Quiet Day's End

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Small Is Great Too

There is so much to see, in all shapes and sizes. We pull turtles off the road so we had to pull this little guy off the trail.

Taking A Couple Non-Hiking Days At The NOC

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Sunset on Cheoah Bald -Video n Pics

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This revitalized me after a couple of tough days.

Wanna Walk A Bit With Us?

Watch "5 Minutes On the Appalachian Trail" on YouTube
In the spirit of reality TV (without the drama), come walk the AT with us for a minute.  No voice over.

Watchtower on Wesser Bald Video

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Friendly people, Stone Tower and a breezy sunny day.  Aaaaah.

Excuse the posting delay. Havent had a signal. Will be better in two to three days.

Summiting Albert Mtn

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It was a short but steep climb to the top!!!! 
I experienced a bit of vertigo on the tower. With Buck's encouragement, sweaty palms and slow steps, I got to see the views firsthand. Of course, this doesn't compare to a sunset we see later on Cheoah Bald.

Buck's "Unfavorite" Shelter

Watch "Texas Chainsaw Massacre Shelter" on YouTube
This was a peaceful setting.  All in the perspective, eh?

One Hundred Miles On The Trail!

Watch "100 Miles on the Appalachian Trail, so far" on YouTube
You can feel alittle of every emotion possible. 

Carded!!!

I almost cried! Al and I both had to show ID and get banded before we could buy beer or wine. (Give me this moment. Let me believe this occurred because we look so youthful.)

Celebrating Clean Nails

We celebrated the short time we had clean nails - with a ChocoTaco. Who knew they existed? Who knew your nails could get so dirty hiking? Of course, in the big scheme of hiking things - small potatoes.

Our First Night in a Shelter

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This ended up being the first time we stayed in a shelter.  [Note: This is a DELAYED posting.]

Big Spring Shelter

This was a beautiful site with another babbling stream nearby. It kept us dry from the rain.
Buck was not impressed that the shelter itself was a dilapidated mess and folks had left it pretty trashy. One shot is of the shelter itself which Buck referred to as the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (video to come). Sigh.

The Jumpoff

Here's a couple of our views one afternoon. The trail before (related video to come) and after (one shot included) was some work but worth it. We were higher than soaring birds!

Morning Spiderwebs

Webs are often invisible until you found a fine spiderwebs tickling your eyes, nose and mouth as you walk. Other times you find yourself stopping to enjoy their delicate beauty.

Rocky Bald

We were proud of ourselves for taking this steep but short side trail, and wel rewarded. This would be a great spot for a sacred meeting - there are camping spots nearby.

Have You Ever Hitchhiked

Watch "How to Hitchhike" on YouTube
Thusfar, only hitchhiked 3 times in my life - all with Buck.  The second time - I believe the woman thought she was only picking up Buck.  Good taste.  Still, she was a good sport and took us both.

Second Lily View - With a Guest

Thanks to the local library I found that this is either a Carolina Lily or Cap Turks Lily. Stunning every time I see one.

Gourmet Trail Chef

While the rest of us thru hikers are eating granola bars and peanut butter or poptarts for breakfast, this guy is cooking things like huevo rancheros. With real eggs that he carries at the top of his pack! Talk about dedication! And he's an easy going storyteller to boot!

Road Not Taken

We were hunting for a spot for second breakfast. We came to this access path to Siler Bald and it looked like it would be a great view, right?
Couldn't tell you. It was very wet, we were feeling the lack of dinner from the night before (rain threatened, no cooking that night), so we searched on.

Where Are We?

Appalachian Trail Conservancy - Interactive Map
Per a couple requests, here's a link to an interactive AT map. Warning: our blog postings are not always timely or in order.
Moms - we'll keep giving you periodic real time updates.

Boy Scouts Or Howler Monkeys?

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We took this video on Standing Indian Mtn, while we let the sun dry us out a bit.

Optimism Squashed

Watch "To Tent or Not to Tent" on YouTube

Rain and Your Socks

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Fellow Hikers

The first pic is a grandpa (Chuck) and his two grandkids. Chuck is sharing his passion for the trail. Friendly open folk.
In the second pic is someone playing a ukelele? Yes. He packed it on the trail to teach himself to play. Added a different dimension to a couple evenings we saw him.

Fungus Among Us-Take 2

These are just a taste of their vivid colors.

Bird Nest + Another Flower

This bird nest looked like an paper mache', mixed media art project.
And this flower always looks alittle like a spider (no matter what kind of mood I've been in when I see them)
Have we mentioned how many daddy long legs we're seeing? They are alot of fun.

Two More Floral Stand Outs

The white are Indian Pipe or Ghost Plants - flowers without chlorophyll. Don't they look like they belong in the world of faieries?
The violet MAY be Lady Slippers - still investigating. Any ideas?

Trail Trees and Rocks Are Like Clouds

You can see all kinds of things in a tree or cloud. And like clouds and inkblots, your mood can determine what you see...dogs scratching their back on the ground, reptiles, spiders. For one pic Buck saw a schnauzer. I saw a bunny. Can you see Mr. Redbuck hiding behind the adjacent tree?
Again the pics can't capture the vivid colors and textures of the trees and rocks.