The Uncanny Glass Eye

May 2, 2025

Bo and I rolled out early this morning in order to beat the rain and to put some distance between us and the other dog owner. It was a pretty foggy morning, and we walked downhill into a parking lot where they were doing construction. It was strange to hear so much noise after being used to the silence and the sounds of nature. On the bench in the parking lot, there was some old trail magic – a bag of raw beans and 2 empty gallons of water.

We had a steep climb out of the construction site after a small reroute due to them reinforcing the slope. I caught up to “Pooh Bear” and met up with “Mule,” “Context,” “Legacy,” and one other person whose name escaped me. We all walked to the next shelter to fill up water and have lunch. “Pooh Bear,” and I decided to walk together to Cable Gap Shelter, and she was the first person I have hiked with on the trail so far! She told me that she wants to start a canoe trip business and guide trips on a river in Texas. She just graduated from school and has a black lab at home named Luna.

Hiking with “Pooh Bear.”

Towards the end of the day, my feet really started hurting, so Bo and I walked a bit faster and said goodbye to “Pooh Bear” for a bit. Her knee was also giving her trouble, so we both started going at our own paces. There was a loose golden retriever that ran up to another hiker that past me today, but luckily, the dog seemed to find their way home after about half a mile.

When I got to the shelter, I saw “Cutt” (who got his trail name from his brother, “climbed up the tree”). He was staying in the shelter since he got shuttled from the NOC to Fontana and is hiking southbound back to the NOC due to the rain and his hike finishing up. I had one of the rice and chicken meals that “Poppins” gave me with an electrolyte mix by the creek, as I gave my feet a soak in the cold mountain water. Bo had his kibble, followed by lots of pepperoni.

I hung out with “Cutt” and “Pooh Bear” for the evening. There was a guy with a glass eye at the shelter that Bo wasn’t too fond of, I think the eye freaked him out a bit. I found the situation a bit funny because I had just finished reading Fried Green Tomatoes, and the guy in the story also had a glass eye.

“Mule,” who was formerly known as “Cardio” when I met him at Stanimals in Hiawassee, carried an entire can of ham with him. I’m planning to get into Fontana tomorrow and stay at the Fontana Hilton, which is a big shelter over looking the lake, and it has showers. I’ll be running into town to pick up my package, get some food, and maybe do laundry.