Please Send Us Cookies!: 2013 Appalachian Trail

Appalachian Trail

7/3/13-11/10/13

Sobo Maine to Harpers Ferry, then flip-flop to Springer. Ended in Hot Springs, NC

7/16/13
We're still alive! It has been two weeks since we have seen a tv screen, computer, used a real bathroom, took a shower, eaten a prepared meal, been in a car, sat on something besides a rock or log, had ice in a beverage, or felt air conditioning. But here we are here in the mythical hiker town of Monson and have had a healthy dose of civilization and small town hospitality!

This has been an incredible two weeks through the 100 Mile Wilderness in Northern Maine. We've waded waist deep through mosquito-infested bogs, climbed boulder fields that are nearly vertical, walked down trails steeper than a sliding board, and worked our way over rocks, roots, and mud for 114.5 miles. It's been tough, but truly amazing. We've camped in some of the most beautiful places we've ever seen. The silence and serenity is only broken by an occasional plane flying overhead. We've seen deer drinking and feeding on the bottom of pristine ponds, loons calling to each other in the dead of night, a surprised fox that walked right into our camp, frogs leaping out of the way of our giant steps, an enormous hare coming within ten feet of our tent, and many interesting varieties of bugs that don't try to suck your blood!

Right now we're at the Lakeshore House in Monson, ME. It's a hiker hostel with a restaurant underneath that sits on the shore of a huge lake. We're here with some hikers we met on the trail and a bunch of people heading northbound who are about to finish their thru-hikes. Here's some pictures we've taken so fa-

Penn Station Baltimore, MD 10:30pm

Our hiker registrations at Baxter State Park before we summited Katahdin

View from the Abol Slide "Trail" going up Katahdin. We had to scramble over car sized boulders for a few hours to get to the top!

The Tablelands of Katahdin. After climbing steeply for 3 miles it gets to about 4500 feet and then levels off into a rocky moor. The summit is where the clouds are. Led Zeppelin lives here also.

Approaching the summit.

At the top and the official start of our Thru Hike

A view from the "knife edge" near the summit.

Then we had to come down the Hunt Trail which is the official Appalachian Trail. This was at the bottom of the rock scramble on that side of the mountain. If you can see how small the people at the very top are you'll have and idea of how big this is!

View from inside the lean-to on our first night

The next day we took a canoe out on Grassy Pond in Baxter State Park. That's Katahdin Mountain in the background

Rainbow Stream Lean-To in the 100 Mile Wilderness

Home for the night.

Indian Pipe Fungus.

Sporting the fashionable headnet look on Jo-Mary Lake

Swimming in the lake.

View from Chairback Mt- one of our toughest climbs

What Ellie felt like after we got to the top!

Our first moose sighting!

Barren mountain view

Barren Mountain from the bottom a couple days later.

Taking a break by one of the many streams we cross

Little Wilson Falls. The pic doesn't do it justice- it's about a 60 foot cascade

Our last night before leaving heading into Monson. Enjoying the frogs singing at dusk on the pond.

Will post more later. Time for a swim in the lake with friends! Thanks to everyone for al of the well wishes!

8/1/13
Wow, we can't believe we've been on the trail for almost a month! We've wanted to update the blog more, but surprisingly there aren't a lot of computers in the woods! So here's a real long post of pics from the remainder of our stay in Monson, to the town of Rangeley where we're staying now.

This was at the legendary all you can eat pancake, egg, sausage, bacon, hash browns and sunny delight breakfast at Shaw's Hostel in Monson. From l to r are Nate, One Verse, Sean, Ellie, Jones (white shirt) So Kind, Sass, Vertigo

After So Kind found his wallet right before he had to leave! He lost it the day before. Turns out it fell into the first aid box at the hostel.

When you're in town, most hostels have loaner clothes. Ellie is sporting the owner's great grandmother's skirt, and an appropriate shirt for the John the Baptist Mission

Our room at the Lakeshore House

The back patio of the Lakeshore House. We never wanted to leave!

My pack hanging on the balcony at Lakeshore

This is the 100 Mile Wilderness Camp right outside of Monson. Phil Pepin, who shuttled us to the start of the trail is getting it ready to be opened, but offered us a free stay on our way out of Monson

Our first thunderstorm was spent in the cabin lit by tealights. We've been really lucky!

