Still Heading North . . .

Yes, Brandon is still hiking! While he has been busy scaling mountains --- "an outdoor landmass, higher than a hill" variety --- I have been busy wading through mountains --- "a vast number or quantity" of preparations for Holy Week and Easter worship services. Whew!! Maybe things will slow down a little now and I will have time to keep you all more updated on Brandon's progress.

AT was a gift from Brandon's sister, Mallory, her husband Curtis, and son Bohde. She tucked him away in a box full of other goodies they presented to Brandon before he left Kannapolis in the hopes that some of the items would provide a laugh and maybe even prove to be useful in some way on the trail. The word is from Brandon that AT has turned out to be a pretty good pillow!

Brandon loved the Nanatahala Outdoor Center and said it was a great place to spend the night. Upon arriving there he picked up his second maildrop from home. He called me while sitting beside the Nanatahala River, with his feet propped up, enjoying some much anticipated refreshments and I could hear the sound of the river through the phone. What a life! I would love to be there!

After spending the night at the N.O.C., Brandon, Russ and Kevin took it easy on the morning of April 21st, enjoying the area for a while before heading out for a shorter hike of 6.9 miles to Sassafras Gap Shelter. Just before reaching the shelter, Brandon sent me this picture from the summit of Swim Bald (elevation 4750').

From Sassafras Gap Shelter, the trail northward led them on a 15.2 mile trek for a night's rest at Cable Gap Shelter. The next day's 6.6 mile hike brought them to Fontana Dam Shelter. From listening to Brandon speak of these few days it sounded like the guys had really settled into a nice routine of hiking, taking lots of pictures, and just generally enjoying their surroundings and each other's company. He said the days were fun and he was filled with a wonderful sense of accomplishment when they would sit down in the evenings, look over their maps and talk about how many miles they had travelled that day.

Michelle met Brandon in Fontana Village on Sunday evening and the two of them headed out on the trail yesterday morning. To say that he was giddy with excitement at having Michelle join him for a few days would be a slight understatement! They arrived at Spence Field Shelter in the evening --- a 17.4 mile hike. Way to go Michelle!

They are looking forward in the next couple of days to rejoining Kevin and Russ, enjoying the view from Clingmans Dome, and having lunch in Gatlinburg, TN. Happy Trails you guys!!