I started at the Fontana Dam shelter this morning. The first 4 1/2 miles was a 2,000 ft climb. There were few switchbacks and many stairs. It was very slow going and a very long slog uphill with a full pack.

I stopped at cable gap shelter with several thru hikers. The conversation was great, but the shelter was definitely not the nicest I’ve ever seen. It was down in a hollow without even satellite signal. Everything was damp and dark.

One of the thru hikers I met was MacGyver. He had fun sweeping out the shelter.

AT Thru-Hike Stats
Section Day #1 (5/13/22)
Start — Fontana Hilton (165.7)
End — Cable Gap Shelter (159.2)
Today’s mileage: 6.5
Total section miles: 6.5
Total miles on AT: 1023.1

Nobody knows the age of the human race, but everybody agrees that it is old enough to know better. — Anon