Day 27 - Monday, May 12

It was a grim day today. The AT giveth and the AT taketh away and today was a bad one. I can't complain because the last two days were terrific but today dampened my spirits. Blazing Star took a zero day because of shin splints. She was really down about it. She iced it last night but was still limping this morning. Fedex canceled his hike with leg problems. Matt is taking a couple of days off to visit family in this area. Phil and I walked alone all day. It was cold, windy, and overcast. We did long miles because it was too cold to stop,

Unaka Mountain was one highlight. At 5,180 feet elevation, it stuck up into the clouds. The pine needles were so thick that it was hard to spot the trail. After that though, it was just long, cold miles to the hostel. And what a hostel! There are five of us in a wooden bunkhouse with no insulation or electricity. Light comes from one bare bulb. Good thing that the Big Agnes bag is rated to 15 degrees. The owner is gone and the employee just smoked enough pot to make himself incoherent. He was just lecturing us on King Midas' rule of Turkey. The guy is outrageous. If I could write down every nonsensical thing he said in the last two hours, I would have a book.

I want to leave on a good note, so let me tell you that I had a terrific dinner in a Mexican restaurant in Erwin yesterday. Phil, Fedex, Blazing Star, and I went through two bowls of chips and some big burritos.

Sorry, back to the hostel. The neighbor apparently dislikes having it here. He is driving his yard tractor back and forth at ten at night in an effort to keep us awake. No worries, we have the hostel employee to do that. Incidentally, he says that if the angry neighbor comes over we "are allowed to defend ourselves." I swear, I'm not making this up.

All's well.

Greasy Creek Hostel. Day 27 - 23.3 miles, Total - 363.1 miles.

Day 28 - Tuesday, May 13

I was much better today. The weather was very nice. It was almost warm and it was sunny all day. Phil is having stomach problems so we pulled into camp early. That turned out well because we are in the best shelter so far. It is an old barn that was converted into a shelter. I put up my tent anyways because the forecast is good until tomorrow pm. I'm next to some section hikers who brought a radio so I'm feeling close to the rest of the world. This spot, by the way, is near the route taken by Colonial mountain men to attack the British at King's Mountain. Another historical note is that I passed close to President Andrew Johnson's birthplace.

Another story from the Greasy Creek Hostel. As we were leaving, Steve, the stoned employee, told us that he was from a really intellectual state, Florida. Sometimes he feels out of place on the trail. He was fun. The owner, Connie, is very nice. I'm not sure how she wound up with Steve.

I've been trying to use trail names consistently but I've run into trouble with people I introduced on the blog before they had trail names. Let me reintroduce Phil as Jogle. I'm not going to try to explain why. It is an abbreviation for some Celtic words I couldn't spell with Google and a week to research. Matt is going by Mas, the Spanish word for "more."

I'm warm in my bag. The radio is playing an old Donovan song.

All's well.

Overmountain Shelter. Day 28 - 14.8 miles, Total - 377.9 miles.

Day 29 - Wednesday, May 13

I forgot about a Slim Jim I had in my pocket when I went to bed. Luckily, no bear raids. Jogle is feeling very bad today. His stomach is bothering him a lot. I hiked alone a lot today but Jogle caught up near the end of the day so we did the last few miles together. It was gray and drizzly but much warmer.

I've spent the last few days in Tennessee's Roan Mountains. The Roans are one of the more attractive places I've hiked. The balds, meadow covered mountains, are fantastic. We went from one to the other with great views the whole time. Today we dropped to lower elevations. Warmer and easier going.

All's well.

No idea where I am. Day 28 - 23.1 miles (?), Total - 401.0 (?)

Day 29 - Thursday, May 15

Change of plans! Instead of killing ourselves trying to make Trail Days in Damascus, we are going to catch a ride, then get one back to here on Sunday. It might put me a half-day behind plan but I'm looking forward to seeing Trail Days. Besides, Jogle and I are both wearing down and we are both having some minor equipment problems.

Kincora Hostel is one of the better hostels I have come across. Not as good as Elmer's but a close second. Bob, the owner, is an AT encyclopedia. He told me all about the trail coming up. Now he is telling stories about past hikers. He met a hiker named "Withwit." He said it stood for "What The Hell Was I Thinking?"

Miscellaneous Notes:
- We are over 400 miles. Yeah!

- Grasshoppers are out. In an area with dead leaves, they sound like rain falling.

- The Forest Service has been doing burns along the route to get rid of dead leaves and wood. I passed one one a few days ago that was fresh enough to still have live embers. I wonder what the do with hikers as they do burns?

