But those are just a few ideas we are still bouncing around. We currently anticipate to start the trail this summer. We will keep you updated…

Wow what a trip! What was once the weekend we were to start the AT, has had plans changed and interrupted numerous times. After some trouble with locking the keys into the trunk of the car and spending numerous hours trying to get them out and delaying out departure more, we decided to venture to Morrow Mountain to do a hike to prepare for the AT. So we packed everything up and ventured to Albemarle, NC to Morrow Mountain State Park only to discover that the park was full and there were not any camp sites available. Uwharrie National Forest was next door and was told that there were primitive trails to hike and camp on. We drove around to the south eastern side of Uwharrie just south of Wood Run Camp and parked there and began to hike the Uwharrie Trail from the southern tip headed north. Here we had a bit of a shocking experience as we received a taste of what hiking the AT would feel like. There were a few hills that seems like we would never get over but once we got to the top it all was easy going downhill.

We made camp right off of the trail where the Uwharrie trail meets Big Island Creek. That was a very good spot because we had just came over one of the biggest hills on that trail and it was right next to a creek so we would be able to draw water. That first day we hiked a total of 4.5 miles. We would have been able to go further if we had been in a little bit better shape, but we are all working on that now.

The next morning we had breakfast and got everything packed back up and had a small worship time and bible study. We went over Psalm 136:1-12. It was very inspiring for what we had experienced the day prior and seemed to fit the moment perfectly. After a small prayer we began our journey northward. After a ways up the road we started up a large hill, Mom, Samuel, and Alex were moving along pretty good and got out ahead of everyone, Dad was moving kind of slowly due to his leg bothering him, Kenderick was just not having a very good day and was not moving very well at all.  Micah and I told dad to head on up the hill and that Micah and I would take care of Kenderick.

After that hill, we were all a little separated. Our plans were to take the turnaround at the next crossing and head back down Dutchman’s Creek Trail back to the parking lot. But we seem to have missed the first crossing entirely, and all got confused on the second crossing. Mom, Samuel, and Alex took a left and headed north on what we thought was the “turnaround” , Dad kept on going straight, and by the time Kenderick, Micah, and I got to that point I pulled out my cell phone and called my mom and had her wait on us to make sure we were all on the same trail. Kenderick, Micah and I caught up with mom and realized that dad was nowhere to be found. So we stopped right there and began the search to find him.  Micah and Sam left their packs with us and took off running to take the Uwharrie trail back north hoping he just missed the turn, they ran about a mile down and ran back and had not found dad.  After realizing that this was really bad Alex and I took two of the packs and lashed them together to two long sticks so we could carry them kind of a stretcher style and head back to the crossing where we all got lost. We met Micah and Sam back there and began to discuss possible actions to find dad.

By this time we had realized that we missed the turnaround entirely and the trail that we thought was the turnaround was in fact the Dutchman’s Creek Trail. So Mom and Micah decided to head back and try to find the turnaround and see if Dad had found it and took it. They took off and after a few minutes we saw two hikers come to the crossing from the Uwharrie trail (the same direction Micah and Sam ran down about a mile to look for Dad). So we asked if they had seen him and after a few descriptions they claimed that they had seen him sitting on a log about a few miles back. So I called Mom and Micah and had them hurry back so we could catch up with him, it was not long before we caught him.

While we were running around looking for him, he had thought that since he had not caught up with Mom and the others he would wait for Micah Kenderick, and I to catch up with him. After about thirty minutes of waiting he thought that maybe he had missed a turn or something so he headed back.

As it turns out he had been waiting about a half mile further than where Micah and Sam had run to.

After all of that, we decided that from now on we all need 2 way radios so we can prevent this. We continued north on the Uwharrie trail and were going to camp down at Yates Place for the night (Which was quite a distance from our originally planned location). Once we got up there we discovered that there was no way we were going to be able to make it back to the parking lot the next day if we camped here. After talking with some of the others camping at Yates Place we were able to get a ride back to the other parking lot to bring the cars up here to Yates. So we brought the cars back and also stopped and bought some gallons of water because Yates place is not near any creeks to draw water from so Sam and I thought this would just be simpler. So we camped at Yates Place for the night and got up the next morning, packed up the cars and headed home.

