Date: 2008-11-07
To: Erwin, TN / Charleston, SC
Miles today: 46.8
Weather: clear sky

Well, a few surprises in this one....U.S. 19E - Overmountain Shelter - Day 122 - 1789.6 - 1798.3 - October 31stWell, it's my birthday and now Dad is hiking with me for the next 4 days. He did pretty well today over a good bit of uphill. Today was a top 5 day with 360 degree views the last half of the day. It was a perfect temperature with no winds and not a cloud in the sky. We hope to have 3 more days like today while Dad is here...tomorrow starts the month of NOVEMBER!!! Geez...25 days left...Oh, & there are 2 UGA students here on fall break...both went to Oconee Co. & one I've officiated in soccer...small world!Overmountain Shelter - Clyde Smith Shelter - Day 123 - 1798.3 - 1811.2 - November 1stUnbelieveable day today. It was tough terrain and had many 360 degree views. We saw tons of day hikers around the main road crossing and ascended to Roan Mtn. and Roan High Knob, both of which are over 6200` in elevation. Dad struggled at times, but we made it in to camp about 20 minutes after dark. He was a real trooper today and also enjoyed the incredible views. This is definintely the best section I've seen since the Whites in New Hampshire. The weather was also spectacular as we haven't seen a cloud since Dad started hiking and its been over 50 degrees most of the time! More fun tomorrow...Clyde Smith Shelter - Deep Gap (tenting) - Day 124 - 1811.2 - 1824.3 - November 2ndAnother gorgeous day as I start Month 5 of the hike. There were less views today and the terrain was a bit easier than the last two days. Stretch is 1.5 miles further at Beauty Spot and will probably beat me & Dad into Erwin. Dad is getting off of the trail a few miles in tomorrow morning and getting the truck to come pick me up at the trailhead in Erwin. My favorite part of today was Unaka Mtn. It looked a lot like the woods in Maine (as the Companion said). It has been fun having Dad here & it is quite an accomplishment to do 34.7 miles (especially this 34.7 miles) in his first 3 days backpacking...Deep Gap - Erwin, TN - Day 125 - 1824.3 - 1836.4 - November 3rdDad & I got up this morning and hiked to the top of Beauty Spot, which lived up to its name. After that, we went downhill for a while to the road where he got off and immediately hitched into Erwin. I continued on & finished the last 8 miles which were very vanilla. Dad came and picked me up and the three of us enjoyed the afternoon off. Let's keep the great weather going!!!Erwin, TN - Charleston, SC - Days 126-130 - Zero Days - November 4th-8thWell, Stretch got up Tuesday morning and decided since we were off of I-26 and my Dad had to drive to Greenville anyway to get home, we should take some time off at his house in Charleston. Stretch's Mom picked us up in Greenville and took us to Charleston. We are heading back to Erwin on Saturday and meeting up with Ozzie and Juice Box for the first time since New England. I'll be cool to hike with them as we finish up. We only have 339 miles left, and Stretch & I are a bit ahead (maybe not 5 days ahead, though). Anyway, we might not finish now on Tuesday, the 25th. We should be done by Thanksgiving without a doubt, so I will still be at the Tech game. We'll know more about the finish date once we get a little further down the trail...it's been nice being in real-life again for a while...next update should be mid-week from Hot Springs...