The Great Smoky Mountains Revisited

Last time I was in the Smokies was on a spring break trip in 2000. I carried a 6.5 pound backpack, 3 pound boots, 5 pound tent, water filter and more. I covered about 25 miles in 3 days and when I was done my feet hurt so badly with blisters and bruises I could hardly walk.

This time around my load was a fraction of the weight, we covered all 72 miles of the A.T. in approximately the same amount of time and my companion was a lot better looking -- no offense Dave!

It was powerful to visit the section of the A.T. where I had met my first "Southbounder" (a person walking from Maine to Georgia) and to relive a time when I had first aspired to do a thru-hike.