Sunday, April 20, 2008

Mile 196

Today is April 20th & James & I are taking a "zero" day...which means we are hiking zero miles! :) Anyhow we are 196 miles into the A.T. and we just hiked to the highest point of the entire trail: Clingman's Dome in Tennessee...around 6,643 feet. We started in the Smoky Mountains several days ago; beginning at Fontana Dam, NC & ending (in a few days) at Davenport Gap. The Smokies have been fantastic; a mix of steep inclines & declines with breath-taking views. We got off the trail for a few days at Clingman's Dome due to a mix of bad weather (crazy wind & rain) & a wonderful friend we met on the trail, Equinox, had a place to stay in the nearby town of Sylva, NC. So we are currently at Western Carolina University Library checking our email & catching up on my blog! :) We have had a great past few days...lots of tasty food (pizza, salad, burritos), laughs, and great rest! Equinox (Lindsay) is a fantastic person...little bio: her & her boyfriend Solstace (Joe) started the trail in March. Solstace hurt his foot & had to get off the trail...but is staying at his grandmothers house in Sylva. Equinox is continuing the hike & will be joined by Solstace when his foot recovers...and did I mention what cool people they are? They are awesome...very like-minded & we have lots to talk about even though we hardly know each other! Very fun...oh...and Equinox totally reminds me of a mix between Courtney Craig & Anastasia Brewster...seriously a perfect mix of both of them!:) Lots of fun stories...hard to explain to all of you at home but when you're on the trail it's this automatic bond! And for those of you who haven't heard...our trail names are Sunny (James) & Share (Holly). I think that's it...we will be back on the trail on the 21st & will be stopping in at Standing Bear Farm to pick up a mail drop & birthday cake & will be heading on to Hot Springs, NC by the 25th or 26th. Until next time.... Share

Thursday, April 10, 2008

A.T. Update

So it has been quite some time since I last blogged, but due to limited internet access I haven't been able to blog as much as I have wanted to!

Anyhow...today is April 10th & we are hiking the A.T. We started March 31st with the Approach Trail to Springer Mtn (the beg. of the A.T.). We have hiked over 100 miles and are currently in Franklin, NC...where we are enjoying a day of rest at a local motel.

We are loving the trail! The scenery has been absolutely amazing & the people on the trail are equally amazing! We are all in the same boat so there is a lot of camaraderie & helping each other out. My knee has been holding up just fine with minimal swelling, which is to be expected since we are averaging 15 miles a day. We have already had two 20 mile days! Yikes...but we are holding up well. The hardest part of this has been sleeping in the tent. James & I have yet to have a real good night of sleep, but I guess that goes with camping! Waking up each day is difficult, but once we are up & packed, we do well! We just get in the groove of hiking & can do some serious miles if we have to.

Every once in awhile, we happen across "Trail Magic", which is usually an alumni A.T. hiker who sits out at a road crossing & hands out sodas & treats to hikers. It is such a fun thing to come across...and of course the Mtn. Dews & Oatmeal Pies are a delight! Our appetites are finally catching up with us & we are eating everything in sight. Believe it or not, we crave food like McDonalds...weird I know, but burgers & fries are all we can think about while we are out in the mountains! :)

I am updating my voicemail messages as frequently as possible, so those of you who know my cell phone number please feel free to call anytime if you want to know where we are at. It's a much more reliable & up-t0-date way of keeping up with us.

I think that's it..I will post pictures when we are done with this adventure. Hopefully that will be after we summit Mt. Katahdin! :)

Blessings...