Day 30: Hot Springs to Rich Mountain Lookout Tower
Hot Springs was an amazing trail town, but it was time to get back to the trail. We stealth camped next to the Broad River just outside of town to save money. We didn't end up leaving Hot Springs until after lunch. Of course, we had to go back into town to the Smoky Mountain Diner to load up on some delicious food. It certainly didn't help with the huge climb that we had coming out of town though, I felt like I was waddling up the mountain side. The forecast was calling for scattered thunderstorms so we had a rather large hiker train going to keep moral up. The train included Hobo, Cyclopse, Trail Mom, Dabs, Horse, Chesepeake, and myself. We roll deep. The hike gave us some great views back down into Hot Springs, and the rain held off for most of the day. We ended up setting up camp 8 miles out of town at Rich Mountain Firetower. We had originally planned on staying in the firetower but the fog rolled in and we had to set up our tents. Frosty rolled into camp and slept up in the tower by himself.

Day 31: Rich Mountain Firetower to Hemlock Hollow Inn
I woke up to what felt like someone spitting on my face. Rain. The condensation on my single walled tent had built up so much that it was literally raining inside my tent. My sleeping bag was starting to become saturated as the condensation sprayed down on me as the rain pounded the exterior of my tent. Time to pack up before things got even more wet. My pack felt like it weighed twice as much with the extra water weight. We assembled the hiker train again to keep the spirits up but we got split up after our first break at the shelter. The rain just kept coming down. 7 miles in I stopped at Allen Gap to wait on the others to catch up. You get to a point of being wet where waiting in the rain just doesn't phase you. The rest of the group caught up in about 30 minutes and informed us that they were going to head to the hostel a mile away to get a hot meal and warm bed. I was all in. When we got to the hostel they didn't have enough room for all of us. I ended up sleeping out on the porch floor and having the best nights sleep on the trail. I was just greatful to not be out in the rain in wet tent. After a delicious double bacon cheeseburger  everything was right in the world.

Day 31: Hemlock Hollow Inn to an Unmarked Campsite
We got a huge breakfast at the hostel and headed out around 9. The sun was finally starting to poke through the clouds. I hiked with Frosty for most of the day. We ended up taking every side trail possible to all of the views. There were tons of amazing rock outcroppings that overlooked the Tennessee Valley. It's pretty amazing how the mountains just abruptly stop and turn into flatlands. Further along the trail we ended up walking on an exposed ridge that gave us views of the Tennessee Valley to the left and the North Carolina mountains to our right, pretty breathtaking. We were having such a good hike that we ended up just walking until we couldn't any longer and set up a stealth camp along a freshly built section of the trail.

Day 32: Unmarked Campsite to Hogback Ridge Shelter
We woke up to a little drizzle of rain, but my tent had no condensation so I was dry. The hike was pretty uneventful up until a huge huge climb up to Lick Rock. I almost keeled over and died right onto the flower covered mountainside. It was a brutal climb and left me mentally exhausted once I reached the top. I was relieved to finally reach the shelter.

Day 33: Hogback Ridge Shelter to Spivey Gap
2 miles into our day we hit some amazing trail magic at Sam's Gap from fellow thru hiker "Fozzie's" parents. Delicious burgers, hot dogs, and beers we had. While we sat and ate Miss Janet, a famous trail angel, pulled up and dropped Fozzie, Tric, Jersey Girl, and Yukon off to do a slackpack. After the trail magic, the rest of hike was pretty amazing. A very gradual climb up some flower covered mountains. At the top, we reached Big Bald which was a huge exposed bald that gave us complete 360° views. Probably one of the best views of the trail. We could see all the mountains that we had climbed over, a pretty amazing feeling. After Big Bald, Frosty and I hiked 6 more miles down to Spivey Gap. We were the only ones at the camp besides the three Barred Owls who kept swooping around our heads and making their "Who Cooks For Who" sounding hoots. It was a pretty awesome campsite.

Day 34: Spivey Gap to Erwin, TN
Frosty and I packed up camp right before the rain hit. The hike into Erwin was very gradual, it skirted the mountains rather than going straight up and straight down. The rain kept up most of the day up until we started our descent down into Erwin. We got down into Erwin a little after lunch and picked up packages, hit up an All-you-can-eat Pizza place, and got a place to stay for the night. After we got settled, Frosty and I decided to start walking across town to do laundry (not realizing how big Erwin actually was). 30 minutes into our walk we decided that we should probably try to hitch across town. As soon as we tried to hitch Miss Janet rolled up and gave us a ride to the laundromat. The trail truly provides. It is absolutely amazing out here. Everyone that you meet is so incredibly generous and kind-hearted.

