PICTURES!

Well, I've just arrived in Erwin, TN and picked up a nice little card reader at the local Walgreen's so it's time to share a few pics from the past three weeks. Click on the pics too see them full size.

Aaah, Georgia shelters! They've got some of the nicest I've been in so far. I came across this one just two days after M had returned to NY, after the first five days on the trail. You can't really tell, but there's actually 3 levels to this one, making it a real resort experience. My pack is sitting on the bench in front.

The Georgia - North Carolina border marking. My first state line crossing!

The first 10 days of hiking were not kind to my poor dogs. They were blistered and beaten. I also got some wicked nasty blisters on my pinky toes (almost totally covering them!). A few days after this pic was taken, they had all calloused up, and have felt fine since. This pic was taken at Haven's Budget Inn in Franklin, NC.

One of the many local inhabitants of the trail in GA. There are so many of these little snails all over the place, it's hard to miss stepping on them. Every once in a while you hear a soft 'crunch' under foot and know that a snail-ey's live is about to go to heaven...

A view of things to come...

My trail buddy, Crabapple, receiving a package drop of food and supplies at the Nantahala Outdoor Center where we bunked at a hostel for the night. That day we arrived early and after sorting through our goods, went for a little whitewater rafting! It was a great break from the trail.

A dead rattler. This one was a bigguns at around 5' long when fully stretched out. Some hiker had apparently encountered it just before we got there and had smashed it's poor head in with a rock. A few days back I encountered another rattler while rushing over an open ridgeline during an oncoming thunderstorm. As I was scurrying across, I heard the unmistakable rattle of one of these guys tails and scurried past without delay.

One of the more open sections of the trail along the NC - TN border. There aren't many open balds like this on the trail, and so when you come across one, it's quite a treat.

A survey marker. These are placed all over the place. Not quite sure exactly why tho...

The afternoon before out party in the Great Smoky Mountains. You can see the three pizza boxes on the table. The guy sitting on the log at the left of the photo is 'professor', He's thru-hiking the trail and has been inflicted with a bad ankle for most of the trip so far. I've been playing leapfrog with him for most of the second half of the trip. Meeting, passing, meeting up again, etc.

Chillin' and chatting at the party. The blurry man at the center is 'rambo ron' the last of the '06 southbound thru-hikers. He started in June of '06 up in Maine and was on his last two weeks before finishing in Georgia. That old man had quite a few interesting stories to tell!

Sitting on top of a rock outcropping in the smokies. It was a spectacular view that day!

Mornings tend to be a bit foggy and it's like walking through a horror flic. You never know what will be lurking around the next corner, just waiting to pop out at you. A bear, rattlesnake, crazy backwoods yahoo.... Despite the freak factor, morning fog is one of my favorite times to hike. It's cool, and stunningly beautiful.

4th of July on Max Patch. One of the largest balds on the trail. This guy was completely passed out at the summit. Maybe a little too much moonshine? His buddy was a super beefy army guy who was staring in to the distance, with a rambo pose. I walked up to him, but he was in a zone, staring off in to the mountains, and didn't seem to notice me.

One of the many places on the trail to do a little clothes cleaning. This shack was tacked on to the local convenience store/pool hall in Hot Springs, NC.

Walking out of Hot Springs, NC in style! The AT runs directly through the main street of town here and I got myself a double scoop of mint chocolate chip before heading back out in to the wilderness. Mmmm! That was good!

Well, I've got tons more pics to share with you all, but that's a teaser. Sorry it's taken so long for me to get them out. I've only got about a week and a half left before I hit Damascus, VA, my final destination. I'll be spending one more night here in Erwin, and then heading to a hostel about 6 days away. I'll write and post some more pics then.

miles and miles...
7/6 - 0 (stayed an extra day in Hot Springs, NC)
7/7 - 3 miles
7/8 - 8 miles
7/9 - 15 miles
7/10 - 15 miles
7/11 - 10 miles
7/12 - 16 miles