Wow, we are now gearing up for our very first adventure on the AT. The more we look into this now, the more we discover that we made a very good decision not to hit the trail back on Memorial Day. We would not have had the time or the proper gear once we got there. But we are all set and prepared now. We have triple checked our gear lists, reviewed numerous trail guides and maps. And we are now going to be ready. We have the two-way radios now, after discovering the hard way on our Uwharrie trip just how important they can be. We have our maps and plans are being finalized as to where we will make for camp each night. Preferably with water source at each camp (also discovered the hard way). But you know some of life’s best lessons are learned the hard way, that way you are sure not to forget them. We are all very excited to embark on this trip.

We plan to leave and make camp at Amicalola Falls State Park on Saturday June 28, and begin our journey northward from there the next morning. See you on the trail!!!

Pre – Trail. June 28, 2008
 Got to Amicalola Falls State Park.  After setting up camp, a drenching rain hit us.  We were saved by a covered picnic shelter and were able to dry out our tents and any wet stuff.  Supper was saved because we had gotten a fire going and some coals survived the rain and we were able to cook our kabobs and potatoes.   On a funny note, a raccoon got into our push button cooler and stole most of our sausage links for breakfast.

Trail – Day 1 – June 29, 2008
 Got up for breakfast and discovered that I forgot to bring a frying pan to cook pancakes.  Had leftover potatoes instead.  Drove up to a parking place near the start of the trail.  There were lots of clouds when we started.  We hiked up to Springer Mountain (9/10 mile).  Took our pictures of Springer Mtn. and were about to leave when the wind blew and cleared a little we could see 3 mountains. 
 Started down the trail and it was cool.  Our packs felt very heavy.  We’re trying to get about 5 miles to Long Creek Falls.  There was a shelter about 3 miles down but the weather was nice and we decided to hike on to the Falls.  One hour later, it began to rain.  We stopped for a little while and went on.  About the time we got to Long Creek Falls, it began to rain buckets.  Micah put up his poncho as a tarp, but we were stuck.  It was 6:30 and the nearest shelter was 3 miles up.  Waited for rain to stop.  Two hours later, the rain did stop.  Kenderick and I were soaked.  Got some soup going and everyone warmed up.  Set up our tents, dug a trench and built a hooch to protect our tents.  Was amazed at how dark it got once the sun went down.  Could not even see your hand in front of your face. 

Trail – Day 2 – June 30, 2008
 I let everyone else sleep in as late as possible to let them rest.  I probably got up around 7:00 a.m. went to working on building a fire.  Took an hour to get and keep the fire going because I had to shave all the wet bark off.  Micah and Dusty got up and had the fire blazing in 30 minutes.  Needed the fire to try and dry out our shoes.
 The Falls were beautiful.  It was good to see the sun and blue skies.  Took a while to get everyone up and going.  Left camp at 12:30.  Lots of ups and downs on the trail.  Plan was to go to Hawk Mtn. shelter about 3 miles down trail to dry out and wash clothes.  Warm day.  It was relaxing to get to the shelter.  Kenderick was in very good spirits today.  Yesterday, being cold and wet, he was ready to quit and go home.
 Met some more hikers on the trail, also staying at the shelter.  There was Ann and her dog, Bear and a couple named Robin and Jeff.

Trail – Day 3 – July 1, 2008
 The weather was beautiful.  We climbed 2 mountains that kicked our butts – Sassafras & Justus Mtn.  Went from 2,673 to 3,336 – 1 mile ascent and up 664 foot climb with several switchbacks (Sassafras), down to 2,828, then up to Justus Mtn (3,224), down a little, up a little, descended to 2,600 feet and stopped at Gooch Mtn Shelter.  We did not want to stay in the shelter unless we had to because I heard mice running all through the shelter last night.  Left at 10:30 a.m. and made the shelter at 5:30 p.m.  Did 7.3 miles in 7 hours.  Made very good time.  All legs muscles were burning when we quit. 
 We beat the other 2 groups at our shelter from previous night.  Had 2 guys, Mike and Matt, which we kept passing and being passed.  They had traveled 12 miles that day and had a seriously heavy backpack – lots of can food and 3 liter “box of wine”.  Had another couple from Florida, Chris and Liz, come in as well.  Had a great time at the shelter between everyone telling funny stories and watching Matt, Mike, Chris, and Liz try to lighten the wine box.

