Monday, May 6th, 2024, 0715-2030
No name site to Loss Creek camp, mm 121.6
18 miles, Gain: 3600′, Loss: 3300′, elevation 920′
It rained a little overnight again, which was no big deal. I hit the trail and made it 4 easy miles along some old road beds following a ridge. I missed the trail at a junction, but was rewarded with a short dirt road walk that probably actually saved me some time. I descended into the Lost Creek valley, where the heavens opened up again, letting out some torrential downpours. I began a pleasant and flat 3 mile trail along Big Lost Creek…that is it might have been pleasant if it wasn’t hammering rain and the lightning wasn’t crashing all around. Still, I enjoyed seeing the creek (more like a river) gushing over many small waterfalls. The surrounding forest felt like one big waterfall, shedding all the rain coming down. I walked through puddles over my ankles but my upper body stayed dry under my umbrella.
I reached the little hamlet of Reliance TN just as the thunderstorms began to let up. I took refuge at the (closed) recreation and outfitter’s center for the last of the rain, then continued down the road and across the bridge, crossing the wide Hiwassee river. At 745 feet, this was the lowest elevation along the BMT. I deviated 3/4 of a mile off the path to visit the Reliance Fly and Tackle store, where I’d sent a resupply box. Go figure, it was sunny by the time I got there…just in time to enjoy the use of their really nice outside covered pavilion. I guess it was a sweet spot to escape the rain and also the hot sun. I earned a nice long break at this store, as I was ahead of my schedule by half a day. My next stop was Fontana Resort, and it didn’t make much sense to get there too early since my Smokies permit didn’t begin for another 5 days. The staff were so friendly, letting me linger, charge stuff, and use their wifi. They were perfectly set-up to cater to hikertrash, but I was the only hiker there. I could just imagine the pavilion being full if this store were along the AT. They also had a really good hiker box, despite, or perhaps because of, the lack of hikers. I found some fun dehydrated mystery meals, one of which I ate right there for a late lunch/early dinner. I also got a grilled cheese sandwich from the store grill, which was delicious.
I spent the afternoon catching up on social media, oddly reading about so many Hayduke hikers’ experiences this spring. Jupiter, Dirty Avocado, Jarhead, Bopit and some others I knew were all tackling the route. From what I could tell, they’d had some extreme temperature swings but fortunately none of the severe flooding I dealt with the year before. There were certainly more people hiking the Hayduke than the BMT. I reflected on how green, wet and lush the BMT had been, which was such an opposite contrast to out west. I missed the slick rock and vistas from Utah but was also grateful to be doing some more east coast hiking, with all the flowers, plants, creeks, rivers, and waterfalls. After all, I was lucky enough to raft the entire Grand Canyon in February, after finishing the Hayduke through the Grand Canyon and Zion the fall before…I’d recently enjoyed plenty of time out west. Here, it seemed like I had these mountains all to myself.
I finally left the store around 5 pm, continuing east along the river. At first it was an easy stroll on the side road. But then the trail went over a ridge and through a prescribed burn area, with a fair amount of blowdowns because of the dead trees. Upon descending to the river again, I envisioned another couple of miles of easy trail, similar to how the Big Lost Creek Trail had been in the morning. Boy was I wrong. The trail was instead very rough, overgrown, and with lots of short and steep scrambles over rock ledges along the gorge. It was not the kind of trail I wanted or expected to do at the end of the day, after designating the whole day as a kind of ‘take it easy’ one. I had only 2 miles to go to my desired campsite, but those 2 miles were some of the most difficult the whole trip. At least the campsite was primo, even if it was almost dark by the time I reached it. I rinsed off in the creek and because it was so late and remote, I pitched my tent in the buff, letting my skin dry. I could care less if someone happened by. Just minutes before I’d passed a hog, so maybe I did have an audience. I didn’t have to make dinner, so I was asleep in minutes and for once, enjoyed a rain-free night.
