Appalachian Trail 2021, Days 21-22: Fontana Dam to Spence Field Shelter (NOBO)

Cold rain, rolling thunder, and a two-mile-plus climb straight out of Fontana Dam - this section hike picked up right where the mileage count left off, this time heading north into the Smokies from the southern end. Watch the video below, then read on for the full story.

A Soggy Start at Newfound Gap

The trip started the way a lot of good trail stories do - with a hotel mix-up. We drove up from Florida to Bryson City only to find our first hotel boarded up, so it was on to a different one in town for the night. The next morning we drove the 45 minutes to Newfound Gap and met our shuttle driver, Craig from Cabins in the Woods, who got us to the Fontana Dam Visitor Center right on time - in cold, windy, rainy conditions with thunder already rolling in.

Watching the Sky, Climbing Anyway

We'd been tracking the forecast closely in the days leading up to this trip, since our time off was fixed and there wasn't much room to shuffle dates. Four days on trail were on the schedule, with thunderstorms expected on day one, lingering rain on day two, and clearer skies promised for days three and four - hopefully with good views from spots like Clingmans Dome. Day one delivered exactly what was forecast: rain and distant thunder the whole way up, with the climb starting almost immediately out of Fontana Dam.

Throne-Shaped Rock and the Shuckstack Fire Tower

The climbing didn't let up much through the afternoon. We passed a formation locals call the Throne-Shaped Rock around the three mile mark, and by mid-afternoon the thunder had thinned out to just an occasional rumble every five or ten minutes instead of constant. The steep spur up to the Shuckstack Fire Tower was a highlight of the day - it's a lot taller in person than it looks in photos, and worth the short side climb even in the fog.

Racing the Rain to Set Up Camp

By six o'clock we'd found a window - the rain paused just long enough for us to get the tent up dry, which felt like a small miracle after a full day of steady rain. Of course it started right back up once we were inside, so dinner happened under the vestibule, boiling water and eating with just enough cover to stay half-dry. Everything you touch starts to feel dirty and damp on days like that, and the idea of pulling on wet socks again the next morning wasn't exactly appealing.

Day Two: Clearer Air, Still Climbing

Day two brought less rain and, more importantly, better visibility - the difference between hiking inside a cloud and actually being able to see the ridgelines around you made a big impact on morale. We climbed steadily through a two-mile push midday, crossing roughly 4,800 feet in elevation with temperatures hovering in the low 50s and a cold night in the forecast. With about five and a half miles left in the day, we pushed on toward Spence Field Shelter to close out this leg of the hike.