Heading out the next morning. Phil has some amazing old books on the trail.

Potter is an 18 year old from Nashville. He was one of the first people we met in the 100 Mile Wilderness. He made and sold pottery to finance his AT hike, hence his trail name. Neko is the awesome dog taking a rest under the shelter!

On top of Moxie Bald Mountain


What you'd see if you were in my hipbelt pocket.

I'm officially a Mainer in my loaner clothes. Old worn-out pocket-t, ll bean khaki shorts, and a bird guide

Eric and his son Zack, owner of The Sterling Inn and an amazingly hospitable man.

Mario, one of the house cats in the kitchen. The cast iron wood stove is incredible!

Our room at the Sterling Inn. Caratunk, ME

Dining room at Sterling

To get across the Kennebeck River you have to get ferried in a canoe. This was Craig the Ferryman.

Moose tracks. We actually saw our first moose last week. Unfortunately it was walking along the road on the way into Stratton, rather than by one of the hundreds of pristine lakes we've hiked passed!

This earthen dam is actually the trail too!

Hummingbirds on the porch of the Pierce Pond Camp

Sunset over Pierce Pond

The next morning


Tim Harrison, owner of Harrison's Pierce Pond Camp (and coincidentally one of the most amazing people in the universe!) making our breakfast on the cast iron griddle.

THE breakfast. 12 pancakes made with Wild Blueberries, Raspberries, and his candied apples. 2 eggs over-easy, 3 sausage links, coffee, and oj. Mike finished it all and has still lost ten pounds!

Trudy is Tim's miniature poodle that talks to the various taxidermied animals on command, knows her 13 different toys by name, and hunts down and kills red squirrels- one of the quickest things running around the forest!

Coming up Avery Peak, the highest elevation since Katahdin


Highest elevation also meant coldest night- it dipped down to the low 40	's. This is Sister Ellie Blue.

One of our air mattresses has a tumor. But thermarest sent us one for free!

West Bigelow. The peak behind us is Mt Avery which we climbed the day before in the clouds

The White Wolf Inn in Stratton, ME. Our home for the night.

Another hiker favorite is the Stratton Motel, but the rooms with air conditioning at the White Wolf were a bigger draw for us!

And check out the bed!

View from off the back porch

Buddah and St Francis live in Stratton. Not sure what to think about the giant alien/baby head buddah...

The dreams of our blog have come to fruition! Thank you so much Moms and Dads, and Sharon and Marty.

Sunset over Statton

Inside the bar at the White Wolf. Tabletop Ms Pac Man!

Scree slope coming off of South Crocker Mountain

Luxury

Saddleback Mountain. 2.5 miles all above treeline.

Our second moose sighting!

Now we're in the touristy, but fun town of Rangeley. We'll be out of Maine in a week and into The Whites of New Hampshire. Thanks for checking out the blog. Our thoughts are with you all.

8/27/13
This dispatch is coming to you from Hanover, NH- home of Dartmouth College at mile 443 on the AT. It was founded as a school to educate Native Americans, but now it costs $58,000 a year- too much wampum for us. School is getting back in session so we're going to see if we can matriculate at an ivy league school so we can finally get some respect. Plan B will be to keep hiking and cross over into our third state, Vermont. We'll be posting another maildrop address soon because we're still a couple days away from picking up our next guidebook section. Thanks to Jana, Brady & Tara, Thom & Katie, and Mom & Dad Furniere for our last bunch of goodies in Glencliff!

Our room at the Town and Lake Motel in Rangely, ME

When the door opens to heaven...

... time has no meaning!

Float plane taking off from the lake

Ellie's 1st croquet game ever. She won 3 games to one!

Every room opens out to the lake at the Town and Lake Motel

Someone decided that "Old Blue" wasn't the most fitting name for this mountain in Southern Maine.

The Pine Ellis Hostel in Andover, Maine

Baldpate Peak

Mountain-top bog between East and West Baldpate

Mahoosac Notch is considered the hardest mile on the AT. It's a narrow pass between two cliff faces. Huge boulders have piled up over time and you have to work your way across, over, and under them to get through. It was actually one of the most fun miles! The arrow is saying go into this little slit of a cave to get through this part.

One of the cliffs that contributed boulders to the notch.

Fancy footwork required

We discovered Homer Simpson rock on the way up to Full Goose Shelter

Out of Maine!

