There was no cell service at camp last night so i will provide an update for Saturday, Sunday and today.

After checking out of our hotel on Saturday morning Cobweb Rose, Mountain Crusher and I hitchhiked the 11 miles to the trail head where we met Snapshot as he has previously booked his stay at a local hostel. Our goal was to only hike 5 miles but we were making good progress and it was a beautiful day so we hiked an additional 4 miles. On Sunday we had another nice day and hiked approximately 12 miles and this included two tough mountains – Sassafras (4,273 feet) and Standing Indian (5,478 feet). We were treated to some amazing views from both mountain tops but our feet took s beating from all the rocks on the trail. The highlight of our Sunday Hike was to cross over the state line from Georgia to North Carolina. Just before we crossed over we saw 3 small bear cubs playing in the valley below. As soon as they heard us they made a quick exit into the woods below.

Last night we had a thunderstorm pass over our campsite with some loud thunder claps and lightning. Most of the steady rain was overnight and by the time we left camp this morning it was very foggy but the rain was only a light drizzle. As the day progressed the weather became very nice. Our goal today was to hike approximately 7 miles and stop just short of a very, very steep climb up Albert Mountain. However, we made good time and our legs were feeling strong so we decided to make the 2.5 mile climb to the summit of Albert Mountain and then an additional 3 miles to our camp tonight. Albert Mountain marks the 100 mile point for north bound hikers so we had a small celebration of our accomplishment on the summit (that means we had additional food and water 😊). On top of Albert Mountain is an old Fire Tower which provided an even more spectacular view of the valley below. Tomorrow we have a short 7 mile hike and will take a shuttle into the small town of Franklin where we will take our first “zero” day on Wednesday. We are very excited to have two nights in a cheap hotel and eat some real food while in town. We will also resupply for the next phase of our journey before leaving Franklin on Thursday morning.

Side note – a few days ago we had heard that there was a Mother with 15 children (all hers) on the trail. When we stopped for lunch on Sunday we did so at the location that they were setting up camp for the night. It was quite the site with camping gear, kids and food everywhere. The children range in ages from 4 to early 20s. We talked to the family for a while and they were very friendly and polite. Only 8 of the family members were at camp when we passed by as the older children had gone into town to collect more supplies. I can barely keep up with my own supplies and needs on this adventure and cannot begin to comprehend what the logistics must be for s family if 16 – and the two dogs that were also with them. They reside in Virginia and their family trail name is “32 Feet”. I sure do wish them well on the journey ahead.

No pictures tonight as my cell signal is too weak to down load to this blog. Will try to send more out tomorrow night or Wednesday.