- Top five moments on the AT so far, in no order.
1. Day 1, cresting Springer Mountain and seeing the first white blaze.
2. My encounter with the food-stealing bear. Makes a great story.
3. The last day in the Smokies with Animal when we hiked above, through, and below low clouds.
4. Going off trail in Hiawassee with Mike and eating at a country buffet. Remembering what it was like to be clean and full.
5. Summiting Big Bald with Jogle. Blazing Star and Crest were just ahead of us and we all rested at the top sharing snacks and enjoying the view.

Next stop, Trail Days!

All's well.

One more thought: At Greasy Creek, I actually thought to myself, "I could take a shower but I just had one two days ago."

Kincora Hostel. Day 29 - 9.9 miles, Total - 410.9 miles.

Day 30 - Friday, May 16

Trail Days started to day! Jogle and I got constructive stuff done. We got our water filters serviced, our trekking poles serviced, and got a torn stuff sack sewed up. We did fun stuff like watching a documentary about hiking the Continental Divide Trail. We also met people we hadn't seen lately and got news about others.

- Gnormal fell behind me in the Smokies when he took a day off after a fall.
- Jefe went off trail for a friend's wedding. He and Gnormal are meeting in Erwin and hiking north together.
-Fedex gave up on the hike but hitched to Trail Days. He reports that Blazing Star rested her shin for one day then set off for a 16 mile day. If she hikes instead of coming to Trail Days she will be ahead of me.
- Mas is rumored to be here but neither Jogle or I have seen him.
- No sighting or rumor of Animal. Like Blazing Star, if she is hiking while I'm socializing, she will be back up with me.
- Rodeo has hip problems and took a week off. It seems bad to me, but Rodeo seems confident.

Big Agnes not only makes a fine sleeping bag, they have the best party here. They had a singer/guitarist, beer, wine, chili, hot dogs, and chips. All very good. The Big Agnes rep, Alan, also arranged to have a summer weight bag shipped to me on the trail. Great people.

Our plan is to get a ride back to Kincora tomorrow afternoon then start hiking north Sunday morning. We should walk into Damascus on Tuesday and spend a night in a hotel there. Jogle wants to take an extra day off there but I don't, so we might split up after that. It would be handy if Animal or Blazing Star were around. I've found that I like hiking alone but I hate camping alone. We'll see who is at Kincora when we get there.

All's well.

Trail Days. Day 30 - 0 miles, Total - 410.9 miles.

Day 21 - Tuesday, May 6

After the bear fiasco, Animal and I woke up early and cleaned up the mess. Mr. Bear cleaned out my pasta, granola, trail mix, and a Milky Way I had been saving. He ripped open my Cajun rice but didn't eat it. Bears must not like cayenne. He left my toothpaste and vitamins alone. He made the same mess of Animal's bag. We had a breakfast of vitamins and water and hiked 12 miles to Hot Springs.

Hot Springs isn't much. It exists because the AT runs through, bringing hiker money, and there is a river that kayakers like nearby. Animal and I got to the only pub around noon and ate burgers and drank beer. Soon, Phil walked in. He had fallen behind us when he went to see Gatlinburg. He found it 'tacky." I live in Vegas but I agree. Phil also had bear problems that night. The bear went to Phil's campground. two miles south, right after leaving us. Phil was camping with a hiker named Spot, who is noted for his ability to sleep through anything. Sure enough, Spot slept through the bear tearing down their food bags. Phil yelled at Spot but Spot didn't hear him. What Phil didn't know was that his bag had rolled right next to his tent. The bear sat at the top of the hill and ate Spot's food, then went down after Phil's.

Poor Phil was scared in his tent, hearing the bear approach. Then he heard the nylon bag rip and thought the bear was tearing into his tent. Phil jumped, screaming out of his tent and found himself three feet from the bear who was eating his trail mix. He ran to wake up Spot. Phil shook him hard and shined a light in his face. He screamed, "A bear is eating our breakfast."

Spot opened his eyes slowly and said, "No thanks, I'll have breakfast tomorrow." Then he rolled over and went back to sleep. The bear finished Phil's food and went away.

I'm spending the next two nights at Elmer's. Elmer has a big Victorian house and lets thru-hikers stay there. He cooks vegetarian breakfasts for us. My total bill for two nights and two breakfasts is $42. Good deal. Elmer is a great guy. He was the head pastor at Duke University in the 1960s but got into trouble for being too close to radical student organizations. Now he runs the hostel. He is very happy that Obama won the North Carolina primary tonight.