Getting a shuttle ride from the trail with Bruce aka "Golden Waldo"

Candlelit breakfast at the Libby House

Dainty

The Libby House B&B in Gorham, NH

It was pouring rain all day the next day so we went from the Libby House to the White Birches Camp and Hostel.

The black and white makes it look more "rustic"

They had a pretty sweet rumpus room though.

The men's room has a sticker that says "Trailerlife Approved" We knew we were in good hands.

Gorham's more psychedelic version of The Enchanted Forest

A triathalon was finishing on the top of Wildcat Mt in the Whites. You can take a gondola up to the peak, but we went the hard way.

Near the Carter Notch Hut

Think we stumbled upon some Mayan ruins

Carter Notch

Madison Ridge. You can see two people getting ready to come down on the right top of the ridge.

Climbing Mount Madison

In the Whites

On top of Madison

There's a cog railroad from the 1800's that you can take you to the top of Mt Washington. The day we summitted it was in the 40's with 30+ mph winds.

The extra rail in the middle is where the cog fits in to pull the trail up

We caught this pic of the only coal-fired train on the way down the mountain. People were definitely surprised to see us standing outside!

Here's our summit pic of Mt Washington. Too many people around for us to try to deal with getting a pic next to the sign. There was a line leading up to it.

Agent Ellie was able to infiltrate the Cobra Command Base on the top of the mountain, shut down the doomsday machine, and escape to save the US from certain destruction.

Crawford Path in the Presidential Range

Presidential Ridge

I found this Spruce Grouse in a tree

Franconia Ridge the day before we climbed Mt Lafayette, the second tallest mountain in NH after Washington.

On the ridge going to Lafayette

Hazy view from Franconia Ridge, but beautiful and subtle.

Greenleaf Hut from the top of Lafayette

Tow planes kept bringing up gliders above the mountain and letting them go to soar around.

Miss Janet's van. She is a trail angel who has followed the main group of northbounders up from Tennessee giving shuttles when needed.

Inside the van going back to Franconia Notch after a stay at Chet's Hostel in Lincoln, NH

I wonder if they went to Dartmouth?

Our friend Cricket used to work at on of the huts in the Whites. This was her packboard that she used a few times a week to bring supplies to the hut.

There are very friendly butterflies around the Eliza Brook

Almost to the top of Mt Moosilauke- the last big mountain of the Whites

Glencliff, NH

The Hiker's Welcome Hostel in Glencliff. There is an outdoor shower, sink, and toilet for the hikers to use.

Birch trees are our favorite

Ellie cooking dinner at the communal kitchen at the Dancing Bones Intentional Community in NH

Free warm showers at Dancing Bones

Our favorite campsite of the whole trip- a hidden spot up on Smarts Mountain.

Weird panorama from the fire lookout tower on top of Smarts

Sunset from that campsite

Sunrise was even better because fog had filled in the whole valley

Waning full moon

Bill Ackerley is 86 years old and has opened his home and lawn to thru-hikers for ten years. He gives everyone free Ice Cream Bars and plays croquet. We were the 915th and 916th visitor this year!

Ellie ended up winning again. Her lifetime croquet record is now 4-1-0

When the game was over he broke out a handle of Jim Beam and passed around shots. Who says day drinking and croquet need to be mutually exclusive?

Ellie's new friend

Fresh blackberries taste better than newts though!

9/24/13
Checking in from the Holiday Inn Express in the historic town of Fort Montgomery, NY. It's our two year anniversary so to celebrate we're taking a day off. The fact that we got the biggest hotel room either one of us has ever been in for a super-cheap, hooked-up rate definitely helped in our decision to stay put an extra day. Fittingly we're also only a few days away from our 3 month anniversary of being on the trail and 787 miles along. Time flies, but mostly it's just weird- our hike through Maine seems like a lifetime ago! Hope you enjoy the new batch of shots. We'll be in Maryland in a couple weeks and will keep people updated about where to possibly meet up with us. Get in touch with us so we can start figuring some stuff out!

Crossing the bridge out of Hanover into Vermont

I found these vibrant Chicken of the Woods mushrooms by our tentsite at the Moose Mountain Shelter. (Don't worry, they're the only wild mushrooms we feel safe picking bc we've had them before and there are no poisonous look-a-likes)

We sautéed them with olive oil and garlic and made them into a Thai Green Curry which definitely tasted better than it photographed.