Day 33: Hogback Ridge Shelter to Spivey Gap
2 miles into our day we hit some amazing trail magic at Sam's Gap from fellow thru hiker "Fozzie's" parents. Delicious burgers, hot dogs, and beers we had. While we sat and ate Miss Janet, a famous trail angel, pulled up and dropped Fozzie, Tric, Jersey Girl, and Yukon off to do a slackpack. After the trail magic, the rest of hike was pretty amazing. A very gradual climb up some flower covered mountains. At the top, we reached Big Bald which was a huge exposed bald that gave us complete 360° views. Probably one of the best views of the trail. We could see all the mountains that we had climbed over, a pretty amazing feeling. After Big Bald, Frosty and I hiked 6 more miles down to Spivey Gap. We were the only ones at the camp besides the three Barred Owls who kept swooping around our heads and making their "Who Cooks For Who" sounding hoots. It was a pretty awesome campsite.

Day 34: Spivey Gap to Erwin, TN
Frosty and I packed up camp right before the rain hit. The hike into Erwin was very gradual, it skirted the mountains rather than going straight up and straight down. The rain kept up most of the day up until we started our descent down into Erwin. We got down into Erwin a little after lunch and picked up packages, hit up an All-you-can-eat Pizza place, and got a place to stay for the night. After we got settled, Frosty and I decided to start walking across town to do laundry (not realizing how big Erwin actually was). 30 minutes into our walk we decided that we should probably try to hitch across town. As soon as we tried to hitch Miss Janet rolled up and gave us a ride to the laundromat. The trail truly provides. It is absolutely amazing out here. Everyone that you meet is so incredibly generous and kind-hearted.

Day 26: Standing Bear Farm to Groundhog Creek Shelter
We woke up at the hostel to a forecast of 100% thunderstorms starting at 10:00. I checked out the radar and a large yellow band appeared to be headed our direction. We milled around the hostel until 10 to see what happened, and a light rain started. We then decided to wait around some more to see what the storm was going to do. At 11 I checked the radar again to find a non existent storm and 0% chance until 3. We decided to make a run for it in the small window that we had to the next shelter which was about 7 miles away. It was all straight uphill of course, and with the humid air I don't think I have ever sweat so much in my life. I made it to camp around 3:30, beating out the thunderstorm that never came. Finally saw some sort of wildlife, a huge black rat snake and about 15 chipmunks running across the trail.

Day 27: Groundhog Shelter to an old forest service road.
What a day, what a day. Ended up doing 18.7 miles today to make it an easy 7 into Hot Springs. We left camp around 8 in the morning and headed up some pretty tough climbs. The highlight of the day was Max Patch which was clear cut by cattle back in the day so it is now a bald. We had an absolutely beautiful day for it, incredible 360° views. Plus to top it off, there was trail magic on top. Nothing like a few PBRs on top of a mountain. After Max Patch it was all downhill for about 7 miles. We covered it in about two hours. We then climbed two tough mountains to reach a campsite on some old forest service roads. Long day, but my knees felt surprisingly not so bad.

Day 28: Old Road to Hot Springs, NC
Not much to say about the hike. It was pretty cool to look down on the town from the trail. I basically ran down the mountain due to the amount of food waiting for me at the bottom. The Appalachian Trail goes directly down the main street of Hot Springs. We made it into town around 11 and had an amazing breakfasts skillet at the Smoky Mountain Diner. After breakfast we milled around town and ran into a lot of old hiker faces that we havnt seen in awhile. Hot Springs is a pretty cool town with one road. It's got that quaint old town feel. Definitely stop by if you are ever in the middle of nowhere North Carolina. We ended up staying the night at the Hot Springs campground cabins. I wouldn't recommend them though, the showers were infested with bugs. At night we bar hopped around the local bars. A very hiker friendly town.

Day 29: Hot Springs, NC
Ended up taking another zero in Hot Springs. This town is just way too cool, and I had to get the full experience. Everyone we have run into has just been amazing. Definitely loving my first trail town.

I've had a few questions about my gear, what works and what doesn't. So far, I have only sent home a pair of gortex socks that I have never used. Everything else has been working out pretty well. Everyone that I have run into with the Brooks Cascadia 10s have had tears around the base of the toes, including my own.  I am going to try to take these all the way to Damascus and switch to the 8s or 9s. Every other piece of my gear has held up pretty well so far.

