AT Hike #2: Shuckstack Fire Tower

"Shaconage" 

(place of the blue smoke-Cherokee)

A view of the Smoky mountains and flat Tennessee in the distance

Background: 

The Great Smoky Mountains are said to be over 200 million years old, making it one of the oldest mountain ranges on this earth. The National Park was established in 1934 and is the most visited national park in the United States. You can certainly feel the difference here from the nearby Nantahala and Pisgah. In our National Forests, you get the vibe/sense that generally local people and people from around our state/region are recreating. However, in the National Park, there is a huge tourism vibe and you can tell that in the small towns that service the park as well.

Shuckstack mountain fire tower and Fontana Lake as represented on my USGS raised relief map 

One unfortunate thing I found out are that dogs are prohibited in the park under all circumstances. This didn't make much sense to me then and still doesn't make 100% sense now but from what I understand is that due to the amount of traffic the park gets along with the amount of bears in the park, it's just not a good idea. Now, equestrian users are not restricted here, with over 500 miles of trails to use. Oh well, our furry friend Clif could not join us on this hike and won't be able to ever see the Great Smoky Mountains in his life (tear). 

At the base of this hike is historic Fontana Dam, the highest dam east of the Rockies. At over 500 feet high on the Little Tennessee river, this thing is an amazing feat of engineering and is definately a sight to see if you are/have been a resident of North Carolina for any amount of time. The dam has a visitor center with lots of cool information on the history of the area and the National Park. 

The hike in total was about 7 miles round-trip in an elevation gain of around 2200 feet. While the trail itself was well blazed (white blazes along the AT) I would still descibe it as a moderate hike due to the amount of switchbacking and elevation gain. Sean and I hiked it in just short of 4 hours.

Hike Report: 

Distance: 7 miles

Time: ~4 hours

Difficulty: Strenuous

Anyways, getting to the trailhead to this hike is a pretty awesome drive, as you take NC 28 from Almond about 15ish miles up and down switchbacking roads following Fontana Lake. On the drive, you will enter Graham County, one of the last dry counties in North Carolina. I love hiking these mountains but I also love gettiing to know the areas that surround it, because they are certainly all unique. My Graham County experience can be summed up in a couple pictures...

The picture on the left was actually a biker hangout/motel/gas station. Yes, that is a rebel flag on proud display. My guess is their vote is Trump. I went inside to pickup a water and a snack, I overheard the cashier talking about days of yesteryear when all the counties used to be dry in North Carolina and how bad Charlotte is about having beer in gas stations. I brought a protein bar and a water to the counter and the cashier looked at me and said "$5." 

Was I probably charged an arbitrary amount higher than the actual prices because I don't look like I'm from these parts? Probably. Is all of it worth it for the entertainment of hindsight? Absolutely. 

Anyways.

We got to Fontana Village, a small town that felt more like a resort than anything. From what I hear, the people here are well off. We made another stop for gas as I had underestimated the impact of the hills on my gas tank, and low and behold the price of gas: 

Yes, you read that right, that is $2.82. Economically, we can explain this by the market for automobile gasoline being relatively inelastic due to the lack of access to other gas stations in a 10 mile radius. Still, even without other choices in the market, it's amazing that this was nearly a whole dollar more per gallon than gas stations in my home-city of Charlotte. 

Moving on from our Graham County adventures, let's talk about the hike itself. The trailhead was accessible just over historic Fontana Dam. Here is a picture of the road across the dam and the tower up in the distance. This definitely looked intimidating from the ground. Fire tower hikes are always worth the effort though, remember that. 

Anyways, I chatted with a couple hikers about the trail as they were just finishing and they warned me about a couple different yellow jacket nests along the trail. Fun. Yes, I did end up getting stung. I asked them if they saw any bears half-sarcastically and they said no in a relatively serious tone. They say there is a bear every 2 square miles of the national park, you know. 

Heading up, the trail switchbacks a solid 1000ish feet before leveling out even a little bit. Be warned if you take this hike, there is not rest in moving as the entire trip is basically climbing. But that's what we came for. 

The trail conditions were dry and I could tell that this area of North Carolina doesn't get as much rain as the nearby Nantahala or even the Pisgah. The lady at the gas station in Fontana Village made the comment that it hadn't rained in a long time and I could definitely tell. 

Anyways, the hike to the top was relatively uneventful other than getting stung by a yellow jacket and as a result running up the trail like a mad man. One comment I'll make about hiking here is that wildlife is in your face. On the way up and down, I came up within ten feet of two or three deer. Considering the bear-hype of the Smokies, every single big animal I ran into gave by heart a good pump or two or three. 

As we got closer to the top, views of the lake and surrounding mountains began to present itself. The coolest view not from a fire tower on this hike was a fairly large rock outcropping along the trail, if I was a student of geology I would be able to tell you the type of rock but in this blog we'll stick to economics where I can. 

Now, the best part: the top. Shuckstack fire tower sits on Shuckstack mountain and the cool part about this summit is the foundation and chimney of an old fire marshall's cabin. It's amazing to think of the history here and how back in the day a fire marshall would live on top of a mountain just because of the proximity to a fire tower. I guess that's what you call leadership and civic duty!

Anyways, here are the beautiful pictures I got at the top. The fire tower itself is in terrible shape with rotting wood at the top. From what I understand this tower is up to be evaluated by the park on whether to be renovated or torn down. I am very happy I got to climb up this one if it were to be taken down. 

Fontana Dam/Lake