Trail – Day 4 – July 2, 2008
 Only 5 miles to get from Gouch Mtn. shelter to Woody Gap – our pullout.  Wish we were going on, but most were starting to get blisters.  Made very good time.  Mostly Flat.  Left shelter at 11:33 a.m. and finished at 2:45p.m.  Finally had some really good overlooks off the top of a few mountains toward the end. It was good to stop after our first week on the trail.  Learned a lot and still need some better equipment, not much just a few minor items.
 After we all transported back to the trailhead, everyone said their last goodbyes and began their journey home. After a few miles we decided to stop and have dinner at Burger King. On the way back out we noticed a few odd looking prints on the hood of my car. It appears that we had a bear hop up onto and sit on the hood of my car. He did not appear to have done any damage, but its just kind of funny that I had bear prints all over my car.

Day One – Friday August 29
This adventure was no different from our last voyage, filled with family fun, and enjoyment of God’s creation. We started out our long drive to Unicoi Gap on early Friday morning August 29th about 5:00a.m. We dropped off my car at Unicoi Gap, and loaded everything up into Micah’s truck and we headed down to Woody Gap. Once there we took to the trail immediately. This trip our mother was able to join us for her first adventure on the AT. Also joining her was her little dog Reece. Dusty decided to bring his dog Diamond as well. 

On our first day we were headed northward up the summit to Blood Mountain, which is one of the steepest climbs and the highest point on the AT in Georgia with an elevation of 4458 feet above sea level. This hike seemed long and hard as we were getting reconditioned to the trail. Even though we all tried to keep in shape after our last trail adventure, running around the block in our neighborhood is nothing like hiking up a mountain with forty pounds on your back. We all worked very hard and we made about seven miles the first day and set out camp. One thing that made it somewhat difficult for us was that a lot of the water sources on the map were dried up. We expected to be able to fill up at the spring there in Woody Gap. But that one was dry. We had to hike in about 4 miles before we could find a place to get water. Sometimes, it’s the little things that can make a big difference in hiking on the A.T.  My mom had trouble with her shoes.  Her shoes were fine working around Fayetteville, but hurt her feet hiking with a 35 pound backpack.  Also, we discovered her backpack did not fit right.  Made 3 adjustments before she found one she could tolerate for the next 30 miles.

So we continued our journey with a looming fear of not knowing what sources were going to be available for us to draw water. The first night on the trail we stayed at Woods Hole Shelter (about ½ mile hike off the trail) hoping that it would have water there at the spring. Unfortunately that spring was too dry for us to pull water out of.  Had some great views on top of Big Cedar Mtn.  Everyone was glad to be done for the day.  It was incredible loud at night.  It was katydid season.

Day 2 – Saturday August 30
 So we finished our ascent up and back down Blood Mountain with the remaining water we had drawn the previous day.  Most of us ran out of water.  We were not able to find another decent water source until Neels Gap at the Walasi-Yi Centre. We were so relieved to see the Walasi Center coming down that mountain. 

Dad walked inside and bought a round of Gatorades and a bunch of bananas for us all. We all took the opportunity to take a shower there at the center to rehydrate our outside and rested a bit. Dusten went inside and bought another liter bottle to carry to ensure we would have some extra water. He filled up all of the water bottles and got them all loaded up. As we were getting ready to leave Dad went back inside and got another round of Gatorades and bananas. We spent a total of two hours there at Neels Gap. 

We got back on the trail to finish our mileage (about 8 miles) for the day. We stopped just short of Cowrock Mtn.  in a small campsite by an underground spring that was flowing pretty well. That night Mom made the soup mix that she had put together for all of us. After eating the soup the gas began. The farts continued to flow for the rest of the trip. We will now stay away from the Bear Creek soup mixes. It seemed to have had a bad effect on all of us.