Day 23: Newfound Gap to Pecks Corner Shelter
We didn't get back on the trail until 12. We left the hotel around 10 and tried to hitch back to the trail head but to no avail. People in Gatlinburg didn't seem to want to pick up some freshly washed hiker trash. Finally a taxi rolled by and offered us a ride up for $10 a person. We had no choice but to take it. We finally reached the trailhead and set off northward. Thunderstorms were in the forecast and we could hear them rumbling in the distance. It didn't take long before they were right on us. I quickly put on my rain gear as the skies opened up. I hurriedly made it to the shelter 2 miles later already soaked. My rain jacket apparently does not work as well as advertised. We waited out the storm at the shelter and then continued on. We had 7 more miles to do before we were done. By that point the trail had turned into creeks with a good inch or two of water running down them, and of course I sent back my gortex socks home with my parents the day before. It became impossible to avoid the deep puddles and my feet quickly became soaked. It got to the point of being wet where you just have to trust the mud and trudge on. It was a great feeling to reach the shelter and be able to put on some fresh warm socks.

Day 24: Pecks Corner Shelter to Cosby Knob Shelter
I woke up this morning to some nice wet and cold socks. The high elevation Smokies are like a tropical rainforest, everything is wet. The trail was still a small stream from the rains the day before. We pushed through to the next shelter where we ate lunch and let our feet dry out. The rest of the day was a string of ridge walks which allowed us our last views of the national park. The highlight of the day was stumbling upon some old plane wreckage. Not something you expect to see when you are on top of a mountain. We reached the shelter around 3:30. The shelter was in a really cool spot with views of the valley below. Was nice to get warm and dry.

Day 25: Cosby Knob Shelter to Standing Bear Farm
Bliss, what an absolutely amazing morning. The sun was out, the skies were blue, and the temperature was supposed to be in the 80s. I headed out of camp around 8:30 with a little skip in my step, dry socks can do that to you. 3 miles into the day we took a blue blaze .6mi off trail to Mt Cammerer Firetower. It was well worth the 1.2 extra miles round trip. The tower was built into the  rock face and allowed for some amazing 360° views back to the Smokies and of the trail to come. The rest of the day was all downhill as we made our way out of the Smokies, finally. They were beautiful, but I am ready for that Appalachian Trail freedom again. The Smokies only allow you to camp at the shelters due to the bear activity. Once we made it to Davenport Gap, the boundary line, the scenery immediately changed. We stepped out onto a concrete road and had to pass under the I-40 interstate. Didn't think I would be doing much road-walking along the AT. The good thing was that the hostel was just on the otherside. Standing Bear Farm is one of the more famous hostels along the AT. It's got an old Appalachian rustic feel about it, and the caretaker "Lumpy" is worth the stay alone. The bunkhouse that the hikers stay in was originally an old general store at one point. I quickly inhaled an entire frozen pizza and a few PBRs to recoupriate some lost calories. I've already lost around 13 lbs since I have been out here. Life is amazing out here. Every day is a new adventure.

Wow, what an incredible week! So much to update everyone on. I am officially 207.3 miles into the trail, and I feel like I am really hitting my stride and getting my trail legs. Both my knees are hurting now on the downhills, the right one less so now. I am working through it and will now be wearing two braces. Now for the updates!

Day 12: Franklin, NC
I decided to take another nero day (almost zero milage day) and rest my knee a little. The forecast was calling for temperatures in the teens and snow on the mountain. We decided to slackpack (hiking with just snacks and water in a day pack) from Rock Gap to Winding Stair. It was only about 4 miles and without the packs we covered it in an hour. The rest of the day we just hung around and rested up.

Day 13: Winding Stair to Wayah Shelter
Born and raised in the south, hiking in the snow is something that I have never done before. It is probably one of the most beautiful experiences that I have ever had. It had snowed about 2 inches the night before and the mountains were like a winter wonderland. We took a side trail up to Siler Bald for our lunch break and had some amazing 360° views. We could see all the way to the Smokies which were blanketed in snow. A pretty amazing day. Once the sun set the temperatures dropped into the low teens. I was wearing everything that I had in my sleeping bag and was still cold. I even brought my water filter into my sleeping bag with me, but it still somehow froze. It was a long night.

Day 14: Wayah Shelter to Rufus Morgan Shelter
There was still snow on the ground when we woke up, but the temperatures were supposed to warm up throughout the day. It was a long 15 miles to our next stopping point with a huge downhill into the Nantahala Outdoor Center. We ended up catching up to Tree Bird and Burl who had hiked out of Franklin the day it snowed. The highlight of the day was Wesser Firetower which offered us some more incredible views with clear skys. After that we shot straight down into the NOC. It was so much downhill that my good knee started to hurt.