Merrell sends thru-hikers one free replacement pair of shoes. Mine came none too soon in West Hartford, after 450 miles of hard use.

Looks like some drama with Floss (Sobo from Austin, TX) and Ellie, but it's just what you look like when you're climbing hills all day.

Floss and Ellie heading down the trail near Woodstock, VT

Well it's about time...

Thundering Falls, VT

Rutland, VT

We stayed at the Yellow Deli Hiker Hostel in Rutland

The hostel is donation based and run by the Twelve Tribes Religious Community. They invited all 15 hikers staying there to their Friday celebration and meal. Basically they're a hippy religious group that provides the most amazing hospitality we've had on the trail without pushing their beliefs on you at all!

They also provided the most amazing breakfast of fresh homemade yogurt, breads, and oatmeal. l to r: Sir Stooge, one of the 12 Tribe members, Ellie's head, Floss, River, and A-O.

Yellow Deli interior

Church being renovated in Rutland

500 miles in!

Since we hit Vermont, there have been old stacking stone walls everywhere in the woods. Some easily date back several hundred years and were around in pre-revolutionary time.

Clarendon Gorge, VT

Blondie (Sobo from Canada) on right, and family panning for gold on the left of the Mill River in the gorge.

Rock cairn wonderland

Very meticulous

All aboard the AT mothership

Top of Bromley Mountain Ski Resort

The quaint, old fashioned Mrs. Murphy's Donuts in Manchester Center was definitely the saving grace for the too-touristy town.

The view from Stratton Mountain Fire Tower is what inspired Benton McKaye to come up with idea for the Appalachian Trail in 1921

Remnants of the caretakers cabin near the Glastenbury Mountain Fire Tower

Misty Vermont

Enthused

War memorial on top of Mount Greylock on 9/11, the highest point in Massachusetts

Ceiling inside of the monument

Massachusetts field

Monument to commemorate a 1200 pound wheel of cheese made for Thomas Jefferson from the milk of all 900 cows in the town of Chesire, MA. It was imprinted with Jefferson's slogan "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God." They guy on the plaque delivered it on a sled in the wintertime because it was too heavy for a cart. Most interesting monument so far.

Blueberry Patch at "The Cookie Lady's" house. You stop in and she brings you free cookies. Being an AT Thru-Hiker goes against everything you ever learned from McGruff the crime dog- we always take candy from strangers.

Upper Goose Pond Cabin is a free place run by the Park Service for hikers.

Dinner on Upper Goose Pond

The caretaker at the cabin makes everyone blueberry pancakes in the morning. Falcor, her enormous Irish Wolfhound stands about 7 feet tall on his hind legs.

Ellie with Falcor and Bella

Ice Gulch

Corn and Willows

The Connecticut State line in the idyllic Sages Ravine

We popped in to the town of Salibury, CT to use the computer in the library. We had no clue it'd be one of the nicest ones we'd ever seen!

In front of "The Giants Thumb"

Rand's Field, CT

Fog in the Housatonic Valley

Ellie is an American Ninja Master

TV Party in Cornwall Bridge, CT

Morning from St Johns Ledges

Spacin' out in NY

Old wooden water tower in a field in NY

This called a stile and it's used to get over the barbed wire and electric fences in all of the fields we've had to walk through since VT

Mine eyes have seen the glory- a wood-fired pizza truck on the side of the road right off of the trail. it may as well have been Christmas morning.

A train to New York City stops right on the trail on the weekends

The Dover Oak is the oldest oak on the entire trail. It's over 300 years old and 20' 4" around.

The RPH Shelter is close to a road so you can actually have pizza delivered there. This amazingly nice group of hikers from NY out for a weekend trip refused to let us pay our share and treated us to a brick oven pizza feast!

The picnic pavilion on the grounds of Graymoor Monestary was where we saw the highest concentration of wildlife on the whole trip. We saw 5 does and a buck, a fox, a gaggle of wild making the craziest noises, and a bunch of owls. There was also beautiful bell music every hour from the chime tower.

Making dinner in a blur under the pavilion

Oh beautiful for spacious outdoor Bingo pavilions.

