Date: 2006-12-08
To: Our Thanksgiving Trip
Miles today: 0.0

I just returned home from a road trip to one of my favorite places; The Southern Appalachian Mountains. We went to Miss Janet¢s for Thanksgiving. She hosted over 50 hikers, friends, and family. She amazes me with her generosity and love for everyone. I look forward to the next time I can visit. We stayed in a nice cabin with my daughter and her family. The place was enjoyed by all. While they were there we went to the BMX races in Morristown TN. We came in separate cars so they left on Sunday after the races leaving Lynne and I alone to enjoy the cabin in our own way. One night I talked to Little Brother who lives in Nashville. He said he¢d like to drive over to see us and he and two friends, Ashley and John arrived around 10ish. I had a nice campfire in the field down by a small creek. We wasted no time reacquainting and getting the party started. It was a magical night with Little Brother, his friends, my daughter and son-in-law and Bush Whacker beside the warm fire under the star lit night until wee hours. It brought back old memories and created some new special memories. I wish I could convince Little Brother to come back out and complete the trail with me.   While in the area Lynne and I went to The Beauty Spot and enjoyed the afternoon having a picnic. We were blown away by the vistas and by how peaceful and quite the place is. The feelings of quietness and peacefulness brought back memories of my hike last year and reminded me why I love to be out on the trail. We also enjoyed a few days in Hot Springs, a wonderful trail town in North Carolina. We stayed at the Mountain Magnolia Inn and had a great time. It¢s a nice romantic place to stay and serves great meals. While there we had the pleasure of spending time talking to owner Peter Nagle. All the staff was very friendly and made us feel very good about our visit. While in Hot Springs we explored Madison County, driving back roads and into areas looking for that special place to settle down. I hope that someday we can find the perfect place but we have decided that we need to finish a big project I have committed to; to be a thru-hiker in 2007.On our way home we stopped in Franklin, NC and drove over to NOC in Wesser. While there we hiked down the river. I was trying to find the place we camped at but the river appeared to have changed the bank so it didn't seem the same. We stayed at Ron Haven's hotel and enjoyed a friendly conversation before heading south. We called Lady Green and Sir Wounded Knee (David and Erin) and met them for dinner in Atlanta. I was happy to finally introduce my wife to them and to enjoy their company again.Since coming home, I have slowly begun to get the ball rolling: I¢ve cleaned my equipment and started getting ready. I¢ve sent my tent to Henry Shires for a minor repair. I have found some companies are a pleasure to deal with and Henry Shire is great, also The Tin Man is always a pleasure to talk to. I would strongly recommend one of his pot cozies. You can save fuel by letting your meal simmer in the cozy and then when it¢s ready you¢ll be able to keep it warm while you eat, even if it¢s freezing cold outside. I¢m still attempting to get my ULA pack repaired but haven¢t been successful. I might have to pick another pack. I¢m still planning on starting my hike on February 28, 2007.