May 9th-May 18th, mile 274.9-344.2, and 470.3 Hot Springs was one of the first towns where the trail actuallyh walks through the main street. Some friends I met from the brewery I worked at in Honolulu, Brad and Beth, have since moved to North Carolina and have been following my adventure closely. Beth was super excited about meeting me somewhere along the trail to being me some Trail Magic, and we decided Hot Springs would be the easiest place to…
A number of people contacted me recently, concerned that I hadn’t updated my blog in a couple of weeks. I definitely appreciate everyone checking in on me, and please feel free to reach out id I’m on your mind or you’re wondering where I am at right now. I’m finding that utting together these posts from my phone can be very tedious. Typing on a phone keyboard doesn’t always let me express myself the way I could with a computer….
April 26-May 11, Miles 164.9-274.9 Fontana Dam sits right at the beginning of Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The trail literally crosses over the dam before heading up to the trailhead. A permit is required to enter the Smokeys – a $20 fee and agreeing to hang your food (for bears), bury your poop, and only sleep in the shelters gets you 8 days to complete the 70 mile hike through the smokeys. Only being able to stay in the…
April 21-April 27, Miles 109.4-166.3 I escaped the comforts of Franklin, NC on Easter Sunday, hitching a lift back to Winding Stair Gap. I felt refreshed after a couple of days in town and while there was still snow on the trail, the weather was warming up and the sun was shining. It felt great to be hiking again, and I’m finding my legs will basically do whatever I tell them now. I charged up the first mountain and got…