Newfound Gap to Erwin, TN

The majority of this stretch has been on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.  There has been quite a bit of rain which has meant shelters most nights for me.  I really enjoy the different mini-society that forms in each shelter for just a night.  During this last week of hiking I have been with a group of teachers, old stoners from Georgia I could not understand for the life of me, grungy hippie thru-hikers, and some quiet guys.  Each night in a shelter is a completely new and entertaining experience.

The highlight of the hiking has definitely been 'the balds'.  They have gotten much bigger on this stretch, and I actually passed by 'Big Bald' yesterday in some decent weather and got some nice views west to Tennessee and east to North Carolina.  It has also been fun catching up to some other thru-hikers and getting to know them, many are from the north east and it is a foreign experience for us all traveling through the south.  I am currently staying at Uncle Johnny's Hostel right off of the trail with about 7 other long distance hikers.  Its nice to be in a bit of a crowd for a change!

A major highlight of this stretch was getting to see an old hometown friend in Hot Springs, NC.  Ally Stacher is living in Asheville and rode her bike up to have lunch with me for the day.  It was so much fun to see her looking so healthy and happy and hearing her amazing stories about traveling around the world racing her bike.  I absolutely love when people come and see me in trail towns!!  Hot Springs was a great little stop over for a quick night at Elmers, with a great breakfast to send me off in the morning.

The trail is going great and I am so excited to have caught up with a group of people to hang out with on the hike for awhile!