Day 3 – Sunday August 31
We bedded down and got a good start the next morning and continued our hike. We had a nice breakfast and fixed coffee.  That seemed to help everyone’s mood.  There were lots of ups and down.  Being behind our planned schedule, we took a shortcut around Wildcat Mtn.   Sometimes, there is a blessing inside a small tragedy.  My dad somehow tripped on a loose rock.  He was okay but needed to adjust his backpack.  There was a rock several feet ahead and he was going to set his backpack there.  He stopped short of setting his backpack down when he noticed a snake sitting there looking at him.  He backed away.  Upon more careful observation, we discovered it was a Georgia rattlesnake.  Poisonous snakes do not usually bite the first person in a line.  They usually bite the second on third person or maybe one of our dogs.  Kenderick, our youngest hiker at 12, had already walked past the snake.  Dusty was able to throw a rock at it and chase it away, thus, preventing any trouble.  We have a snakebite kit but hope to never use it.  After reaching the Low Gap Shelter, we rested and rehydrated.  On a funny note, Renee’ hiked the remaining trail in her flip flops.  I don’t recommend this for most people.  She had rather deal with hitting her open toes on rocks and sticks than deal with her acing feet in her hiking boots.   After this, our hike was a lot easier and a lot more level. The trail follows along an old logging road for about four miles and we were able to hike through it a lot faster than we had expected. About Seven o’clock Dad decided to just find the next water source, fill up, and camp at the next site we found. That night, after we got everything setup and had just finished dinner, we were starting to make plans for the next day when our 20% chance of rain came against our favor. It began to pour and we all threw everything into the tents as quickly as possible and the rain really began to pour. Both tents began to leak, so we pulled out the tarps to cover our tents. It only rained for about fifteen minutes and we got everything settled and bedded down. 

Day 4 – Monday September 1
The next morning we got the earliest start we have done yet since we began this journey. We got up at six o’clock, before the sun came up. We got going earlier so that we could get done before lunch. My dad had left a few items hanging from tree limbs and noticed that something had taken one of his bandanas.  Probably a raccoon gang running around with bandanas somewhere.  We were on the trail around 8:00 A.M.  Later that day Dusten realized that he had left his car keys in the truck. So it proposed a slight issue with the truck sitting in Woody Gap. After we got down the trail he was able to get a cell signal and called around to get some numbers to schedule a pickup with a shuttle company. 

Going up Blue Mtn., the trail turned to rock ledges and we had to be very careful.  At the point, I think even the dogs were tired.  My dad watched Diamond, Dusty’s dog, take 30 seconds to sit down.  Everyone took a privy break at the Blue Mtn. shelter.  It was a steep decline down Blue Mtn. for 2 miles.  Thoughts of going home motivated us to finish.  Somewhere along this hike, Kenderick stepped on a baby snake.  No damage to Kenderick or the snake.  We got back to my car and Dad rode down with “Tom” (Shuttle Driver) to the truck. And we began our journey back home.

Overall we had a great time on the trail this trip, we had expected the dogs to kind of lag behind a bit but they kept up very well. Every time we stopped to take a break the Dogs would whimper and whine because they wanted to keep moving. Every night when we would setup camp the dogs would find a place to lie down and just crash. We wore these dogs out, but they had a blast. I think Diamond would love to go next time.

Friday - March 28-30, 2009

Arrived in Charlotte for pre-staging and final preparations. After checking the Weather Channel for the hundreth time, it was decided to hike backwards this time. We knew we were facing some rain and some cold weather. Figured it would be shorter to hike in the rain for 3.5-4 miles to a shelter and go up one big mountain than to hike 5.5 miles and have two mountains to climb the other way.

Saturday - March 28, 2009
Worked out okay as we only had a light drizzle. However, Ken, Micah and Dad boots were soaked. Was happy to arrive at the shelter 3-4 hours later We were the first at the shelter. We all changed into dry clothing and got lunch. Other hikers began to arrive. All of them were Thru-hikers and had been hiking in the rain for 5 days. When the rain stopped, we built a fire to warm-up and try to dry out our boots. Had a good time around the fire and watching the amazing "steam man" dry out all his clothes that had gotten wet the last few day. As his clothes would dry, steam would come off in all directions. Was glad we only had rain for one day. It got a little chilly that night, but our new 20-degree sleeping bags did fine.

Sunday - March 29, 2009
Weather forecasts had predicted sunny skies and 60-70 degree weather. Saw the sun some, but weather never got above 40 as we faced a chilling 10-15 mph wind whenever we were on the right side of the mountain. Path switched back and forth to the right and left side of the mountain. Warmed up on the left side and froze on the right side. Was climbing Trey Mountain to stay at the shelter there (4500 ft elevation). Nearing Trey Mtn, was on the left side of the mountain. Temp dropped to 32 on top and 15-20 mph winds. Renee' was close to hyperthermia. Got hot tea and Roman in her and she was fine. Small shelter for 7 people and there were 20-25 people there. Was amazed at how quickly the temp dropped even more. Dad began looking for a campsite to pitch a tent on the left side of the mountain away from the wind blowing. Dusty found a better place among the trees a hundred yards away and Dad pitched his tent 15 feet away near the edge of a cliff but away from the wind. There were trees to prevent tent from moving. Beautiful scene at night looking down into the valley seeing all the homes light up. Looked like a Thomas Kinkade painting. It got down into the teens. We froze in our tents. Took some close huddling to warm up some. Nobody slept much, but we were able to get warm.

