Day 152 (November 22)

Today was the end of the trip. We hiked 13 miles and summited Springer Mountain, Georgia before noon. It was a sunny, beautiful day to complete the journey. An amazing journey. Thanks for your interest in my trip. Take care.

Day 151 (November 21)

We had beautiful weather for our hike of 20 miles today. Left Neels gap at 7:00 a.m. and powered up Blood Mountain in an hour. Wonderful views from up there. We have 12 miles to go! 

Spending our last night stealth camping -- its going to be cold. We should summit Springer about noon tomorrow, and then we'll meet Grahm and Bern for a ride back to Atlanta. Zest and I will stay at Grahm's and leave Sunday. Hope to go to the Cheesecake Factory to eat. All is well. Take care.

Day 149 (November 19)

We completed a 17 mile hike today, starting out in 10 degree weather. It was a tough hike. Lots of ups and downs with relatively little flat trail. Nevertheless, we met our distance objective by 3:30 p.m. -- pretty quick. Only 52 miles to go.

Day 148 (November 18)

Today's hike was in record low temperatures --  somewhere in the single digits. The windchill was below zero. So much for balmy North Carolina/Georgia. We did 16 miles from Deep Gap to Dicks Creek Gap. In the process, we left North Carolina and entered Georgia, number 14 of the 14 states on the AT! That warmed my heart! Only 70 miles remain. We are staying at Top of Georgia Hostel tonight, which is only a half mile off the trail and brand new. It is the best hostel on the trail. We got a free ride into Hiawassee for an all-you-can-eat buffet. 

Heading out into the cold again tomorrow for 17 miles to Helen, GA, and hopefully another night indoors. Take care. 

Day 147 (November 17)

We woke to rain this morning and decided to zero in Franklin, NC. The rain ended in the afternoon, and it got cold. The windchill is expected to be below zero tomorrow. We will hike about 16 miles to keep to our projected finishing date on Saturday. I spent the day napping, writing, and mailing gear home. I will be a few pounds lighter in pack weight tomorrow, especially since I will be wearing most of my clothes. Take care.

Day 146 (November 16)

Got a 20 miler in today. The temperatures were in the 30s, but it rained the last hour. It's hard to get any good temperatures in Georgia. It is supposed to rain more heavily tomorrow, so we may zero. We're still in Franklin, NC, the gem capital of the world according to locals. However, we are now only 85.4 miles from Springer. 

Here's a look at Georgia from Albert Mountain in North Carolina. Take care.

Day 145 (November 15)

Had a short day today. It was 19 degrees when we started, but sunny. We made our 10 mile objective by noon. Staying in a motel in Franklin, NC -- a quaint mountain town. We're trying a 20 mile slack pack tomorrow back here. It is supposed to be cold and rainy. Hoping to stay on track, finishing one week from today. 

Another water source on today's route. Pure mountain water. Take care.

Day 144 (November 14)

Zest and I started hiking at 6:47 this morning. It was cold all day, but we made 22 miles. I don't think it got above freezing today. At noon, I had ice hanging from my beard. We have eight days of hiking remaining according to our self-imposed schedule. Tonight we are in a hostel run by a couple from England. It is unlike the typical hostel. Luxurious. I guess it's a bit like a hostel in England: no mice, grand furnishings, TV, showers, modern plumbing, etc. 

We hope to do 10 miles tomorrow. Got some great views. Take care.

Day 143 (November 13)

We had a short hike today -- 13.4 miles -- but it was a tough uphill. Finished at the Nantahala River and have a wonderful bunk house to sleep in tonight. Nine days to the finish from here. We went over a nice bald today, but it was a little gloomy with the sun. The bald and a typical water source on the trail. 

Big climbs tomorrow. Looking to do 22 miles and finish at a hostel. Take care.

Day 142 (November 12)

We did a 15 mile slack pack today,which means we hiked with a lighter pack weight back to the lodge we stayed in last night. Worked well. Tomorrow we will start at the same point and head south with full packs. The weather has held well: a bit cool, but no problem for hiking. Just need to keep the rain and snow away. 

Fontana Dam is a wonderful recreation area. At 480 feet, the dam is the tallest east of the Rockies! Take care.

Day 141 (November 11)

We had a great day of hiking today. The temperatures were in the 70s, we covered 23 miles, and we finished the Smokies. Tonight we are staying at the Fontana Dam Lodge. Fontana Dam is another TVA project completed by the CCC. Tomorrow is supposed to be a carbon copy of today regarding weather. Friday will turn cold like the rest of the country. We are trying to complete miles with end points in warm places. Fun challenge. One hundred sixty-seven miles to Springer Mountain!

Day 140 (November 10)

Hiked a great 18 miles today. Zest and I got a hitch out of Gatlinberg about 9:00 a.m. What a great vacation city! Fifteen miles to the trail head. We went up and over Clingmans Dome today, the highest point on the AT. We also made it to under 200 miles to go, and over 2,000 miles completed, on the AT. We're staying at a shelter tonight. Lots of mice. They never vacation. The weather is supposed to hold for the next two days, so we hope to make some good miles.

Day 139 (November 9)

I am doing a nero today in Gaitlinburg, TN. I was able to re-connect with Zest, my hiking partner since New York. He went off-trail for a few days to attend his daughter's wedding. I stayed at Iceberg Shelter last night -- appropriately named. I had every article of clothing on and was inside my 25 degree bag with my tent rain fly over that. The shelter is at the top of a mountain in the Smokies. It was a nice downhill hike this morning to Newfound Gap where I got a quick hitch for the 15 miles into town. 

