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This picture has nothing to do with my hiking trip. This is our newest dog Sara who we adopted after she was abandoned. This picture was taken when she was about 4 months old, the day I found her dodging traffic on a busy Charlotte street.
Me next to one of the Appalachian Trail plaques on top of Springer Mountain Linda, Brandon and I next to one of the Appalachian Trail plaques on top of Springer Mountain
Garth, Eric, Dave, Dan, Mahousic and Dead Man Walking all trying to dry out clothing and equipment over the campfire at Gooch Gap. All of us had spent the night before at Horse Gap and gotten soaked from a torrential rain. Dave actually threw his tent away the next morning because he got soaked two nights in a row. I stayed pretty dry in my tent that night A rare dry moment during the first week. This is typical of what my campsite looked like each night. This was taken at a campsite just past Gooch Gap Shelter Old Boot, Hollydays, Little Engine, and myself in the lodge at Goose Creek. We had all shared a cabin the night before trying to dry out from 4 straight days of rain. Another couple, James and Veronica, stayed with us as well. The folks that run Goose Creek were great. They even picked up and delivered pizza right to our cabin that night Me standing in front of the Goose Creek Lodge the next morning waiting for a shuttle van to take us back to the trail Me on top of a mountain just past Neels Gap. It had been cloudy and/or foggy everyday since I started that this was the first almost clear vista I had seen on the trail Dale America, Little Engine, Hollydays, Jim from Maine, Nose Runner and Joe Honey at Low Gap Shelter. This was the first shelter I stayed in. Usually they were already filled up by the time I got there." Eric, Garth, Dan and Dave camping at Low Gap Shelter. There were at least 25 tents setup that night in this little valley" James and Veronica fixing dinner while camping at Low Gap Shelter" Me at Low Gap Shelter after a long day of hiking" Eric, Dan, Garth and me at Cheese Factory campsite Brandon and I on front porch of cabin we stayed in at Rainbow Springs Mule in field next to Rainbow Springs Cabin. Brandon got close enough to pet it before it got spooked and ran off Me getting ready to start hiking at Winding Stair Gap Scenic view from the top of the observation tower on Wayah Bald Me in front of the bunkhouse I stayed in at the Nantahalla Outdoors Center in Wesser NC Brandon and I at a Fontana Dam overlook Brandon and I standing on top of Fontana Dam looking down into the valley I'm all packed up and ready to start hiking the Great Smoky Mountains. It was threatening rain, so I have my pack cover on. Brandon and I on the other side of the dam. It was a 70 foot drop from the top of the dam to the water to give you an idea how big that dam is. The Appalachian Trail actually goes across the top of the dam. Me at the start of the Great Smoky Mountain part of the Appalachian Trail, just past Fontana Dam View from the Trail climbing up and looking back at Fontana Dam in the distance Double Spring Gap Shelter. This picture was taken mid-afternoon. You can see the clouds hanging in the trees . Becca and Greybear on top of the Clingman's Dome observation tower Little Engine and Greybear on top of the Clingman's Dome observation tower Plumorchard Gap Shelter. This was one of the nicer shelters I saw on the southern part of the trail, just north of Dicks Creek Gap. Much of the materials to make this shelter were brought in via helicopter. It had an upper loft and could easily sleep 10-12 people. In case you are wondering, yes, this is south of the Smokeys. Earlier in my hike I had skipped this section and to test out my knees after resting them for over a month, I decided to go back and hike this section. This tree and sign indicate the first state line you cross going north from Springer This tree is widely accepted as the unofficial state line marker. It is about a tenth of a mile past the sign shown above. It is quite an interesting tree. It was a great place to rest before tackling Bly Gap which goes straight up for a few hundred feet. No easy climb. Me at Deep Gap parking lot on my way to Standing Indian Mtn. Here I met a family waiting for an older couple who were hiking this section. They were very kind and offered me an ice cold drink and snack. Thanks Dan and family for the trail magic on a hot day.. Standing Indian Mtn Shelter. I stayed here one night with three folks from Montana thru-hiking. That was the least number of people at a shelter I experienced. That night, I had a mouse crawling around my feet and toes inside my sleeping bag. Talk about getting the willies!!! This picture is of the beautiful mountain laurel I saw while walking through the Shenandoah National Park. This was in the southern part of the park near Blackrock. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera out 5 minutes earlier when I saw a bobcat walking down the hill just to the right of this part of the trail. Another pretty stretch of trail in the southern part of Shenandoah National Park near Lewis Mountain This is a picture of my Hennessy Hammock which allowed me to get rid of my tent. It weight 2 1/4 pounds, sets up anywhere there are two trees or poles 12 to 20 feet apart, has a built in bug-mesh and a rain fly. I love it. The deer in Shenandoah are so used to people they hardly pay any attention to you when you walk by. This one decided to check out my campsite one afternoon More wildlife on the trail. This bunny was quite curious. Everytime I got close, it would move down the trail a ways, then turn and wait for me to catch up. It did this 4 or 5 times before it finally headed off into the woods. Maybe it was leading me away from something. Who knows. I just enjoyed following it for a while. Here was my first encounter with a bear in the wild by myself. I was walking along the trail and about 10 feet ahead of me the brush right next to the trail started moving and I heard rusting. Then I saw two small bear cubs and a large mother bear run uphill away from the trail. Once the mother bear got about 20 feet up the hill, she stopped, turned around and watched me. I walked on past where they had been and then stopped and watched her for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately my camera did not have a zoom, but if you look right in the center of this picture, you can clearly see the mother through the dense foliage. The cubs were father up the hill and out of my sight. That was an exciting couple of minutes and made my trip. I was walking on a cloud the rest of the day being that close to a bear in the wild. Linda, Marty, Eleanor, Mom, and Brandon at the trailhead for the Limberlost Trail. This was a wheelchair accessible trail which we took Mom on. Here two wild bears are clawing the bark off this dead tree trying to get at the grubs and insects inside Linda "hanging out" in the woods Marty, Rob, Eleanor and Mom in the middle of a huge mountain laurel thicket. They said this trail would easy! Just kidding. Here Rob, Marty and Eleanor are pushing Mom in her wheelchair. Sunset from Blackrock next to Big Meadows Lodge Brandon climbing up on Blackrock Marty and Brandon hamming it up with the tree in front of the Big Meadows Lodge Brandon was stalking deer behind the lodge and got close enough to get his shot. This same area behind the lodge is also where he almost stepped on a timber rattlesnake while he was climbing up the hill through the rocks and brush. Thank god he was alert enough to see it and stay clear.
Me next to one of the Appalachian Trail plaques on top of Springer Mountain
Linda, Brandon and I next to one of the Appalachian Trail plaques on top of Springer Mountain
Garth, Eric, Dave, Dan, Mahousic and Dead Man Walking all trying to dry out clothing and equipment over the campfire at Gooch Gap. All of us had spent the night before at Horse Gap and gotten soaked from a torrential rain. Dave actually threw his tent away the next morning because he got soaked two nights in a row. I stayed pretty dry in my tent that night
A rare dry moment during the first week. This is typical of what my campsite looked like each night. This was taken at a campsite just past Gooch Gap Shelter
Old Boot, Hollydays, Little Engine, and myself in the lodge at Goose Creek. We had all shared a cabin the night before trying to dry out from 4 straight days of rain. Another couple, James and Veronica, stayed with us as well. The folks that run Goose Creek were great. They even picked up and delivered pizza right to our cabin that night
Me standing in front of the Goose Creek Lodge the next morning waiting for a shuttle van to take us back to the trail
Me on top of a mountain just past Neels Gap. It had been cloudy and/or foggy everyday since I started that this was the first almost clear vista I had seen on the trail
Dale America, Little Engine, Hollydays, Jim from Maine, Nose Runner and Joe Honey at Low Gap Shelter. This was the first shelter I stayed in. Usually they were already filled up by the time I got there."
Eric, Garth, Dan and Dave camping at Low Gap Shelter. There were at least 25 tents setup that night in this little valley"
James and Veronica fixing dinner while camping at Low Gap Shelter"
Me at Low Gap Shelter after a long day of hiking"
Eric, Dan, Garth and me at Cheese Factory campsite
Brandon and I on front porch of cabin we stayed in at Rainbow Springs
Mule in field next to Rainbow Springs Cabin. Brandon got close enough to pet it before it got spooked and ran off
Me getting ready to start hiking at Winding Stair Gap
Scenic view from the top of the observation tower on Wayah Bald
Me in front of the bunkhouse I stayed in at the Nantahalla Outdoors Center in Wesser NC
Brandon and I at a Fontana Dam overlook
Brandon and I standing on top of Fontana Dam looking down into the valley
I'm all packed up and ready to start hiking the Great Smoky Mountains. It was threatening rain, so I have my pack cover on.
