Date: 2018-04-01
From: French Broad River

To: Tanyard Gap - Hot Springs
Miles today: 5.5
Weather: clear sky

What an AMAZING day! I know that these last few days will carry me through many miles of hiking! As we mentioned, we were so blessed to be able to have a double zero with our son, Next Step¢s Stepmom, Irene, and his sister, Lisa. There are really no words to describe how wonderful our time together has been! Well, technically yesterday wasn¢t a Zero. Next Step, Patrick and I got up and did about a 5.5 hike on the AT yesterday morning (after eating orange-glazed cinnamon rolls to get us going¢thank you Lisa). It was so fun to have Patrick be with us as we hiked. We stopped at a beautiful overlook to do our worship and I could barely hold back the tears of joy as we held hands to pray together. We ran into a couple of trail angels as we finished our hike. Dolly Llama and Lightning Man (who told us that he had been struck by lightning 12 times!!!) who were handing out fruit, Easter candy and sodas. We chatted with them a minute and then headed back to the cabin where Irene and Lisa were putting together an absolutely INCREDIBLE Easter lunch!!! We opened the door and the smells were almost overwhelming! We invited Spirit Man and Heartburn to join us. It¢s a good thing we did, because there was enough way too much food for us to eat without a little help from our tramily. We had honey baked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, pineapple casserole, squash casserole, green beans, Lisa¢s famous deviled eggs, rolls, and of course peach cobbler, brownies, lemon cake and cookies for dessert. I could barely move when we were finished. But I knew I would be hungry again in just a few hours. And I would definitely be thinking ¢I wish I had eaten one more...fill in the blank¢ when Monday night rolls around and I am back to my freeze-dried food - YUCK!! Everyone ate to their hearts content and we all shared trail stories over the feast. After Heartburn and Spirit Man left, Next Step and I had to finish our hiker chores while everyone else napped from their full bellies. We got most of our stuff ready to go and by then everyone was ready for more games (and popcorn and peanut m&m¢s). Around 6:00 we decided it was time for more ham so we made some sandwiches with guacamole and chips. And we couldn¢t miss one last opportunity for some warm cookies and milk before bedtime. I really can¢t remember ever eating so much in one day. And I know I¢ll be ready to eat some more when I get up in the morning. But even after all we ate, there was a TON of food left over, so we boxed it all up and took it to the hiker hostel. I¢m pretty sure it didn¢t last very long after we made the drop! Also pretty sure Next Step and I will be not be moving very fast when we try to drag those full bellies up the mountain though!! We had both already lost quite a few pounds before the weekend, but I don¢t think that¢s the case anymore. Don¢t worry, another week of hiking and of me trying to choke down trail food and I¢ll be slim and trim again in no time. I already miss our family and they haven¢t even left yet. But I¢ll be rethinking of all the memories we made this weekend for a LONG time and that is what will get me through until we can be reunited with ALL of our family. Just know you¢re ALWAYS in my thoughts and prayers. --Which Way Elevation Data:                    Weather:Ascent ~ 1,710                    Day ¢ 70 degrees / SunnyDescent ~ 760                     Night ¢ 42 degrees / ClearGrade ~ 8.4Over the Horizon: Roan Mountain