The first Marathon Monday was a success. 33 miles!!

(1/2) Great day. Hardly hiked. Got caught up at Watauga Lake with some good people. Spent the entire afternoon there and are now camping by it. Beautiful day!

(2/2) Also a shout out to the extreme hikers yesterday for Cystic Fibrosis. Tomorrow will be an exteme day for us. Doing a marathon+.

Thunderstorms are much more intense in the mountains. Feels like I'm actually IN the storm.

Days off are amazing. Spent two nights and one zero day in Erwin,TN. I think about the next town all week, and yet now that I'm here I already feel like I've been in town a week. It's time to get back on the trail and make some progress north. Today was awesome, though. I was at the mall, Wal-Mart, and the movies. All very special things. I was under the impression that every town in America had a Wal-Mart, but that is definitely not true. I saw American Reunion, which was hilarious of course. It was a nice escape from things. Could forget about the trail for a couple hours. We have 8 days to go 120 miles to Damascus. Then, we are catching a Greyhound to Richmond and then Virginia Beach for some time off. It's Norm's brother's bachelor party. Looking forward to a new state.

Due to the brilliant cell coverage I see my post went up 3 times. Gonna have to fix that. In Erwin, TN Sun/Mon night. Hopefully going to see American Reunion.

Trail just keeps getting better. Best magic this morning, thanks to Hercules and FAL. Spent a good 2 hours in their home.

Stayed in a hostel last night, it was real nice, did a work for stay. Raked grass clippings for an hour. Rained today, but the hike was nice.

I'm at the public library in Hot Springs, NC. All these small towns make home seem so much bigger. The nice weather seems to be on its way out. Rain is heavily in the forecast over the next week. I had a great breakfast at the Smoky Mountain Diner and will resupply and head out this afternoon, in hopes to set up camp before the rain starts. Next stop, Erwin, TN.

21 miles today to make it through the smokies in 5 days of hiking. Praise to the section hikers from ATL. They really hooked us up.

Things are just great so far. I am in Gatlinburg, TN, almost through the Smokies. We are taking a zero day and resting two nights, much needed by our bodies. My parents are down here and taking real good care of us. We got some real good food into us. Tonight we hit up Tony Gore's. I had beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, potato salad, cole slaw, and hush puppies. It was brilliant! Tomorrow I plan to pack out McDonald's into the wild. That should gain some comments from fellow hikers. I got a new pair of shoes that I hope will improve my feet issues. Taking time off from the trails to enjoy the small towns is nice, though, I feel tomorrow may be tough going back out. We'll do a light day of hiking, and by evenfall I'll feel right back at home in nature. It was 10 days since I was on this thing called the internet. I was greeted with lots of support and praise. Thank You all! It helps and means a lot.

I made it on to TWLOHA website...hit it up! In Gatlinburg, TN. Bigger post to come tomorrow.

Hit the smokies today. Real excited for Gatlinburg with my parents. Feet hurt real bad though. Hope it's nothing serious. Need new shoes.

Feeling good. Just ate a terrific pizza. At nantahala outdoor center. Got my first mail drop, pretty cool! I'm glad to have you all following along.

(1/2) Been wanting to get something out but service is rare. I'm in NC and its way better than GA. A little flatter and more switch backs.

(2/2) I am sitting a mile high right now in the sunshine, so that makes up for the severe thunderstorm and hail we had yesterday.

Big shout out and thanks to boy scout troop 605 for the food and fellowship yesterday.

I am currently in the town of Hiawassee, GA. The first week has gone by quite well. I am still trying to fall into a routine, especially in the mornings. It is a struggle to get up and pack everything up. The days are tiring and I enjoy the relaxation of the afternoon and evening after we set up camp. I look forward to reading Game of Thrones. We have been going 10-12 miles a day, but will soon be wrenching that up I think. I am very much looking forward to getting out of Georgia tomorrow, for it is much more mountainous than I knew.