Successfully summited Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the AT. The weather was just starting to clear up but it was still mostly foggy when I passed. Maybe I'll come back in the van after I finish the trail and see what it's all about. Throughout the day the Smokies transitioned from grass and oak... Continue Reading →

Not surprisingly, last night was a cluster. We had 16 people in a 12 person shelter with a roof that reportedly leaked. When it started raining overnight the 6 people in the middle got absolutely soaked. Some of them moved to the floor and other took over the benches to try and get out of... Continue Reading →

All of the climbs are starting to feel the same, which is good... I think. The legs are willing and able to do the work, though now that I'm above 5,000 ft all day the lungs aren't quite keeping up. It should get better though. Spent the day hiking with Festus and Bubbles. We made... Continue Reading →

I've made it from Winding Stair Gap to Newfound Gap and Gatlinburg. The blog posts record the days in detail but check out the video for additional commentary on the trek. https://youtu.be/4r8J6HFwErU

Really it was mostly an un-interesting day though it did start with a lovely sunrise. So far the Smokies don't look any different the the forest and mountains I've been walking through since the start. There was a bit of a climb leaving the dam but I think I can finally say that the trail... Continue Reading →

Relatively short and uncomplicated walk down into Fontana Village, there were some more signs of spring along the trail. I could see the dam from miles away and felt like I walked around the lake a dozen times before I got there. When I finally arrived at the Fontana Dam Shelter, a.k.a. "The Fontana Hilton"... Continue Reading →

I woke up to a warm bed and a homemade hot breakfast of eggs, sausage, fruit, blueberry crumble, home fries, juice and coffee - it really was an amazing spread. I have to say, for an unplanned stop, this cabin in the woods has been fantastic and knowing that it was 18 deg this morning... Continue Reading →

It was great hiking weather in the morning as I climbed out of NOC around 8 am. It rained quite a lot overnight and everything was still wet. The 40-ish deg weather was just right for making the big climb while not overheating in long pants and a light-weight long-sleeved shirt. I did notice that... Continue Reading →

The trail was actually pretty easy for the first part of the day, nicely groomed and relatively flat. I started seeing encouraging signs promising trail magic farther up. What I found in the first big gap that I arrived at was a period re-enactment group from Alabama. They were awesome and had a ton of... Continue Reading →