Bear Mountain Bridge over the Hudson River

There is a free museum/zoo that the trail winds through. The building in the back is an almost 100 year old toll plaza, and this is a handmade cedar flagpole. The whole zoo was from a time when the term "made in china" wasn't in the vernacular.

Bears eat spears.

The geology exhibit

Yes, the lowest point on the AT (on every level) is definitely 2 bears born in captivity surrounded by turkey vultures- waiting for them to die in captivity. Boooooo Zoooos!

AFOOT and light-hearted, I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune—I myself am good fortune;
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,	5
Strong and content, I travel the open road. - Walt Whitmam

Pringle machine? Whuuuuu?

Our suite at the holiday inn. Don't look shocked Kramer, that really is another huge tv in the other room AND a king sized bed

7 pillows seems just about right

Hint, mentioning your 2 year anniversary on the phone while making a reservation increases your chances of getting a Jacuzzi tub for cheaper than we've paid for some really "divey" motels.

Sauna life.

10/21/13
We're still here! It's been a while since our last post and we've come through the rest of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Now we've "flip-flopped" down to Georgia and are going to start walking north back towards Harper's Ferry. We're staying with Mike's Aunt and Uncle in Duluth and getting dropped of at the Springer Mountain approach trail tomorrow morning. 1167.5 miles down, only 1018.4 to go!

We met Art Alameda, a NY ATC hike leader and trail expert/angel on Bear Mountain. After giving us a;ll of his granola bars he took us on a personal tour of the trail on the north side of the mountain.

He was a real cut-up and had us laughing the whole time.

View of New York City skyline from Black Mountain, 34 miles from the city. After the sun set we watched the planes coming into the 3 airports for hours. Surprisingly it was also one of our best stargazing nights bc we were deep in Harriman State Park.

John is a trail angel who stocks a cooler full of food and drinks with money that he makes cutting firewood on the side. He also gave us a big container of potato salad from his friends new restaurant, and it was one of the most delicious things we've had the whole trip.

He also stocks a medicine cabinet located up the hill. It's loaded with everything a hiker could ever need.

The New York/New Jersey border.

St. Thomas Episcopal Church. They provide a hostel in the basement of the newer church for hikers

The spindles were all made by the oirginal parishioners in the mid 1800's. Each family was given the pattern and told to make one and they all came out a little different.

Window in St Thomas

There is a nearly one-mile long boardwalk that goes through a wetland in NJ

The Murray's open their property and one of the many cabins for the use of thru-hikers. I was lucky enough to spend my 33rd birthday here .

Inside the Murray Cabin

Apple pickin'

Feeding some apples to the donkeys at the Murray's

Birthday burrito!

I got to blow out candles in a special "appalachian mud" pudding that Ellie made for me.

High Point State Park monument in NJ

Gyp's Tavern overlooking Kitatinny Lake in Branchville, NJ

Boooooooooooooooooooo

"The pump don't work cuz the vandals took the handle..."

The Delaware River is the border between New Jersey and Pennsylvania

The weirdest salon ever in Delaware Water Gap, PA. Look closely...

Our hero. No idea who it is, but the picture was up in the Church of the Mountain Hostel in Delaware Water Gap.

Some of the infamous Pennsylvania Rocks

View from the Pinnacle

The Captains are two SOBOs who just returned from serving in Afghanistan. We've hiked with them off and on since Vernon, NJ

Bag o' Tricks and Camo Jack. Two members of the infamous "Billeville" crew. Tricks gave us gatorade and bananas with just the right amount of "sugar spots"

Target practice in Port Clinton, PA

The Cabela's in Hamburg is one of the strangest places around.

We were fortunate enough to see Joe Roberts and the Real Country playing a Pappy T's Lounge- a bar attached to the Microtel we were staying at in Hamburg

We met my parents in Hamburg and went to Roadside America. An enormous train garden that a man created in the 50's and 60's. He handmade every building, using locals structures as an inspiration. This place was incredible.

How I wish Mt Rushmore actually looked like this! George looks like such a badass!

This is what it looks like when a thru-hiker finishes. Son Driven was coming north, but had to get off at this bridge outside of Lickdale, PA bc of a bad case of poison ivy. When he came back to the trail he headed back south to the bridge. We spent his last night and day of the trail with him.

