North Carolina = Rain

Well, it's only been a few days since we stopped in a town, but it's been raining buckets since we left Hiawassee. The hiking is getting alot easier, but the sleeping is wet and cold.

Literally as we crossed into the the NC woods, the rain starting to poor and didn't stop, well hasn't stopped. Been hiking with most of the same folks, lost the Peter Plan Clan to a few knee inguries, J-bird is still around, met a few new folks, and the kiwi girls are now part of the party. As some of you may not have known about this trail, it is quite the social society out in the woods. We spend each day hiking alone, but when we get to camp many familiar faces abound. Since Lex and I will be skipping the not-so-great Smokies, we will be leaving many of our friends behind as we head N towards VA. This may be a lonely time on the trail, but each day on the trail is different and unpredictable.

As for the SPOT thingy, I have not been activating it in the rain, not because it isn't waterproof, but because I am not in the mood for gadgets after setting up a wet tent with frozen fingers. The rain has been unrelenting, and it hasn't been much above 35 degrees. Since we don't carry a whole lot of clothing besides what we wear, once we get into camp and cook food, it's into the sleeping bag for the night. The nights are long, more than 12 hours of darkness, so it's fair to say that I've caught up on some sleep and reading. On Sat night, the rain came down so hard for so long we were hiking on a river all day Sunday, literally a few inches to a foot of water covered most of the trail. the rain gear has held up great, the tent needs a ground cloth, which i will get this afternoon, and the shoes are really muddy, but dry on the inside. so back to the SPOT thingy, I'll get on that more realiably, didn't realize so many people were following it.

We'll head for Fontana Dam, get a ride around the Smokies, and next stop is at Hot Spring, where there are hot pools, spas, and message parolors. this should be about a week or so from now. The first couple of weeks are tough on the body, so frequent stops help avoid injury that can keep one from keeping on. the trail blogs that i read before leaving are mostly hot-headed mumbo-jumbo, it's a great idea to get in trail shape before hand, dogs cannot get through the smokies, and full boots would be a good idea for the first month. good ol internet!

my southern accent is getting really good... "Yes Mamm", "y-all", the southern hospitality is very kind, and I have enjoyed this part of the country and the people here. religion is everywhere, but you can expect people with a good sense of community and moral dignity, not to mention some high calorie food!

New pics up on the facebook thing...

G