Today (Tuesday) I journeyed far a field as I headed to Fontana Dam and a hike in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) on the Appalachian Trail (AT) to Shuckstack Fire Tower.
On this day the drive might have been the toughest part of the outing as it took about three hours to reach Fontana Dam. I went to Knoxville and then headed down past the airport before turning onto US 129 or as it is better know the "The Dragon." The road goes through Deals Gap and is said to have 318 curves in 11 miles. I will say that this was the curviest road I have ever been on. This road is why it took three hours to get to the dam.
Once I arrived I decided to hike from the Fontana Dam Visitor Center, which adds two miles (both ways) to the hike. However the scenery while crossing the dam was well worth it. I said before that the drive was tough, but don’t think the hike wasn’t because that would be wrong. While I will do a more detailed review of the hike up this trip up the AT is almost all uphill and the last half-mile is really steep. Once at the top one then has to climb 60 feet up the old fire tower, which is one of four old towers still standing in the park (the other three are Mt. Cammerer, Mt Sterling & Cove Mountain or five if you count Clingmans Dome). Anyway, I didn't hike this far not to go up and even with some gusty winds the view was more than worth it because it is spectacular. It was cool because earlier I could see the fire tower from Fontana Dam and now I could see the dam from Shuckstack.
On the way back I just missed a bear. This section of the AT is notorious for bear activity. While I didn’t catch sight of a Bruin I did see plenty of wildflowers. Besides my favorite Mountain Laurel I got to see a number of old favorites like Rattlesnake Weed, Virginia Spiderwort and Fire Pink.
Once back I enjoyed the vistas at Fontana Dam and toured the visitor center. The drive back included a trip back on "the Dragon" and a detour on the Foothills Parkway. While I had driven on the Eastern Section the Western park is the longest completed section at almost 18 miles and since I had an opportunity to drive it how was I going to pass it up. Besides pull-offs this section also features the Look Rock Tower on Chilhowee Mountain.
The tower is located on a knob which is the high point of the Chilhowee Mountain. Its design is similar to the one on top of Clingmans Dome and offers views of the mountains of the GSMNP and the Tennessee Valley including Maryville and on clear days Knoxville. There is even an information board the haze that effects the view. You will also notice that on the way up to the tower there is a air quality has a sign that explains what it does.
So, conquering "the Dragon" (twice), completing the finished portion of the Foothills Parkway, visiting the tallest dam in the Eastern U.S. and hiked to the last of the towers in the park that can be climbed, not a bad day all-in-all.
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