice views opening up through the trees. About halfway through the day the trail wound through a stretch of big rocks worth slowing down for. With around three and a half miles left, Fontana Dam came into view through the trees, and that's when the hike started to feel like it was really winding down.

Reflecting on the Trip

It had been a physically tough three days, but sharing it with Christy on her first backpacking trip made it something else entirely. We pushed each other along the way - she said if she'd been hiking alone she'd have slowed down in plenty of spots, and the same was true for me. On this last day especially, we made a point to actually stop and take it in rather than just grinding out the miles, lingering over a longer lunch break to soak in the views before getting back to the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Rolling Into the Fontana Hilton

The trail spit us out onto Highway 28, and from there it was a walk along Fontana Lake toward the visitor center. On the way we passed the shelter some call the "Fontana Hilton" - it earns the nickname with a water view, a water spigot, and even a solar charging station, easily one of the nicer shelters on the whole trail. As nice as it was to be out on the trail with Christy, I'll admit it was exciting to roll back into civilization, knowing good food and a comfortable bed weren't far off.

Top Five Gear Picks From the Trip

With about a mile left to the car, I ran through a top five list of gear that made the trip: number five, bug lotion, which kept the mosquitoes and ticks off after Christy picked up a tick and I got bit within the first few minutes of day one; number four, my water filter bottle, just because it was quick to fill and squeeze; number three, Band-Aids and medical tape, after I fought a blister on my heel for the first hour of the whole hike; number two, my sleep pad, which was well worth the splurge for someone who sleeps on their side with hip bursitis; and number one, trekking poles, without which I'm not sure I'd have made it past day one given how steep the climbs were. The bonus pick was a good hiking buddy who doesn't mind splitting the shared gear - which Christy was, even though I joked more than once that I thought I might die out there.

NOC to Fontana Dam, In the Books

We rolled up on the car right at Fontana Dam, closing out two solid days of hiking and about 30 miles covered since setting foot on the trail at the NOC. Jacob's Ladder was every bit the killer we expected, and the climb out of the NOC on day one gave it a run for its money, but we made it. First stop: Robbinsville for a Big Mac, fries, and a soft drink, then on to Blue Ridge, Georgia for a hotel and pizza that night. Another section of the AT checked off - and Christy's first backpacking trip firmly in the books.