April 20th and the 21st
The past two days have been Max's and my favorite of the hike. While the terrain has been challenging the hiking has been extremely rewarding. The Smokies are beautiful, more lush and varied than the hiking before this. There are meadows and views from most every mountain top. Spence Field was one such meadow, with waving yellow grass. As Max and I traverse the beautiful landscape we happened upon a horse and three mules grazing. Max eagerly jumped at the opportunity to pet them as we made small talk with the two cowboy-like owners. And while Spence Field was amazing, personally my favorite part of the Smokies so far are the old growth forests. While the bright open fields and mountain tops are beautiful in their own way, there is something about the deep, dark beauty of the pine forests. The rich greens and reddish-brown earth tones create a majestic, almost magical, feeling. They truly are something to behold.
On a different note, today we reached the highest point on the AT, Clingman's Dome. We also reached our 200 mile mark! Today was a really great day, but we are excited for showers and resupply at Gatlinburg tomorrow. Hopefully the beautiful weather will continue on!
Much Love,
Sara
Hi-
ReplyDeleteHappy Bday Sara, just in case I miss it!
Love the pic of the tree growing out of the stump of the old tree...so symbolic!
Once you hit Gatlinburg, you are in Pam & Ed's neck of the woods. Give them a call, if you want to come off the trail while you're in the area the next few days.
Take care of each other. Glad to see you are so happy!
Love, Mom
Hi Sara and Max,
ReplyDeleteLove your post as well as the pictures. I also love the one with the tree growing from the stump and the one with the clouds, reminds me of the picture you took of Edie, Sara.
I sent a package to Elmer's sunny bank inn in Hot Springs. They are so nice, they will hold it for you even if you don't stay there. It sounds like a really nice place and inexpensive, so you should check it out. I will talk to you soon and let me know where you will be the first or second weekend of May so we can meet up. I love you, stay happy and as always be safe. Talk to you on Thursday for your birthday, 20 it's hard to believe. You are such a wonderful young woman and I'm so proud of how well you both are doing on this journey. Just as Max's mom said, take care of each other! Love, mom