EMILY'S ESCAPADES

Day 45 Monday May 7, 2017 Mile: 418.4 - 431.4 7:15am - 3:30pm Weather: Cold start, warmer during day but air still nippy. Cold end Since we booked the cabin again for tonight we slack packed ourselves and the resort shuttled us. We left bright and early and had a beautiful hike around Laurel Falls and Watauga Lake. It was so nice to see so much water most of the day. But the real gem came when met B.B.King. Shortcake and I were have a break and this young lady hiked up to us.

Day 44 May 6, 2017 Mile 404.1 - 418.4 8:14am - 4:11pm Weather: 36 degrees and overcast to start. May have warmed up to 40. Had moments of cold sleet then ended the day in rain. It was a very cold day on the trail today. Sorry not too much to report. Our stops were brief. We needed to keep moving to stay warm. We have a way though of things working out so we don't have to suffer the elements. We made reservations yesterday when we say the forecast and set our mileage to end at

Day 43 May 5, 2017 Mile: 393.9 - 404.1 Time: 7:14am - 1:25pm Weather: Perfect compared to yesterday Roan, TN Staying at Roan Mountain B & B overflow home Well, today was a fantastic rest day for our bodies, minds and and spirits after yesterday's adventure. We slack packed 10 miles over gentle terrain and a smooth trail. The only obstacles were blown over trees and debris covering the trail. Remnants from the wind and rain the day before. It was a fantastic day. We saw nice v

Day 42 Thursday May 4, 2017 7:35am - 12:57pm Weather: Cloudy, misty & windy Staying at Roan Mountain B&B What a difference 24 hours makes. Yesterday we had an incredible day. Today we experienced every emotion fathomable in 2 hours of the most intense hiking I have ever done. We crossed Little Hump and Hump Mountains which were open bands that topped out over 5500 feet. The wind whipped, howled, and tried to throw us off the mountain. 75 mph gusts were no challenge for Shortc

Day 41 May 3, 2017 Miles: 368.9 - 384.5 7:41 - 6:50pm Weather: Warm & Sunny and windy Tented on the Platform at Over Mountain Shelter What a beautiful day of hiking. We conquered Roan Mountain. It was much nicer hike then my rainy adventure in 2015. I apologized to the Mountain for curser her last time. It was quite easy. The crown jewel of the day was Jane Bald at Carver Gap. It was by far my favorite day of hiking. The views were sweeping and went on and on. It makes all th

Day 40 Tuesday May 2, 2017 Miles: 351.1 - 368.9 7:01am - 6:20pm Cool Start then windy but nice Tented at Clyde Smith Shelter Today we just kept going. Both of us felt great and we covered 17.8 miles. It made up for our low mileage yesterday. The miles were filled with a variety of sights. We saw open balls, dense spruce forests, a bunny and lots of other interesting things. What amazed me the most is how this beautiful, lush, green grass can grow deep in the forest way up in

The Day 39 Monday May 1, 2017 Miles: 343.0 - 351.1 Weather: Warm to humid to rain and cold Back to basecamp It was a pleasantly warm night and morning. First night we didn't need to be zipped right in our mummy bags. As we were getting ready to throw on our packs and start the day's hike we could hear that Diesel engine. Instead of grabbing our packs and poles we snatched our iPhones and headed to the rail bed. We finally got to see our choo choo. As usual, it was uphill righ

Day 38 Sunday April 30, 2017 Miles: 331.6 - 343.0 Weather: Hot & sunny with an occasional breeze Stealth camped just outside Erwin, TN Batman slack packed us again today. We take it when we can. Tomorrow it's back to full packs and a 5 day stretch without amenities. Whatever are we going to do. It was a nice hike today. Lots of ups and downs but the trail was sweet. The drop into Erwin, TN was long. It took 17 switchbacks to carry us safely to the Nolichucky River bridge. Acr