April 15: Watauga Lake Shelter, TN

423.3 miles.

The last five days with Jessie and Sunny were waaaay too much fun to stop and write in the journal. What awesome company they are -you couldn't ask for two better travel companions. Two positive, adventuresome, flexible, athletic women, and they love to laugh.

Together we covered 60 miles of the AT -no small feat- and we just had an absolute blast the whole way: talking, laughing, planning out our futures, marvelling at the views, the ancient trees, the crazy weather, the change in seasons and forests as you go up and down and over the mountains.

On their second day we climbed Roan Mountain, one of the highest peaks on the AT, in a thick, drizzly fog. Kinda like the Smokys, couldn't see a dang thing. The trail at the top was a slushy ice river flowing over our feet and into our shoes. It was bitterly, drenchingly cold, but no complaints from those two.

At the gap on the other side we came upon a cooler that someone had left for hikers full of homemade brownies, cokes, pecans, and carrots, which got us talking about the trail magic we can bestow on hikers back home in VA -we've planned a feast of chili and cornbread, deeritos, and margaritas. Maybe in August or September we can catch some south bounders coming through VA. Definitely next May we'll catch the nobos. We also talked about how fun it would be to start a hostel up on the AT around Afton. And we talked about the farm we want to live on at great length -what we'll grow and build and do and love. We generated a great many inspired ideas walking through the mountains. That's one of my favorite things about life on the trail -all the time in the world to think and dream and plan.

The night before easter we stayed at a beautiful old barn that had been converted into a shelter. Tom and I had hauled in a pile of easter candy, a bunch of lunch bags I'd cut and colored to serve as baskets, and the dozen eggs we'd boiled and dyed back in Erwin. Before the sun rose on easter morning I went around and put a little basket of goodies at each sleeping hiker's head. There were probably fifteen or so of us there, and everyone was so appreciative and cute about it. A bunch of grown men in their 20's, 40's, and 60's stuffing chocolate in their mouths, taking pictures of their baskets, and offering thanks to the easter bunny. It was well worth carrying the extra pounds for a few days.

The days with Jessie and Sunny flew by. Yesterday we walked into Hampton, TN, ready to throw down and celebrate the ground we'd covered. They'd parked Jessie's truck there, so we drove over to Boone, NC for the night to whoop it up, found an awesome hotel for $40 for the four of us, and went out for beers and food, then some more beers and more food. It was everything we'd dreamed it would be.

This afternoon, after a rockin good breakfast, a few hours in the grocery and gear stores, and a quick drove back over the mountain, they dropped us off on the trail and headed home. What wonderful women. I'll miss their company.