Susquehanna River

Vintage working coke machine in Duncannon, PA

The Doyle, our home for 3 nights while we waited out a record 10" of rain

Odd mural in Duncannon, PA

Inside the bar at The Doyle.

A sign you won't see at many other hotels.

Camo wall paint and Goodies.

The Flexible Flyer Sled Factory turned Antique Mall has a penny arcade in the back with working vintage games. Ellie is playing with Peppy the clown marionette.

The result of 10" of rain!

Starting the "Half Gallon Challenge" at Pine Grove Furnace General Store

Double Cookies and Cream in 21 minutes and 1 second

Ellie working through the pain.

Done! Mint Chocolate Chip in 25:56

Your reward is a small wooden spoon with "Member of the Half Gallon Club"stamped on it!

I played and sang some songs at an open mic night at the Holly Inn in Mt Holly Springs, PA. I did The Byrds "Wasn't Born to Follow" and Bob Dylan's "Tomorrow is a Long Time"

Halfway!

"What *%&#ing hick stole the Mason-Dixon sign???"

Dahlgren Chapel outside of Boonsboro, MD

View from White Rocks on Lambs Knoll in MD

Everyone gets this scared when they're this close to Ellie!

Passing the train at the MD/WV border

Our parents came to meet us in Harper's Ferry but didn't watch out for the zombies.

Family time with my Aunt and crew in Duluth, GA

10/29/13
Just wanted to thank everyone for their support. For certain, it's one of the reasons we're still out here. Special thanks to Jane and Dave- for sending fudge to complete strangers! And Thom and Katie, too! Thank you Sejong, Marc, Tara and Brady, Jana, Nick, Sara, Dave, Bob, Shana, Danny, Brandon, Cheryl, Sharon and Marty, Aunt Karen, Baltimore Andy for town advice, Floss for sending messages about the miles ahead, and above all- our parents: thank you for raising us to be awesome! And thank you to this guy for giving us free beer!!!!

11/15/13

"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."

- John Muir

We have had to make one of the most difficult choices either of us has had to make, and that is to leave the trail. It was not an easy decision, because even when we were freezing, hurting, hungry, tired, or drenched; we still loved every minute of being on the trail. We were witness to and recipients of countless acts of selflessness and generosity that one would think didn't happen in this day and age. We met people that we'll never forget, even if we never even found out their names, or only knew them for fifteen minutes. Existing in nature for over four months is an experience that is as indescribable as it is beautiful. This is certainly not the end of our explorations and travels of the trail, merely a hiatus. Even though we didn't "finish", we learned that the moment is all that mattered in the 1,400 miles we traversed. We would never call our journey incomplete because we continue to learn from it every second of the day.

- Mike & Ellie (aka Zappa & Dollywood)

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”

- Jack Kerouac

The gateway to "The Approach Trail" that leads up to Springer Mountain and the official start of the AT- 8.8 unofficial miles later...

Amicacola Falls is the highest east of the Mississippi

The first/last blaze of the Appalachian Trail

They like plaques on Springer

View from Springer

We met Dogger (kilt) when he was hiking the Long Trail in Vermont. He was at the first shelter we came to in Georgia bc he was finishing up the Benton MacKaye trail that goes through GA, TN, & SC. He is hands-down the favorite hiker we met!

Stream and rhododendron in Georgia

In the south a toilet seat cover is a completely acceptable medium for sign pointing you towards your dead loved ones... and a shed.

Blood Mountain Shelter is one of the oldest on the AT

This view from Blood Mountain reminded us a lot about some of the rocky balds we'd go over in Maine and New Hampshire.

Autumn Injun

Amazing twisted oak near NC/GA border

Thugged out on the North Cackalacky border

Maybe a donut will make me feel better...

Old store in Franklin, NC with an amazing museum in the back.

I bought a cheap ukulele in Franklin, NC. We inscribed it as a nod to Woody Guthrie.

Wayah Bald Firetower

Rhododendron tunnel

Firetower above Nantahala Gorge

The AT crosses over the Fontana Dam

The reservoir makes for some peculiar landscapes

It's the highest dam east of Mississippi.

Shucktack Firetower a few miles inside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We saw 7 bears on this day!

Autumn colors in GSMNP

A sobo named Globe sporting some swag he got in Gatlinburg- picture a quasi-religious Ocean City plopped down outside the border of the smokies and you know what Gatlinburg is like