John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods Market, emailed me personally to wish me luck on the trail and let me know I might run into him on the trail this year.

Made it into Virginia! Approaching the 500 mi mark rapidly, and planning on picking up the pace with the longer days and more agreeable temps. 10 States to go!

13 Miles today... harder than the 22 yesterday. Lotsa elevation, mid-thigh level snow, bum knee, no views. Now I'm sleeping in an abandoned barn to escape cold.

Haven't had service in a couple of days, now have lots to say, but tired after 22 mountainous miles and I'm going to sleep! Alive and well here on the trail.

20 Miles today with nice weather and a great view from a fire tower. Two 24 mile days coming up! We will cross the 300 mile mark tomorrow!

Those 18 mile days were nice. Rolled into hot springs today around 4:30 and checked into the Sunnybank Inn which is a hostel in a house that is 170 years old!

Made it out of the snow-kies! Finally got some great views when it cleared and the sun came out today! Wore a t-shirt most of the day. Two 18's coming up!

Resupplying tomorrow during zero day, planning on 15, 15, 18, 18 mile days to Hot Springs. Will try to get to the library and post pictures tomorrow.

Clingman's was nice... 20 Degrees with winds of 40 mph. Numb fingers and frozen hair instantly! Rode into town with 6 guys all a once in an RV. What a god-send!

Got lost on clingman's dome, ended up going 19 today. Taking a zero tomorrow in Gatlinburg. This town is crawling with tourists! There is a ski resort, too!

22 Miles planned for tomorrow, then 16 the next day including a summit of the highest point on the trail and the state highpoint of Tennessee, Clingman's Dome!

GSMNP has more plant species than the entire continent of Europe, and is the most heavily visited of all the parks in our nation.

We'll be entering Great Smoky National Park tomorrow around noon, and hit our third state, Tennessee, shortly afterward. We got snowed on during lunch today!

Nice and easy 12 today. resupplied 2 days worth of food in Fontana Village. 42 Miles to Gatlinburg where we'll get food again. It's kinda all we think about...

Super rough climb today... raining, slippery rocks, lots of blow-downs, 3000 vertical feet in 6 miles, all for a view of the inside of a cloud! Kinda depressing

Passed the hundred mile mark, 20 miles yesterday and hopefully 20 more today. North Carolia is nice! Waiting for epic t-storms to hit...

Hiawasse, Georgia

60 ish Miles in, left on the morning of the 3rd from Springer (the southern terminus). Only 1 more day of hiking 'till I've ticked my first state!  Didn't manage the 12 mile side hike to the state high point of Georgia, but it'll be there when I get back.  Also, there is a road to the top, so I figured it wasn't worth it to burn a day and go 0 miles toward Maine, especially since I can drive up there!  Discovered how calorically dense spam is, so it has become a new staple on top of peanut butter. It is much cheaper than cliff bars.  Ate 6,000 calories for DINNER today, on top of anchovies and cliff bars while on the trail.  Planning on the next 70 miles in 4 days, with the 5th day off to enjoy the Nantahala Outdoor Center.  Also, Alieve has become part of a daily cycle, and it enables me to churn out the high mileage.  Still waiting for the first day without snow drifts and slippery slopes, but I don't think we'll get it 'till after the Smokies. Sorry for a lack of photographs, but I can't hook my camera up to this computer because we are at a Holiday Inn and it is stripped down to the internet and the recycling bin, with no USB recognition.... oh well, you'll see 'em eventually!

(3/3) " and up north, "notches". 10 of us in camp today!

(2/3) cassarole, trash collection, tea, cookies. Thanks so much Linda and Dwayne! Parked on the side of the road at a "gap". In the west they're called "passes

(1/3) Headed to a town tomorrow. Food, bed, shower, food, electicity, food... a BUFFET! Experienced my first trail magic today! Scrambled eggs, juice, fruit,

(3/3) the 8" of snow on the ground!

(2/3) guys. Lowest temperature was 10 degrees... Kinda miserable in my 35 degree sleeping bag, but survived. : ) Making very good daily mileage considering

(1/3) 30 Miles into the trail... body feeling good. Currently "camping" in a heated cabin with three other guys. Spent last night in a shelter with 8 other

Road Trippin'

Photos from the Drive over...

Yee-Haw! Lousiana!

Passing through Lousiana

Mississippi Rvier... man it's so BIG!

M- For Mississippi, the self- appointed birthplace of American Music!

A- For Alabama- the state where Bob Riley is boss, and he wants YOU to know it!

Focused....

Night-vision

The place where all the kids go to make out...

G- For Georgia... it was real hard to make a "G", and their sign wasn't that great... and it was dark.... AND the bathroom was closed!

Thanks for Following!

Just a shout out to Ron Brown @ the Amicalola Falls State Park visitor center, and Bob (Longshadow) and Diane (Little Red) who I met in the visitor center as well.  Ron, thanks so much for shuttling my Dad back to the park and for all your hard work in the visitor center registering hikers and greeting them positively with a wealth of information and a smiling face! Bob and Diane; thanks for your support and I look forward to reading your comments!  Glad the two of you have enjoyed some great adventures over the course of your lives, and I wish you well on those still to come!

To everyone else:  I'm sitting in a grand lodge overlooking forested blue-hued mountains preparing to head out tomorrow morning after exploring this beautiful state park.  Just stood atop the tallest waterfall east of the rockies, 720 foot Amicalola Falls.  Thanks for your prayers, and look forward to reading your comments!