Franklin to A Meadow with Campsites

11 rough miles today! My feet are aching! Every time we stay in town it always makes the next day of hiking really tough! Maybe it's from all the of food in our packs, maybe it's from being lazy the day before, or maybe it's from the obnoxious amount of buffet food just sitting in our bellies. Either way we are glad to be back on the trail and reminded that this is not stroll through park. One of the best things out here that we see around every corner is just the natural beauty of the wild. All the springs, waterfalls, and open landscapes called balds make everyday worthwhile. I'm glad we get to share some with you but if we tried to share them all I would be uploading dozens of pictures a day! It's so gorgeous on the trail!
With Love,
Max and Sara

Franklin, NC

Spent the night in town to avoid the "hail, tornado, thunderstorm" Turned out to just be lots of rain and some thunder but I was still glad to be inside for it. We ate at this really greasy and delicious buffet called Corbin's Cafe! Where we really stretched the limits of bellies. We also got to meet up with some of our hiker friends at the Sapphire inn! We got some beer and all chilled outside sharing stories and watching the rain come down. It was a pretty awesome night! This morning we got up early to get a free breakfast buffet at a church. They made endless bacon and pancakes, YUM! Now we are headin' back to the trail to get some miles in and burn some of these calories! I have never seen Sara so excited as she was when she saw a soda machine outside our room!
With Love,
Max and Sara

Standing Indian Mountain to Long Branch Shelter

Today we did a long 14 miles and it was beautiful hiking! We traveled over many small but majestic looking creeks. We even found a short sandy patch of land that reminded me of the desert for some reason. We reached over 100 miles of total hiking today! At the top of Albert Mountain there was a beautiful panoramic view. I took a video for you all to see but I'm not sure if I will upload. Now we are at a brand new shelter called Long Branch Shelter! It's real nice here and Sara and I have the loft all to ourselves! Today was one of the hardest and most rewarding days so far.
With Love,
Max and Sara

Bly Gap to Standing Indian Shelter

Today we hiked a rough 9 miles over 3 mountain tops! When we passed through the gaps we began to see the start of spring and all the lush greens of the wilderness beginning to unfold. It was a tough day by we get to end it on a mountaintop with an amazing view of the sunset!
With Love,
Max and Sara

Dicks Creek Gap to Bly Gap

Today we hiked 9 miles! It was a beautiful and exciting day! We were walking down the mountainside singing when all of a sudden I heard a rustle in the leaves. I stopped in my track and looked to see what it was. To my delight and surprise I saw a Gardner snake laying in some leaves! It was awesome to see some wildlife other than squirrels and mice. After that we came across a bunch a fallen trees that revealed a huge root system! Today we also got to see a trail legend, the twisted oak tree! The most exciting thing about today was WE MADE IT TO NORTH CAROLINA! Another unforgettable day on the trail!
With Love,
Max and Sara

The Blueberry Patch

It seemed a little soon to take a night off the trail again, but we were told that The Blueberry Patch is not something to miss out on. So here we are, at the most wonderful little hostel. It's located on a small farm, with goats, two burros, and, well, blueberry bushes! With the mountains in the background, this place is picturesque. They only have 10 bunks so we weren't sure they'd have room for us, but luckily we got here a little early after a 6 mile hike. The Blueberry Patch is a Christian ministry and runs on donations, but they take care of you so greatly. They even do your laundry and bring it back folded, and they cook an amazing breakfast in the morning. This place isn't fancy, but it just adds to the fact that the simple things in life are sometimes the greatest. It reminds me that the people that are apart of this trail community are some of the kindest and most generous people I have ever met. They will come out to bring food to hungry hikers, give them cheap rides to and from town, or set up a lovely place for them to stay right on their land.
A little more than a week in and this has been and amazing journey so far. I have no regrets or doubts. This is definitely the place for me. And if you're ever hiking near Hiawassee, GA, visit the Blueberry Patch, it's more than worthwhile.
Love,
Sara

P.S. Thank you to everyone who is taking the time to read our posts and go show their support. It makes us really happy to know that people are actually reading what we have to say! Thanks you so much!

Unicoi Gap to Sassafras Gap

Back on the trail and it feels good! We started off really strong and made great time up the first mountain of today. We even got to see some of the first bloom of wildflowers! Once we came down that first mountain we had a surprise waiting for us. It was trail magic! A man by the name of Omega and his wife Nikki were cooking up delicious hot dogs and handing out melt-in-your-mouth Krispy Kreme doughnuts! The best part to me was the handfuls of Reese's peanut butter cups and Twix that I got to take with me along the trail. Nothing beats a good sugar rush before heading up a mountainside! We zipped up the second mountain like a bunch rabbits racing up to the top of a hill and boy were we tired when we got there! I was doing a little better than Sara at that point. When we reached the bottom of the second mountain we were surprised yet again by a crowd of people and another group of trail angels. They all had thruhiked and went by the names of Carefree, Freedom, and the Roman Noodles! They had burgers, chips, soda, and most importantly a cold bottle of Guinness waiting for me! Sara felt great from all that food and about 4 cokes. She practically flew up Tray Mountain! I was struggling because my body just wanted to unwind at that point. Soon we made it to Tray Mountain shelter. I was a little tired and was struggling with some foot cramps but Sara was ready to go! We pushed on an extra 5 miles to my discontent. It was well worth it when we arrived to see some familiar faces! The campsite that were staying at is packed! Why Not taught us a neat new way to hang our bear bags, our food is completely unreachable! All in all it was a great and beautiful day on the trail. We are getting stronger and have more energy. Also the Chaco's are working great! No blisters, no pain, no worries!
With Love,
Max and Sara