All's well.

Hot Springs, NC. Day 21 - 12.1 miles, Total - 271.7 miles

Day 22 - Wednesday, May 7

Rested and resupplied today. Not much to report. Phil figures we are on-eighth done. Matt came into town, bad feet and all, so he, Phil and I will hike together tomorrow. I couldn't find shoelaces thin enough to fit through my eyelets so I had to use a length of my bear bag line to replace a broken shoelace. It doesn't match but it works well.

I met Animal's boyfriend today. He built her a solar battery charger that is better than the ones on the market. I tried to talk him into going into business but he wasn't interested. Oh well.

All's well.

Hot Springs, NC. Day 22 - 0.0 miles, Total - 271.7 miles

Day 23 - Thursday, May 8

It was a pretty morning but an ugly, rainy afternoon. We all got in our tents early to stay warm and dry. It was dull hiking. We found a snake and got some good pictures. There is a 50 percent chance of rain tomorrow. Like they say, No rain, No Maine.

All's well.

Allen Gap. Day 23 - 13.7 miles, Total - 285.4 miles

Day 24 - Friday, May 9

Trail rumors are even less reliable than the usual kind. Today I was told that the founder of Amazon.com came up with the idea while thru-hiking . Somebody please Google that and let me know in the comments.

I get trail rumors in one of two ways. First, we often talk to hikers coming from the opposite direction. They give us information about upcoming terrain, animal problems, or hikers who got ahead. Second, there are shelter registers. Every shelter has a register in which hikers can record their plans or thoughts. Shelter registers are useful to rangers when a hiker goes missing. I sign them all, even if I just stop for a snack.

We did over 17 miles today and I feel fine. I was happy to see the shelter at the end of the day, but it wasn't too bad. 18 miles tomorrow we think. Phil, Matt, and I are collectively excited to break the 300 mile mark. Those landmarks are exciting on the trail. By any other standard, hiking 300 miles would be an accomplishment, but out here it means you are almost one-seventh done. We have a good forecast for tomorrow but heavy rains predicted for Sunday.

To paraphrase Roadhouse, the old Swayze movie, "The name is Vegas." Like any good trail name, it settled on me more than the other way around. I signed a couple of shelter registers as "Vegas Dave" to differentiate myself from other Dave's. Before I knew it, I was Vegas. One hiker, Free Will, is a fan of the movie Swingers and yells "Vegas, Baby!" every time he sees me.

I talked to a hiker named Crest, who plans on stopping at Harper's Ferry, flying out West and spending a couple of months on the Pacific Crest Trail. Not a bad idea. He'll see some of both trails this summer. Most of us won't.

All's well. Vegas style.

Flint Mountain Shelter. Day 24 - 17.6 miles, Total - 303.0 miles

Day 25 - Saturday, May 10

We had a trail magic day today. An hour into our hike, we crossed a road and found a troop of Boy Scouts serving breakfast to thru-hikers. We ate burritos and biscuits. Very tasty. The Scouts were very friendly and they gave us good guidance about local topography.

Later, as Phil and I approached Big Bald, the tall mountain around here, we found coffee and cookies on the trail for thru-hikers. In both cases I gave this URL, so thanks to the Scouts of Johnson City, TN and whoever left the goodies by Big Bald.

As we crested Big Bald, we caught up to Crest and Blazing Star. Blazing Star is a tri- athlete I've been leapfrogging with since Fontana Dam. We all took off our packs and relaxed. The 360 degree view was terrific. It had been cloudy in the morning but the afternoon was clear and we could see for miles.

Trail Days, the big annual hikers festival, is in Damascus, VA next weekend. I'd like to go so I can meet thru-hikers. Also, representatives from equipment companies are there so maybe I can get my malfunctioning water filter fixed. We might have to find a way to get a ride up there.

I bear bagged extra careful because of rumors of a bear on the next mountain. We'll see.

All's Well (and no bear trouble during the night)

Bald Mountain Shelter. Day 25 - 18.9 miles, Total - 322.9 miles

Day 26 - Sunday, May 11

Got in a fast 16.9 miles today, mostly downhill into Erwin, TN. I am hiking with Phil, Blazing Star, and Fed Ex, who is a section hiker. I also went fast because my pack was light. I'm almost out of food. There isn't much here so we went to the discount grocery store in town. As I've indicated, I'm not picky about what I eat, but the pickings were slim. Here is my food bag for the six days to Damascus, VA.

