Mollies Ridge Shelter — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

I rounded a turn and the trail turned rocky. Then the brush disappeared and the view off the side of the mountain was breathtaking. A little bit further and I took the side trail to the Shuckstack fire tower. The tower is rickety (only one rail for part of the way) but the view is the best so far. You can see the Nantahala River, the Fontana Dam and the entire countryside. It's easy to realize how small you are when the only thing surrounding you is forested wilderness.

The shelter has two levels where hikers tightly fit in together. Don’t mind the mice crawling over you as you sleep – they’re just looking for some food. This is a good reason to hang your food bag from the bear hangers. I left the pockets in my backpack unzipped so the mice wouldn’t chew through them in search of food.

Mollies Ridge was a great shelter in a beautiful part of the trail.