YEA...our all time record...21 miles!!!

Here we are at Laurel Fork Lodge. So it is about 10 miles to Hampton, TN from here, where we are getting our next maildrop, however we decided to stop for the night...who can resist frozen Tombstone pepperoni pizza and Ben and Jerry's ice cream, and a hot shower...all within 0.3 miles of the trail??? Obviously not us. Yesterday, we reached our all time high of 21 miles! And tomorrow will be 5 weeks on the trail. Everything is going well, lots of sunny days, and fun evenings hanging out with other thru-hikers. The only sad part is the status of our feet. (Savali: 1 black toenail, 1 missing toenail, 2 beautiful blood blisters; Sparky: says partly cloudy skies with chance of blisters) Today, we had a Blister 101 session on some nice log we found. Got out the moleskin, tincture of benzoine, and band-aids. And well, we still have a lot of learning to do. Only one of my band-aids stuck, everything else somehow drifted around in my sock...Sparky had a bit more luck though. So this morning, as I was getting water, a cute little toad jumped into the water, and then 2 lovely geese swam by. So peaceful and serene. And this evening, right before we got into town, we saw the sunset, a beautiful array of orange, pink, ... Oh, and we saw a huge black snake curled around a tree and Sparky saw a leech (ewwww, my favorite animal ever!) All the balds have been incredible, with panoramic views stretching for miles and miles. Sparky thinks you all care what our average mileage is so here you go: 12.5 miles a day. He is happy now that I told all of you. On to to Hampton tomorrow, and we plan on being in Damascus on Friday. Happy Spring!

Happy Spinter

We're here in Erwin, TN right now at Uncle Johnny's Hostel. We made good time from Hot Springs, though last night was really, really cold and windy. So cold, in fact, that we woke to frozen camelbac tubes and snow on the ground. The good news is that by the time we made it to Erwin about 16 miles later, it felt a lot more like Springtime. Not much more to add, except that we're both doing well and still hiking with our two friends Hobbit and Knickers. We're looking forward to a short day tomorrow (four miles). It's nice to be getting used to longer days, even if it's still not consistently warm. -Koli (or Sparky as most people call me now)

SPRING is here! (and here to stay)

We've made it to Hot Springs, NC! But first, about the Smokies. A few words to explain: Chilly, foggy, lots of windy ridge hiking, shelters with fences around them (to get away from the bears, but we never ended up seeing any)...However, despite the ok weather much of the time there, we lucked out and had incredible weather on the two most important days---the hike up to Clingmans Dome (the highest elevation on the AT) and the hike to Max Patch (a beautiful grassy covered dome where we laid out in the sun eating peanut butter filled tortillas, what could be better?) We have reached a record for mileage, a 19 mile day yesterday, and are feeling a bit sore but quite excited at the same time. We are staying in Hot Springs (I have to say stopping at all these towns reminds us of Samoa again, where we know everyone walking down the street!) tonight, we will be eating another free dinner tonight (YEA trail magic!) and will be heading out tomorrow. Going back to check on how that stinky sleeping bag is doing, hoping the sun will make it smell nice and pretty all over again...hope all is well and you all are getting a nice taste of spring!

Happy Winter!

So did you know that April SNOW brings cold feet and numb fingers? Okay, we really are enjoying ourselves, however I have to say that my least favorite part of today and yesterday was the 5 minute rush from my sleeping bag to getting all my gear packed up, and hiking on the trail. But once I was going, I was a happy camper! So Monday night, we rolled into a shelter and the snow was beginning...went to sleep, and awoke to a wintery day. Hiked 9 miles through some sections defintely a foot deep! (with the drifts) and then camped in a shelter (a 12 person shelter which quickly became a 19 person shelter as we smooshed together like sardines to stay warm). Today however, in about 10 hours, it magically went from winter to spring as we hiked down the mountain into Fontana Dam, where the flowers were starting to come through the dirt and the sun was shining! Craziness. Here we are, in the Fontana Lodge, warming up and drying out our clothes after another free meal of hot dogs, pineapple, and chips and nacho cheese (we are huge fans of TRAIL MAGIC as they call it), and will be headed into the Smokies in the next few days. Hoping for lots of sunny days...

Out of Georgia...and into North Carolina!!!

Yea! We have completed a state and have passed the 100 mile mark. We are happy and feel accomplished! Right now, we are at a "hiker bash" in Franklin, NC---yummy food (pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, all the good stuff..) and entertainment. Staying tonight with another thru-hiker we met on the trail, and another night tomorrow for more food and fun, and back hiking Sunday...craziest moment so far...little mice running on top of my sleeping bag at night hehehe.