6 cans Vienna Sausage (came in a six pack)
2 packs instant mashed potatoes
3 packs Lipton pasta sides
1 pack instant rice
16 cherry Pop-Tarts
9 Oat and Honey Granola bars
12 Slim Jims
1 big bag trail mix
4 pouches instant cocoa

I would never dream of eating this way off trail. The others are similarly rationed. The Vienna sausages will get cut up and cooked with the pasta, potatoes, or rice. The Pop-Tarts are for breakfast. The rest is lunch or snacks.

I am staying at Uncle Johnny's hostel. $15 gets me one of the nine bunks in the bunkroom and one towel for the shower. $2 extra for sheets. No sheets for me. I love my Big Agnes sleeping bag. Uncle Johnny is trying to sell me a new and better water filter. $69.99. I might do it and return the old one to REI. They give store credit on their returned stuff.

Phil calculates that when we are done, we will have spent over one percent of our lives hiking the AT.

All's well.

Erwin, TN. Day 26 - 16.9 miles, Total - 339.8 miles

Here is the post you've been waiting for. No, I'm not telling how my tent broke.

For narrative purposes, please consider this an extension of the May 5th post. As I remember, I left off with Animal and I finding an idyllic camp site and setting up our tents on a bed of pine needles. I wrote "All's well," lit a campfire and we had dinner.

As we were letting the fire burn down before turning in, we heard some noise from the pine trees. Animal shined her headlamp into the woods and saw eyes looking back. It was a bear. It got quiet for a bit and I hoped it had gone away but soon we heard branches crashing where we had hung our food bags. Animal hissed at me, "I'm going into the tent." I figured the bear knew where we were so I answered full voice, "What good is that thin tent wall going to do?" Equally loud, Animal replied, "What good are you going to do out here?"

I considered that and then I grabbed my camera. If I'm going to lose my food I might as well get a picture. Animal yelled at me though, afraid the flash would startle the bear into attacking. She was obviously scared so I put the camera away. By then we could hear the bear crunching our noodles and Animal went into her tent. I stayed outside, mostly because the thought of being in a tent made me feel trapped. I didn't have a weapon to speak of, just the stick I had been poking the fire with. I wasn't worried though because the bear already had all our food and would go away. Except it didn't. It finished eating and began pacing just outside the firelight, back and forth, like it was watching me. Oh yeah, one other thing . . . the fire was dying.

In that position, The Book says I am supposed to wave my arms, look big, make lots of noise, and scare it off. I did that and I think I heard the bear yawn. I couldn't figure out what it wanted but unless it was a hiker tartare, I was ready to cooperate. The Book says I should have charged the bear and maybe hit him on the snout with my stick. No way. I did the only thing I could thing of.

"Animal?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really feel safer in there?"

"Yeah. You can come in if you want."

"Only if it will make you feel better. But don't tell the guys."

"I've got you covered."

To her credit, she hasn't told about my retreat. Now the world knows.

That was what the bear was waiting for. I hardly had the tent zipped behind me when the bear came into our clearing and started sniffing around. I guess he wanted to make sure I hadn't left some Pop-Tarts around. I hadn't.

I don't mind admitting that I have never been more frightened as an adult. Menacing animals coming out of the forest at night is a childhood nightmare come to life. Animal and I huddled in her tent like mice while the bear searched our camp. It circled the tent, examined the rest of the camp, then quietly went away. I stayed in Animal's tent for an hour joking with her to restore our morale and our courage. Then I went to my tent and didn't get to sleep for a long time.

Some time ago, maybe last year, some people left food around their camp and our bear learned that people could be a food source. Maybe someone even fed him directly. Sometime soon, that bear will become too fearless and injure a person. Then a ranger will come an put the bear down. When you are camping, pack out all your food, even seeds and apple cores. Leaving them teaches animals to "raid" campsites and that is bad for everyone. End of lecture.

All's well.

Day 15 - Wednesday, April 30

Bear alert! I saw my first bear today. He was climbing a big dead tree. I'm sure he knew I was coming and he disappeared into an impossibly small hole in the trunk. It didn't seem much bigger than his head, but his head, shoulders, and finally his big bear rump went through the hole and into the tree.

I like the Smokies so far. The trail takes a gentler route than I'm accustomed to and I saw a bear! One downside is that they require thru-hikers to sleep in shelters instead of tenting. This shelter is so full of mice that they were running across my feet as I was unpacking my sleeping bag. I'm not looking forward to this experience. I'm on an elevated platform but I'm sure they know how to get up here.

