Hiking in the Smokys made dam near bearable...

3/15/08 - Another stormy day... Hiked 13 mi to Fontana Dam & stayed at the "Fontana Hilton" - the nicest shelter on the whole dam trail. (Brandi - don't get agitated about the missing 'n' - it's a play on words!)

• Hitchhiked into a nearby village with Ron. Stopped at the general store to resupply - he was shy 1 dinner and unwilling to live off of his oatmeal stockpile.
• BONUS: Laundromat open & they were able to dry their clothes! In true Hearts form, he housed a pint of ice cream while they waited.
• You know what's unbearable... no cell phone service when he's hiking along ridges through severe thunderstorms. The same low pressure system that spurred the EF2 tornado in downtown Atlanta the night before!

3/16/08 - Welcome to Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Started out around 60 degrees at the dam this morning but temps dropped drastically once he got into the mountains. Said most of the higher peaks in the Smokys look like they're capped with rime (a lesson in earth science - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rime_ice). Brrr.

• Grabbed a Mr. Pibb at the visitor center to wash down his cereal... bleah! Apparently, he's been craving sweets like nobody's business since he got on the trail.
• Hiked up Shuckstack Mtn. I only mention it because he LOVED saying "Shuckstack" and because on the way up he stopped to fill up his tank at a natural spring & looked 20 feet back down the mountain just as a HUGE BLACK BEAR crossed the trail!!! He tried to snap a picture & may have managed to get a slightly obscured shot as it was passing through some thick weeds!
• Unknowingly wandered into Tennessee & passed a sign that said he has less than 2000 mi to Katahdin!!
• Today's tally: 17 mi. Got the last spot at Spence Field shelter. It's filled to the brim w/ 20 people and an additional 10 more camping outside! TONS of people on the trail today! (Ron, Squire, Matthew, & Spruce are all there)

Got your goat...

3/14/08 - BIG day - hardest so far... 16 total mi, rainy. Climbed up 3000ft then down 3000 ft then up 3000 ft then down 3000 ft & then right before Brown Fork Gap Shelter... back up again!! Said there wasn't a flat mile all day!

• Started off right w/ a good breakfast: pancakes, eggs & coffee.
• Hiked with Matthew. Fun fact for the day - they came across a lot of garbage thrown over a hillside. Someone threw away their goat. Yeah. A dead goat. Which Amos decided to take a picture of while unknowingly standing in a heaping pile of dirty diapers... as Matthew poked it with a hiking pole... Something to look forward to on a future roll of film.
• Best dinner on the trail so far = instant buttery, salty, cheesy mashed potatoes!
• Shelter's holding Matthew, Squire, The General, Ron and a new guy who was pretty much asleep when they got there (Timber, Lumber, Forest... can't remember his name). Those boys are inseparable!

The paridoxical Chubby Hubby...

3/13/08 - Headed 5.5 mi straight downhill from Wesser Bald (which is hardest on the old man's knee) and in to the NOC.

• Breakfast at the Rivers End Restaurant - vegetarian gravy & biscuits! (who knew!? w/ a side of home fries)
• Spent $50 at a local outfitter on a pack-cover & water bag - OUCH!
• Enjoyed a pint of Ben & Jerry's - which I think maybe should have gone on his knee.
• 70 degrees & sunny!! He just got done soaking feet in the Nantahala! Says it's weird watching the kayakers & not in a boat himself...
• About to split a 6-pack with Matthew & Ron (who'll be camping with him tonight), The General & Squire (who are staying at a hostel in town), and Starbucks (don't know what he's up to).

Well hot dog...

3/12/08 - Amos, Ron, Riley, Squire, & the General stuck together pretty much all day. Riley left the group once they reached Wesser Bald Shelter to forge on toward the NOC. 18 total mi today.

• Caught 2 amazing views from 2 firetowers. Wayah Bald & Wesser Bald. Wesser Bald's view was "incredible" - could see all the way to Fontana Lake!
• More trail magic in a HUGE tent that took 2 days in and of itself to set up. Hearts helps himself to 1/2 a package of cookies, some hot chocolate, and his 1st HOT DOG IN 3 YEARS!!
• Knee is awful. Going to stop at the NOC to get knee bands & Glucosamine - apparently vitamin I is no longer cutting it...
• The General, Ron, Matthew, Squire & Starbucks at the shelter tonight.

Stuffed & bald...

3/11/08 - Got up early & set out to Siler Bald Shelter. 10 mi into the trip, came across some trail magic...

• Scarfed down the following delicious & nutritious treats (in no particular order): coke, 2 fudge rounds, a rice crispy treat, snack pack pudding cup & a bag of Doritos - which turned out to be the calm before the storm...
• Because... Upon reaching rt. 64 it was decided to tweak the plan slightly so that it now included hitchhiking to Franklin for an ALL YOU CAN EAT MEXICAN BUFFET and beer with Riley...
• It's apparently easier to hitchhike with 2 people.
• Buffet came with all you can eat cheese sauce, too...
• With full bellies, a nice young lass with a fondness for handsome thru-hikers offered to take them back to the trail where they continued on for 3 more mi to Siler Bald.
• Other knee is starting to hurt & 3rd blister formed on his left heel which is proving much more painful than the previous 2 that were on his toes.
• Tonight's shelter is holding our boy Hearts, Ron, Riley, Matthew, and The General- who's entertaining the troops by telling old war stories in his charmingly unique Brit/Aussie accent.