Brandon and I on the other side of the dam. It was a 70 foot drop from the top of the dam to the water to give you an idea how big that dam is. The Appalachian Trail actually goes across the top of the dam.
Me at the start of the Great Smoky Mountain part of the Appalachian Trail, just past Fontana Dam
View from the Trail climbing up and looking back at Fontana Dam in the distance
Double Spring Gap Shelter. This picture was taken mid-afternoon. You can see the clouds hanging in the trees .
Becca and Greybear on top of the Clingman's Dome observation tower
Little Engine and Greybear on top of the Clingman's Dome observation tower
Plumorchard Gap Shelter. This was one of the nicer shelters I saw on the southern part of the trail, just north of Dicks Creek Gap. Much of the materials to make this shelter were brought in via helicopter. It had an upper loft and could easily sleep 10-12 people. In case you are wondering, yes, this is south of the Smokeys. Earlier in my hike I had skipped this section and to test out my knees after resting them for over a month, I decided to go back and hike this section.
This tree and sign indicate the first state line you cross going north from Springer
This tree is widely accepted as the unofficial state line marker. It is about a tenth of a mile past the sign shown above. It is quite an interesting tree. It was a great place to rest before tackling Bly Gap which goes straight up for a few hundred feet. No easy climb.
Me at Deep Gap parking lot on my way to Standing Indian Mtn. Here I met a family waiting for an older couple who were hiking this section. They were very kind and offered me an ice cold drink and snack. Thanks Dan and family for the trail magic on a hot day..
Standing Indian Mtn Shelter. I stayed here one night with three folks from Montana thru-hiking. That was the least number of people at a shelter I experienced. That night, I had a mouse crawling around my feet and toes inside my sleeping bag. Talk about getting the willies!!!
This picture is of the beautiful mountain laurel I saw while walking through the Shenandoah National Park. This was in the southern part of the park near Blackrock. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera out 5 minutes earlier when I saw a bobcat walking down the hill just to the right of this part of the trail.
Another pretty stretch of trail in the southern part of Shenandoah National Park near Lewis Mountain
This is a picture of my Hennessy Hammock which allowed me to get rid of my tent. It weight 2 1/4 pounds, sets up anywhere there are two trees or poles 12 to 20 feet apart, has a built in bug-mesh and a rain fly. I love it.
The deer in Shenandoah are so used to people they hardly pay any attention to you when you walk by. This one decided to check out my campsite one afternoon 
More wildlife on the trail. This bunny was quite curious. Everytime I got close, it would move down the trail a ways, then turn and wait for me to catch up. It did this 4 or 5 times before it finally headed off into the woods. Maybe it was leading me away from something. Who knows. I just enjoyed following it for a while.
Here was my first encounter with a bear in the wild by myself. I was walking along the trail and about 10 feet ahead of me the brush right next to the trail started moving and I heard rusting. Then I saw two small bear cubs and a large mother bear run uphill away from the trail. Once the mother bear got about 20 feet up the hill, she stopped, turned around and watched me. I walked on past where they had been and then stopped and watched her for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately my camera did not have a zoom, but if you look right in the center of this picture, you can clearly see the mother through the dense foliage. The cubs were father up the hill and out of my sight. That was an exciting couple of minutes and made my trip. I was walking on a cloud the rest of the day being that close to a bear in the wild.
Linda, Marty, Eleanor, Mom, and Brandon at the trailhead for the Limberlost Trail. This was a wheelchair accessible trail which we took Mom on.
Here two wild bears are clawing the bark off this dead tree trying to get at the grubs and insects inside
Linda "hanging out" in the woods
Marty, Rob, Eleanor and Mom in the middle of a huge mountain laurel thicket.
They said this trail would easy! Just kidding. Here Rob, Marty and Eleanor are pushing Mom in her wheelchair.
Sunset from Blackrock next to Big Meadows Lodge
Brandon climbing up on Blackrock
Marty and Brandon hamming it up with the tree in front of the Big Meadows Lodge
Brandon was stalking deer behind the lodge and got close enough to get his shot. This same area behind the lodge is also where he almost stepped on a timber rattlesnake while he was climbing up the hill through the rocks and brush. Thank god he was alert enough to see it and stay clear.