Bad news. Blisters forced Matt to take a zero day, one where he hikes zero miles. He is at Fontana Dam trying to lighten his pack and relieve the pressure on his feet. He tried to sound upbeat but you could tell it hurt him to drop out. Phil is ahead of me because he wanted to get to Gatlinburg, TN quickly. Poor guy came all the way from London and his example of American culture will be Gatlinburg. Anyway, I'm learning that the nature of the trail is that I meet people, we separate and when we collide again, we get to share trail experiences.

Good luck Matt. Get well and catch up. All's well.

Russell Field Shelter. Day 15 - 14.9 miles, Total - 177.4 miles

Day 16 - Thursday, May 1

The miles went easy today. There were some climbs but they were gradual. I hiked all day with Animal. Both our groups fragmented and we are left with each other. She is a better uphill hiker than me but what do you expect from someone who thinks the Boston Marathon's Heartbreak Hill "isn't that bad." I catch up on the downhills.

We saw a turkey and our first deer. I'm starting to feel really good about the growing number in the "Total" miles column. I'm feeling like a thru-hiker. I'm hungry like a thru-hiker at least. A very nice section-hiker, who is only doing the Smokies, gave Animal and I some leftover pasta, meat sauce, and cheese. We didn't want to look like beggars but we were too hungry to say no. It was good. His name was Kerry.

Cool and windy tonight but the shelter is warm. I don't see or hear mice like yesterday. There are seven of us in here. Me, Animal, Robert, who is the one remaining college kid, the two section hikers, Kerry and Dave, and a boyfriend/girlfriend thru-hiker team.

We have less than 2,000 miles to go now. Tomorrow I will break the 200 mile mark. All's well.

Double Spring Gap Shelter. Day 16 - 16.2 miles, Total - 193.8 miles

Day 17 - Friday, May 2

Lot's to write about but I'm tired and don't know how much I'll get to. I did my biggest day so far in mileage. Animal is a good hiking partner. We get hungry at the same time, tired at the same time, restless at the same time. We plan on staying together until Hot Springs, in four days. Then she will take a few days off trail with her boyfriend and I will let Phil catch back up. Maybe I'll see Matt also.

I have some landmarks to report. First, I burst past the 200 mile mark. Second, I crested Clingman's Dome, the highest point on the AT, 6,643 feet for the record. It was hazy and the views were bad but we took pictures of each other anyway. There was a horde of teenagers up there from a big band camp in Gatlinburg. They were all in their flip-flops and T-shirts and looked cold. It was a cold, windy morning. Their tour guide said he had kids from Miami up a couple of weeks ago but they were even less prepared. They had never encountered mountains before.

After Clingman's Dome we had a long trip downhill. We felt good at the shelter 13 miles into our day, so we opted to push for the next shelter. That's how we got 21 miles in today. Sometimes I try to gloss over difficulties in my writing so I don't worry my parents or anyone else but in this case I'll come out and say that it was tough. Those last few miles my feet hurt, my legs were wobbly, and I burst a blister that I didn't know I had. We are doing a short day tomorrow to rest everything.

Eight thru-hikers are sharing the shelter tonight. Animal, myself, Rodeo (who sometimes goes by Texas) and Fire, who I just met today. Two of the new ones pulled out the biggest food bags I've seen on the trail. They are out there cooking instant potatoes with several dried and fresh vegetables mixed in. They are cooking something else that smells like garlic and olive oil. They say they sent their tents home to make room for more food. OK.

All's well.

Peck's Corner Shelter. Day 17 - 21.2 miles, Total - 215.0 miles

Day 18 - Saturday, May 3

We did a short day but still past the 10 percent mark on the trail. I'm actually a day ahead of schedule. It was good to stop early and have lots of time to do camp errands. I was through with everything before 6:00 and now I have time to write and read. I'm working on Jon Krakaurer's Under the Banner of Heaven.

It was a cool, windy, and rainy most of today. I'm glad because it kept the weekend crowds in the Smokies away.

I leave the Smokies tomorrow and I'll be glad. I'm tired of having to camp by the shelters. It will be nice to be away from the Park Service and into areas where I can pitch my tent where I feel. Today I could have done a couple more miles but I would have had to do seven more to reach the next shelter.

