An In-Tents Journey

Here are a bunch of photos from the trail. I apologize, they are out of order -- but hopefully the captions will help fill in the blanks.

Day one on the trail in Amicalola Falls State Park-- we hiked up to where the forest road we'd gotten lost on
crossed the AT. Wheels had to take a picture by the spot where he earned his namesake.

Wheels' Mountain Selfie

First clear, sunny day after leaving Franklin and enduring rain and sleet.
Needless to say, we were pleased to see the sun.

Views from an old fire tower -- we ended up hiking a 14 mile day into
Nantahala Outdoor Center that night. The hike down to NOC is one
of the toughest climbs before the Smokies.

More views from the tower.

Lunch on top of Max Patch -- a beautiful bald with 360 degree views.

A group of day hikers gave us cookies while we ate lunch on Max Patch.

Catnip cooking dinner before pushing an extra 4 miles -- this was a 20 mile day.

This was our take on tuna casserole: Mac and Cheese, Ramen,
dehydrated vegetables, tuna and taco seasoning... it tasted better than you'd expect....

We found an ice cream, coffee, and wine shop that sells local artwork in
Hot Springs, NC. We bought a bottle of Prosecco and spent most of the day
there.

After taking 2 zero days in Hot Springs to avoid a serious storm, we headed out
and ended up enduring the worst of it. This as taken the morning after the down
pour -- a thick fog covered the mountains for the majority of the day.

Stopped for lunch at a shelter .02 off trail. Turned out to be a popular spot.

Rapids on the Nollichucky River which ran next to Cantarosso Farms in Tennessee.

More Rapids

It made for a nice spot to soak our aching feet.

Kira the adorable pup took a nap in the sun next to our shoes.

The camping area at Cantarosso Farms, situated right next to the river.

They had a hammock where I took a nice nap.

We didn't want to leave... so we ended up slackpacking the next day, just
to hold on to the fantastic campsite at Cantarosso Farms. Plus, Peggy
served real coffee with Coffeemate creamer in the morning
-- that was reason enough to hang around.

We saw a total of 4 red salamanders during the 2 months we were on the trail.

Wheels Forest Selfie

Wheels' view on a daily basis -- he let me hike in front since I was vertically challenged.

Posin' on rocks

Pretty much every mountain you can see in the background, we ended up climbing over.

Rock surfing with Wheels

Wheels in all his majesty.

Man-made dam just past Hampton, TN

Thanks for the warning!

This little guy walked over from the barn in the background to say hi to Wheels.

Audie Murphy memorial was only accessible on the AT.
He was the most decorated WWII soldier. Visitors to the memorial
left trinkets, pins, and stones to commemorate him.

The night before we hit the trail at Amicalola Falls. We had no idea
what kind of adventure we were in for.

Elvis the tiny gold moose went all 700 miles with us in my backpack.

The famous crooked tree on the border between Georgia and North Carolina.
Elvis wasn't impressed.

Wheels in the back of the truck on our way into Helen, GA where we
waited out the first big storm on the trail.

The day after the big storm in Georgia -- it was insanely cold that day-- hiking
didn't even help to warm us up.

In April, the foliage hadn't filled in so the views were outrageous.

Another photo of the crooked tree.

Campsite at Betty Creek just a few days before the Smokies.

Wheels and I at the 100 mile marker after a steep climb up Albert Mountain.

Another mountain top view.

The springs and streams offered some of the most delicious water I've ever
tasted in my life.

View from Wayah Bald...or lack there of....

My legs and hands were freezing -- it wasn't until we got down to the valley
that we realized the temperatures had dropped below freezing. The was a constant
drizzle the whole day as well, which put us at serious risk of hypothermia.

Waiting for a ride to Aquone Hostel after the wet, miserable climb to Wayah Bald.

Stark contrast from earlier in the day -- common area at Aquone Hostel.

The beautiful, clear sky the day after Wayah Bald.

Morning after camping on top of Cheoah Bald -- it got VERY windy
up there, but you couldn't beat the view.

Fontana Dam, NC - Catnip posin' by the Dogwood blossoms.

The morning we entered the Smokies

Serious Rocks --- the climb into the Smokies was a steep one.

Wheels selfie!

Some more trail in the Smokies.

Panorama!

Nature.

The Smokies...

Clingman's Dome at 6pm -- we hiked over 16 miles through the toughest
section of the Smokies to reach Clingman's Dome before a big storm hit
so that we cold enjoy the views.

Clingman's Dome parking lot -- waiting for our ride into Gatlinburg.

Resting and resupplying in Gatlinburg, TN

Wheels on top of Charlie's Bunion.

Nature!

The first day out of the Smokies, the trail crossed I-40 which was totally bizarre
after a week in the woods.

Wheels and I enjoying a meal with Dancing Feather and Grizzelle in Hot Springs.

Wheels and I with Muffin and Smokey in Hot Springs.

Rapids off of the creek just outside of Hot Springs after a series of terrible
storms hit the area.

Mom's grocery -- a blessing after Wheels and I realized we had underestimated
how much to resupply. We were 2 days short on food and stumbled upon this
old Cigarette shop just off trail where we ended up eating hot pockets at 10am.

Another beautiful mountain panorama.

There were dozens of gravestones along the trail -- former hikers and Appalachian
Trail enthusiasts whose ashes were spread along the trail.

Bear claw marks on a white blazed tree.

Mountain House meals that 2 section hikers left for us outside our tent
when they heard we were short on resupply. The trail community is so generous.

My reaction to hiking 12 miles without my backpack -- I literally felt like I was flying.

Sign outside of Uncle Johnny's hostel in Erwin, TN.

Just campin'!

Food.

I got very badly burnt....

Beautiful balds outside of Erwin, TN

Stopped about halfway through the day for a snack -- ended up hiking about
18 miles to Doll Flats. That evening we got news that Wheels had become an uncle!

Laurel Falls just outside of Hampton, TN

The trail wrapped along a treacherous path, inches from the river. It was
pretty spectacular.

Sunrise at Vandeventur Shelter in Tennesee.

Generous mail drop in Damascus from my wonderful friends in Chicago.
BEST DAY EVER!

So much breakfast hash.

The trail passed through several pastures where we'd hike alongside cattle
as they grazed.

Just a beautiful deer.

The Eastern Continental Divide. The trail followed the ridgeline for
the majority of the day, where we followed large rock slates that
jutted out at a crazy angle over the land below.