May 12-13, 2024
As I finish the Smoky 900 (all the trails of the Smokies), one loop has eluded me for a while: a 32.7-mile circuit consisting of up the Appalachian Trail from Fontana to Spence Field Shelter, and then down Eagle Creek Trail. Eagle Creek was one of those trails that I had read too much about. The infamous creek crossings have been written (read: griped) about frequently. Some say they aren’t bad; others liken them to death-defying diluvian deeds. The answer is that it really depends on when you cross the creeks.
I have never had an enjoyable hike up the Appalachian Trail from Fontana Dam. Those first 3 miles are brutal. As I set out, I passed many late season thru-hikers. The total mileage from Fontana to Spence Field Shelter is 16.1 miles (plus 1 mile across the dam). It is challenging, but very rewarding once you are on the ridge.
At Russell Field, a gregarious elderly man met me as I sat for a rest. Once he found out that I was hiking a loop up the AT and then down Eagle, he regaled me with his own hike in the area: chock-full of storms, waist high water and missed ferry boat rides. I had to wonder how much of it was true and how much was total embellishment.
Around 4:00 pm, I arrived and tented up near the shelter. It was hard to find a level place to tent around the shelter, but I found a flat-ish spot.
There was an interesting mix of thru-hikers, overnighters and folks finishing the Smoky 900 trails. One thru-hiker did not look like a thru-hiker. He reminded me of a friend from years ago. His gear was top of the line. He even bragged about spending $3,000 on the equipment, apropos of nothing. Before dinner was even over, emboldened mice ventured out in broad daylight to explore packs and people, some coming up right next to people sitting down. I questioned the ritzy hiker on whether he would sleep in the shelter or tent it up. He assured me that he had a sure-fire solution to the mice: menthol. Menthol would keep the mice at bay.
“Are you going to smoke Newports all night?” I asked. He didn’t like my joke. Apparently, he was going to lube parts of his body with Vicks VapoRub to ward off the pests. I would much rather just sleep in a tent.
The next morning was the descent of Eagle Creek Trail. The first several miles from the shelter are challenging, even descending. It is steep, rocky, wet and treacherous. The stream crossings are somewhat difficult. In total there were 23 water crossings. Some came up to your ankles, others to your waist. Certainly, the last three crossings (or the ones closest to Lakeshore Trail) are the deepest and would be impassable after a heavy rain. I chose to wear trail runners while crossing, instead of going barefoot or stopping before every creek to change into water shoes.
At about the 12th crossing, I stepped onto a particularly mossy rock and faceplanted right into the creek. I was soaked and ripped the top layer of skin off my shin.
As you can see from the pictures below, these crossings can be tricky.
The last few miles were cruising along Lakeshore to the car. The rain clouds gathered, and rain fell as I exited this challenging loop.
Total mileage is 32.7 miles.
Wow, great hike!
I just did this yesterday as a brutal one day loop, although I did it in reverse, that way it would be easier to bail if I hit an impassible water crossing. It turns out that I didn’t need to worry about that. Water levels were much lower than you saw. The deepest crossing was right at knee deep. The downside of reversing the order was that I got to descend your first three brutal miles in the dark.
Interesting contrast between the two trails: on the Lakeshore and Eagle Creek trails, I didn’t see a single other person. I was 16 miles into my day before I saw any other hikers, when I ran into a big group at Spence Field Shelter. Then, of course, on the AT I saw plenty of other people.
That is a brutal loop in one day! Thats really impressive.