Some of the people I am sharing this shelter with are from Kentucky so we tuned into the Kentucky Derby on a hiker's tiny radio. I'm thinking about getting one now. In other electronic news, I couldn't get any signal all day on my cell. I wanted to call my nephew for his birthday, but no luck. I wanted to tell him about my bear. He would have liked that story. Quick correction, Animal got a signal and I was able to call my Dad's cell. I didn't get Little Mac, but I'll try again tomorrow.

I'm going to read awhile. I have a solid hour of light left. All's well.

Cosby Knob Shelter. Day 18 - 12.9 miles, Total - 227.9 miles.

Day 19 - Sunday, May 4

I can't get over the idea that I should pay rent today. It's the fourth of the month. Nobody to pay rent to though.

Animal and I had maybe my best hiking day yet. It rained last night but we were dry in the shelter. The morning was cool and still with low clouds settling in. It was really pretty out. We hiked above the clouds, in them, and below them. It was really an amazing morning. I tried to take a couple of pictures but I doubt my Canon compact captured it.

For lunch we stopped at Standing Bear Hostel, just outside the Smokies. It was sort of a strange place. The owner, Curtis, was as nice as he could be. Even after I told him we only needed lunch and some supplies, he gave us the full tour. Curtis had to run to town for some supplies so he told us to take whatever we needed, write down what we took, and leave the appropriate amount of money in an envelope. He was really good to us.

The guests of Standing Room were a different story. There were ten or so twenty-somethings sitting by the stream drinking beer at 1:00 in the afternoon. One of them told me it took them eight days to make it through the Smokies. It took Animal and I four and a half. That bunch was just out to party. They didn't get why we wanted to push on. For us it is a wilderness experience and an athletic test. I guess for the kids it is a party and they don't care if they finish the trail or not.

One more note before I say "all's well." We had our first water problem today. I keep hearing about the low rainfall here over the last few years, but it hasn't caused problems until today. After we left Standing Bear, we had a four mile climb. We both drank all our water on the climb because there were suppose to be campsites and a spring right after the summit. We planned on pitching our tents and spending the night. We found the campsites but the spring was dead. The next water on the map was a thirsty three mile hike further.

We had no choice. We pushed on dry. About two miles farther, we found a drip that ran into a small depression just to the left of the trail. I use a pump filter with an "in" and "out" hose, so I only need a tiny pool of water to dip my hose into. We got about a half-liter each and that got us to the shelter where Groundhog Creek is running nicely.

Animal and I are the only two in the shelter and without noise form others, I can hear every bird, bug, and animal in the forest. Especially because it is a still night. I'm not saying a mountain man like myself would get nervous at night in the woods. I just think its a good thing I'm here to keep Animal from being nervous.

All's well. Creepy, but well.

Groundhog Creek Shelter. Day 19 - 17.6 miles, Total - 245.5 miles

Day 20 - Monday, May 5

I havn't been putting a state down because I usually don't know if I am in NC or TN. I'm walking along the border. Animal and I are in a small campsite tucked in a grove of pine trees, We only found it because I was looking for water this way. Found the water, found a firepit and flat tent sites.

Some definitions:

Zero day - A day with zero miles hiked. A day off.

Nero day - Near zero. Few miles hiked.

The Vortex - Taking several neros and zeros in a row in preparation for leaving the trail.

Tomorrow I'm hiking into Hot Springs, NC for a zero day, only my second since starting. Hikers need zero days to rest their feet, muscles, and joints. Within limits they are great. I'll resupply while I'm there. Nero days are good for the same reasons.

The kids I saw at Standing Bear were headed for the vortex. Not me. All's well.

Kale Gap, NC. Day 20 - 14.1 miles, Total - 259.6 miles.

Here are a bunch of new photographs taken from April 21 through May 6.

View from Rocky Mountain, GA (4/21)



At an AT White Blaze



Made it to the GA/NC state line!





View of Hiawassee, GA



The AT is sometimes called the "Green Tunnel."



Siler Bald, NC (4/25)



Two white blazes means a cross trail upcoming. (4/26)



Fontana Lake from the Wesser Bald



Me near my tent. (4/27)



Fontana Dam



Dick Cheney might be listening. (4/29)



Crossing Fontana Dam (4/30)



Looking out from Fontana Dam



Entering Great Smoky Mountain National Park



A Smoky Mountain Shelter (5/1)



Tree growing from stump



Clingman's Dome (5/2)



Dave at top of Clingman's Dome



Smoky Mountains Foot Bridge



Dave under a fallen tree's roots



Entering Tennessee



Last day in the Smokies (5/4)



Moth I watched come out of its cocoon



Max Patch Bald (5/5)