 Day 15 Rufus Morgan Shelter to Sassafras Shelter
That morning we hiked a mile down into the NOC and got an amazing breakfast. We definitely needed the energy for the huge climb out of the valley that we were about to do. It was all uphill for 7.7 miles. I was doing pretty good for most of the day and definitely felt like I was getting my trail legs. Until, I hit the last mile or so when the mountain decided to go vertical. We had some beautiful views, but I was almost too exhausted to enjoy them. Even though it was a relatively low mileage day, it felt like we had done 15.

Day 16: Sassafras Shelter to Cody Gap
Another gorgeous day on the Appalachian Trail. The view from Cheoah Bald was absolutely incredible, and it was really interesting to be able to look back and see all the mountains that I had been climbing over. I hiked mostly alone all day and took it really slow. My left knee was really bothering me on the downhills, but I toughed it out. We hit our first trail magic of North Carolina from former 2013 Thru Hikers Bamboo and Morning Kid. nothing like a delicious chili dog and PBR. After that we climbed up Jacobs Ladder which was an insane climb with non existent switch backs. I had to take a breather at Brown Fork Gap Shelter before continuing on to Cody Gap. Ended up camping with Butter and his dog Duck, Burl, Tree Beard, and Cyclopse.

Day 17: Cody Gap to Fontana Hilton
The hike into Fontana was pretty uneventful. The last downhill into Fontana was killer on my knees, but I knew that there was beer waiting for me at the bottom so I pushed through. When I got to Fontana we went up to the village to do some laundry, refuel, and pick up a package that my Mom had sent me. It ended up being a 14lb package. I took what I could use and carry, but had put a lot of stuff into the Hiker Box at the lodge. After that I got a shuttle back down to the shelter and enjoyed a few drinks with some new faces.

Day 18: Fontana Shelter to Mollies Ridge Shelter
First day in the Great Smoky Mountains! It was all uphill as we climbed up to the ridge. The Appalachian Trail basically follows the ridge line of the Smokies and the border between NC/TN. Tennessee is typically everything on the left side of the trail and North Carolina is everything on the right. The first day in the Smokies was unfortunately uneventful besides Shuckstack firetower which was pretty sketchy with rotting floor boards. Made it to the shelter around 2:30 and rested my knee the rest of the day.

Day 19: Mollies Ridge Shelter to Derrick Knob Shelter
Today was a pretty awesome day. My knees hurt, but I didn't even care. The forest changed dramatically from yesterday. It had an air of mystery about it. The views from Rocky Top and Thunderhead mountains were absolutely incredible. Nice and open balds with views for miles and miles. In the Smokies we are required to stay in the shelters because of bears. However, non thru hikers are allowed to make reservations and if they show up the thru hikers need to get out of the shelter and tent. The shelter was absolutely packed with thru hikers that night. We were all settled in when a group of six section hikers showed up. We packed about 10 people on the bottom and made room for them on the top bunk, the shelter is only supposed to hold 12. After we made room the section hikers decided they were going to push onto the next shelter. We warned them of nasty storms that were about to roll in, but they pushed on regardless.

Day 20: Derrick Knob Shelter to Mt Collins Shelter
The morning started off pretty wild. At 7 this morning people from one shelter behind us came running into our shelter saying that one of the section hikers came to their shelter at 4 am showing signs of hypothermia and had become separated from the other hikers. We gave them our water, a stove, and some dry clothes. They notified the park service and a search party was sent out. They ended up locating the hikers and had to airlift two of them off of the mountain and to the hospital, one was in critical condition. After that the rest of the day was pretty awesome. The views were expansive and the forest had changed again as we made our way higher in  elevation. It smelt like Christmas all morning with all of the conifer trees. The fog lifted off of the top of Clingmans Dome (the highest point on the AT) as I began my climb up. The trees were caked in windswept ice from the storm and it was amazing. Pretty crazy to have a day go from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Day 21: Mt Collins Shelter To Newfound Gap
Hiked 5 miles from the shelter into the gap to meet my parents. It was awesome to see them. They took some hiker friends and myself down into Gatlinburg for some R&R. They are bona-fide Trail Angels now. They ended up getting a hotel room for two nights for myself and 3 other hikers. I am truly blessed to have such amazing parents. Tree Beard and Burl were absolutely blown away with the magic. It was really good to be able to spend some time with my family.

Day 22: Gatlinburg, TN
After some not so hard convincing from my parents I decided to take a zero today. Spent most of the day walking around town taking in the immense culture shock. To put it lightly, this is an interesting place to people watch. Tomorrow I will hitch a ride back to Newfound  Gap and continue on my way north.