sweet days of spring

hey I made it to Erwin TN which is around 340 miles in, the smokeys were amazing not as tuff as I amagined they would be, i think it was the coolest part of the trail so far besides that fact it was full of spring breakers. It got really instrusting a few nights. I had one day of bad weather for the week I was there, and for the smokeys thats really good. I will put pictures from there up later I sent them home before I could get a chance to load them. After the smokies I got cleaned up and relaxed at standing bear hostal on the other side of the park before I started toward hotsprings. Hotsprings was really fun. I took a few days off there and had a great time by the river in a cabin. Eat alot of food there and finally was able to get full for the first time in 3 weeks. From Hotsprings I hiked some really tuff up hill all day days to Erwin TN, but finally paid off the third day when I reached big bald. It was 360 degress of veiws of all the mountains around me. I sat up there for hours taking as much of it up as I could. I got some trail magic a couple of times in the last few days. One christin couple took me into there home and feed me till i couldn't eat anymore from waffles to banana bread al la mode. then the next day some couple day hikers gave me 20 dollars to get something to eat in Erwin. Makes you think there are some really good people out there besides what the tv news tell you about. Times are good, People are good, Life is good!

One Down 13 to Go

What a warm welcome to NC. It rained on us the whole day coming in the second state of my journey,and snowed the second day. It got COLD! I hiked the whole day trying to make it to the next shelter which was 12 miles away. When i got to the shelter it was in bad shape, had no floor and leaned a little. My pride was broken. I looked to see where the next shelter was on my map to get out of the storm and it was 7 miles away on the other side of the mountain, so I mentaly preped myself to push on. I got back on the trail and got about 200 yards down when out of the corner of my eye I saw a new shelter with the guys I been hiking with. I think this was the most emotinal day of my trip so far. I jumped up and down with joy and would have rolled around in the snow if it wasnt so cold. We made it into Franklin NC at the end of the third day. The sky cleared and the sun popped out ,and it turned out to be a good day to hike 16miles out. Next full stop will be on the other side of the Great Smokey Mtn. National Park in Hot springs. Im going to ship myself some food ahead right before the park, so i want have to stop to resupply. I should make it to the park in about 4 or 5 days, and to Hotsprings in about 12 days from now.