Gaitlinburg is a fun tourist town, a bit like Disneyland, clean with lots of shops. Also, one can sample whiskey here from various recognized stills. Bootlegging was big in the area during prohibition. Out of that tradition, whiskey manufacturing evolved from moonshine and NASCAR evolved from the modified cars used to run moonshine to various markets. Capitalism at its finest!

Day 138 (November 8)

Great day of hiking in the Smokies. They are beautiful, and the trail runs high up, so you have views of many of vistas. I hiked 23 miles today through lots of snow. It slows the miles and drains one's energy. Once the elevation drops and temperatures warm, the journey won't seem so arduous, but man it is tough right now. 

I am in a shelter at the top of a mountain freezing my keister off with about a dozen other hikers. The next few days are supposed to be 50-60 degree daytime highs. Looking forward to that. Take care.

Day 137 (November 7)

Charlie and I did a slack pack from Standing Bear Hostel today. It was a 10 mile downhill, saving me from doing it uphill tomorrow and giving me a good start on the Smokies. The weather was cold this morning, but felt good if you kept moving. We started at 7:30 a.m. and finished about 1:30 p.m. We took six sodas with us and played a bit of trail magic on hikers coming up hill. Each of the lucky six was happy to take a cool coke. Then, with three miles to go, we came upon a cooler full of trail magic that had just been placed, probably for the weekend. It was full of gatorade, iced tea, cookies and wonderful banana bread. It was nice that Charlie got to experience trail magic.

Dan picked Charlie up this evening to take him back to Johnson City. He flies home from there tomorrow. The fact that Dan found this place is a tribute to his high tech abilities! Take care.

Day 136 (November 6)

Charlie and I started out from our stealth camp in rain this morning. Hit the trail about 7:40 a.m. We hiked about four hours and made 10 miles to Standing Bear Hostel. We are three miles from the Smokies. Hiking was tough with lots of blown down trees to get through. It did turn sunny at the end of our walk, though!

We are going to slack pack tomorrow for 15 miles. We will shuttle into the Smokies and hike back here. That will allow Charlie to connect with Dan and Shara so he can get to their home in Johnson City and to a flight back to Ames on Saturday afternoon. With all the snow, it's been great having Chuck blaze the trail for me this past week. Take care.

Day 135 (November 5)

We had a good, 23-mile hike today in overcast conditions. It was supposed to rain in the afternoon, but thankfully it held off. We walked in quite a bit of snow again. I bought gaiters in Hot Springs and was glad I did. My feet stayed dry. Charlie set the pace again. We have a nice stealth spot to camp tonight. Got some terrific pictures from Max's Bald: 360 degree vistas with the gigantic Smokies in the distance. Take care.

Day 134 (November 4)

Made 16 miles today in relative ease. At lower elevations, the snow was not a problem. Charlie and I are in Hot Springs, NC at Laughing Springs Hostel tonight. The trail still had a lot of blown down trees and bushes to get around today, but not bad. The sun was shining. We will see about tomorrow. We're hoping to get 20+ miles in.

Day 133 (November 3)

Charlie and I headed out this morning from Laurel Trading Post Hostel for an 18 mile hike. One half mile into it, we realized the challenge presented by 12-18" of snow fall. Tough! Our feet were soaked and cold all day. The upside was sunshine and mild temperature. And we made it to another hostel where a wood stove has us warm and drying out. Chainsaw, the guy running the place, made us dinner and will take us to the trail head after breakfast in the morning. Only 16 miles to Hot Springs tomorrow. We are at lower elevation now and the snow should be less of a problem. At times today, we were on hands and knees crawling under trees downed by the snow. Quite a day. Take care.

Day 132 (November 2)

No hiking today. I'm still at Laurel Trading Post hostel. Third night. The snow is melting, however, and Charlie and Grahm are arriving at about 6:00 p.m. Chuck will hike with me for the week and Grahm will head back to Atlanta.

Happy to have shelter here out of the weather. Take care.

Day 131 (November 1)

It was a good decision to stay in a hostel last night. The area received 8-10 inches of snow. I had the hostel to myself. Three more hikers fell out of the mountains today as it continues to snow. Charlie and Grahm will connect with me tomorrow. Chuck and I will hike for a week beginning Monday morning. Twenty-five is the predicted low for Sunday night. Then it warms. It is two days to the Smokies, so hopefully Chuck and I can make some miles. Looks like three weeks to the end. Take care.

Day 130 (October 31)

I had a comfortable night in the shelter. It got pretty cold outside, but I had all my clothes on and my tent rain fly over my sleeping bag, so I stayed warm. I headed up the mountain just after sunrise. Beautiful bald in the first mile. Stopped for pictures. It was supposed to be rainy, but the weather didn't start until late afternoon. Four to eight inches of snow are predicted for tonight. I found a hostel to stay in for the night, and probably tomorrow with the snow. I only hiked 16 miles today. 

This place is scary backwoods North Carolina/Tennessee. Appropriate for Halloween. The hostel proprietor has a gun strapped to his belt at all times. He's a nice guy and a good cook. He says bear meat tastes like steak. Here are todays photos. Take care.

Day 129 (October 30)

I planned to zero in Erwin, but the weather forecast was for a sunny day today, rain on Friday, and snow on Saturday, so I hiked. I'm staying in a shelter tonight with four other hikers getting ready to take on a 30 degree night. I enjoyed the dry bed and warm stay at Uncle Johnny's hostel. The Nolichucky river runs right beside it. Nice to hear the water. 

I hope to be in another hostel tomorrow night where I will zero and wait to hook up with Charlie. Take care.