GSMNP Late December Trip Report

[Track3307]

This trip report is for the late December Great Smoky Mountain National Park hike; Our plan was to depart the house at 11AM on Friday 26 December (Day 1), arriving to Fontana Dam Resort around 5PM. Day 2 (Saturday, 27 December) would be an early rise, traveling to Fontana Marina and canoeing from Fontana Marina to Campsite 90 and hiking the 3.5 miles to the Appalachian Trail, finishing at Shuckstack Firetower. We would snap some photos of the afternoon views and travel back to Campsite 90 for dinner. Day 3 (Sunday, 28 December) we would canoe back across the lake, load the gear up and head home!


Day 1: Departure from AK and drive to Fontana Dam Resort

My departure out of Anchorage was delayed by several hours due to weather, pushing our original departure time out of Georgia back several hours. Despite the late arrival, we were able to pile into our canoe for a test run on a small lake in Georgia to see how she would handle. The initial test was shaky at best, leading to one of the three of our group deciding that he would hike in to Campsite 90 and leave the canoeing to the other two. We pulled the canoe out of the water, loaded it on top of the SUV and went to Walmart for supplies, hitting Sonic on the way out for a farewell meal.

After an uneventful 6 hour drive we arrived to the Fontana Dam Resort just before midnight. I will say I was very impressed with the accommodations the resort provides; we paid $70 for two queen beds and had an outstanding view. After packing the essentials for the trip we talked over the plan for the next morning, going to bed around 2AM.

FontanaLodge.jpg

Day 2: Fontana Marina to Campsite 90, Shuckstack Firetower

We woke up around 8AM and ate breakfast at the restaurant in the Fontana Lodge (The Mountainview Restaurant) - The meal was excellent and put us in a good mood for the trip ahead.

Breakfast.jpgFontanaView.jpg

We traveled to the Fontana Dam to drop off our friend that would be hiking in to Campsite 90; His route would take him across Fontana Dam, up the Appalachian Trail and right onto the Lakeshore Trail for 5 miles.

HikeIn.jpgFontanaDam.jpgLakeshoreTH.jpgOldCar.jpg

After dropping him off, we made the five minute drive to Fontana Marina, loaded up and were on our way! The canoe handled well -We had a slight breeze blowing from East to West across the lake that caused minor waves, but nothing we couldn't handle. We allotted two hours for our trip across and ended up taking just over one. Once we made it across the main body of the lake and into the Eagle Creek Inlet, it was extremely smooth. The cover the hills provided from the wind made the water absolute glass making for beautiful reflection photos.

CanoeRT.jpgCanoe.jpgGlass.jpg

We beached the canoe just below the "rapids" of Eagle Creek and began the process of unloading - The process was slow going because of the deep mud created by the receding waters, but we were able to get everything to the campsite without incident. Our friend that had hiked in arrived shortly after we started unloading.

Camp.jpgUnload.jpgCampsite.jpg


Once camp was established and all the food was safely hung from the bear wires, we gathered our day packs and began the hike up to Shuckstack Tower around 2PM. The multiple stream crossings were a little tricky, but after accepting the inevitability of wet feet they became significantly easier. After a short, steep climb we reached the Appalachian Trail

LCTH.jpgCross.jpgAT.jpg

A quick jaunt to the Shuckstack Firetower provided amazing views; a perfect cap to a great day. We snapped some photos and began our descent back to Campsite 90.

CaretakerCabin.jpgFiretower.jpgFiretower1.jpgFiretower2.jpgFlask.jpg

We arrived back to Campsite 90 shortly before 5PM and began preparations for dinner. The fire was lit with the firewood we had canoed in and wet shoes were dried. After cooking tin foil dinners (Ground Beef, Potatoes, Onions, Cabbage, Carrots, Seasonings) we stayed up late into the night catching up with each other and enjoying the solitude.

Shoes.jpg

Day 3: Campsite 90 back to Georgia

We woke up to the sound of rain on the tents and quickly began the process of packing up. Within 45 minutes we had the camp packed into the canoe and were ready to get home. Our friend that had hiked in opted to ride back with us in the canoe rather than hike back. Our trip home was uneventful; the waves on the way back were smaller then they had been the previous day, cutting our travel time down to an hour. We loaded the gear up and began the drive to Helen, Georgia for a mid afternoon meal of good German food. As always, the food was excellent and we were able to catch a football game while enjoying German beer. The rest of the drive home was quiet, arriving home around 6PM.

Food.jpg

In closing, I will have to say this trip was an absolute blast. Our AT hikes are typically significantly more physical and the low strain of this hike was exactly what we needed to relax. It was just enough uphill to make you earn that gorgeous view from Shuckstack and provided solitude seldom found in the United States most populated National Park. I would not advise crossing the lake in December unless you have several contingencies in place. We had dry bags that we ensured would float that contained enough clothing to get us safe once we hit land in case the canoe flipped. I also had a SPOT tracker that I use for my fly in hunts/hikes in Alaska on my person if we absolutely needed it.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the read!

[2Ply]

Looks like y'all had a great trip. Really like the flasks.

[Track3307]

Thanks! Trip was a good time - Flasks were done by a graphics design company up here in AK

[futureatwalker]

Great trip report - thanks for sharing! The lake looks really low. Is there a drought in Georgia (or is this normal for the winter)?

[July]

This area is actually in North Carolina, lake controlled by TVA. Lake is lowered via Dam. To prep for snowmelt/rainfall during this time of year, the lake is lowered to accommodate.

[Track3307]

Exactly what July said - It made for some interesting photos. Here is one my friend took on his walk in:
10919053_10205655005036704_438534812459532962_n.jpg