Monday - March 30, 2009
Awoke to a beautiful sunrise coming over the mountains. Made all the rain and cold worth it to see that sunrise. Sun was out and it began to warm up rather quickly. Hot coffee and grits made for a good breakfast. Day got progressively warmer as we went. By the end of the day, everyone was in shorts and T-shirts. Good hiking. Only slight declines. Took Dusty, Micah, and Kenderick an hour to catch Dad and Mom 2.5 miles later. Someone left a cooler with drinks and snacks at the bottom of Trey Mountain and labeled it Trail Magic. Was a welcomed sight after all the difficulty 2 days before. I know the Thru-hikers welcomed the gifts after 5 difficult days on the trail. Being out of shape got to us all going over the Rocky Mtn. It was 1.2 miles up and 1.3 miles down. Dad's knees began to feel the pressure and slowed down. Ran across a garter snake near Unicoi Gap. Renee' and the boys played with it a little and removed it from the trail.
We were very glad to survive our weather odeals for the weekend. We learned a valuable lesson that the Weather Channel does not know much about weather on A.T. It predicts weather for the low lying cities near the base of the mountains. Apparantly, a cold front got stuck on the mountains - not in any forecast we say prior to our trip. We were all looking forward to a hot cooked meal at Wendy's on the way home.

DICK’S CREEK GAP TO WINDING STAIR GAP – June 20-27, 2009
SAT – 6/20/09
Harward Adventure Ministry has officially become a ministry. Besides our family of 6, we had 5 other people on this trip; two girlfriends, Elizabeth Rogers & Autumn Powers, and 3 friends of the family, Ty Thurman, and Matt & Mark Ostrega from Myrtle Beach, SC. Everyone was excited as we pull into Dick’s Creek Gap to begin. We did not get our usual 0500 start as it took us till midnight to get most of our new people packed. We arrived at Dick’s Creek around 2:30p, we had lunch, completed backpacks and got to hiking. Having just over 4 miles to shelter, it was interesting to find everyone’s pace. It was good to have 5 walkie-talkies. Elizabeth having a tough time, but Micah patiently encouraging. Heat and humidity was bad and everyone was suffering. Dr. Mom (Renee’) began checking everyone and making sure they were getting electrolytes and salt, which helped perk everyone up and glad to make the shelter. A Nice hot dog supper got everyone refueled and ready for the next day.

SUN – 6/21/2009
It was hard to sleep last night with the humidity. Some of us also were not use to extreme darkness and quiet of the woods. We had devotions and gave the crew an overview of the day. We had a small hill to go over and then a steady climb to GA/NC line. We all took pictures at the famous Bly Gap tree (4.5 miles). Our welcome to NC was met by 3 tough climbs over Sharp Top Mtn., Courthouse Bald and climb to Muskrat Creek Shelter. Everyone was exhausted and sore at the end of the day. I think our 8.3 miles was actually closer to 10 miles. In spite of the troubles, they all hung in, took lots of breaks and kept encouraging each other. We got our first bear scare – fallen tree rubbing another tree when the wind blew, ran across a possible poisonous snake and got to see our first great view that seemed to lift everyone spirits. One of the new guys saw a snake that I chased off. He complained a lot the last 2 miles about his feet hurting and wanting to stop and rest longer. I was determined to make the shelter. I would tell him to wait for Dusty coming behind me but he was not going to be left alone. He was afraid the snake would come back!! After 3 exhausting climbs and thinking we were never going to find the shelter, we did find it. We hiked sun-up to sun down; fortunately, we saved our pasta dinner for supper. Afterwards, everyone felt better and went right to sleep with bellies full.

MON – 6/22/09
We did get a small shower that morning, I gathered wood for a fire, and let everyone sleep in. We only had about 4.5 miles to next shelter. We needed an easy day to recuperate from the previous day. It was also a good day to bath and wash clothes. We only took about 3 hours to hike 4.5 – 5 miles for the day. We got rained on a little but then the sun popped out. We relaxed and had some fun after doing laundry in the stream. Dusty and all the guys made some goofy videos that brought a lot of laughter and fun. Hiking is beginning to be fun now. We met our first group on the trail - a leader and 6 guys from a Methodist Church on a wilderness camp week. Also, we met a retired gentleman about to finish section hiking the entire trail that had taken him about 11 years to finish. I really wanted to see a sunset/sunrise on top of Standing Indian Mtn. Dusty and I talked about getting up early next morning, however, Renee’ and I decided to pack up and go on up that evening. Left around 8:00a and had a 1.5 mile climb to the top. It was an easy upgrade but had 10 switchbacks. We got to top and it was almost dark. Thought there was a trail to top but was unmarked and too dark to see. Renee’ and I made camp and went on to sleep.

TUES – 6/23/09
Renee’ and I got up early to take sunrise pictures but could only find a small clearing for pictures – FRUSTRATING. We went to find water but directions were unclear. We went down another side trail but no water. An hour later, coiming back to camp. I saw an arrow on back to trail sign pointing to unmarked path to water. At least we found water to wash up and refill our bottles. We had to wait for the rest of the group to come up the mountain. They got to the top by 12:00p. Matt Ostrega was in first group and he found trail to clearing on top of Standing Indian Mtn. in 2 minutes. At least, we all got to see a really great view. We had a nice 6 mile hike from there with easy declines and a slight incline to reach Carter Gap Shelter. We stopped at a small creek to refill out water bottles and most took off their boots and soaked their feet – REFRESHING. We got to the shelter and there were 3 or 4 other groups there as well so we decided to set up our tents. I like sleeping in our tents – its cooler and no bugs and no shelter mice running around you all night. On a funny note, a mouse crept into Dusty’s or Micah’s backpack. It didn’t survive long once someone attacked it with Autumn’s shoe. We think the mouse was the alias “Mousey McTurdface” that had terrorized another hiker from Standing Indian Shelter and had a wanted poster drew in the shelter journey for its capture or death with a reward of someone carrying your backpack for 42 miles. Dusty is trying to claim the reward. He had taken a picture of the trail journal entry. He made a video of it all and placed on our website. Just another crazy adventure on the trail. I ended our day with devotions on memorials and the need for everyone to find one before leaving the trail.

WED. – 6/24/09
We had a relatively easy hike until Albert Mtn. but we were looking forward to it. The hike over Big Butt Mtn put us right on the edge with a foot and half trail and a 600 ft. drop over the side. I think if most of the parents had seen what we hiked over, there would be some concerns and questions, but our crowd hiked on over like it like the pros they had become. This put new meaning to the phrase to “Living life on the edge”. Albert Mtn. climb was challenging but fun. On funny note, Dusty went up and tired out trying to go too fast. He radioed down, “Why are we doing this?” It was interesting when one of the new guys who had complained a lot grabbed the radio and started encouraging, “Dusty, you can do it! I have faith in you!” The view from the tower on top of Albert Mtn. was very worth the climb. We had a 360 degree view in all areas above all the trees. We stayed for 45 minutes taking in the view of God’s creation. Our stopping point for the day was only a half mile away. We went on down and set up camp and had supper. Dusty, Mark and I went back up Albert Mtn. for sunset pictures. It was great to get some fantastic pictures. It was one of the best days ever on the trail. I hiked most of the day with Elizabeth and learned a lot about her and her family.

THUR. – 6/25/09
It was a sunny morning, but most slept it. I had planned to hike 5.5 miles and stop and finish the other 4 miles on Friday. However, most were talking about finishing all 9.5 – 10 miles today. I said we’ll see how it goes and base my decision at Rock Gap shelter when I see how everyone is doing. We made very good time. We started around 11:30a and made the shelter around 4:30p even after stopping for lunch. We took a break at Rock Gap and a butterfly came to join us. It stayed a long time when Renee’ put out a piece of dried mango. The shelter at Rock Gap was mosquito infested and I did not want to stay. We only had 1 mountain to climb and then another 2 miles on easy descents. Everyone was okay at the top of the mountain and still wanted to finish, so on we went. I sent Dusty, Renee’ and Micah on ahead so they could go and retrieve the vehicles left at Dick’s Creek. It was an easy descent and we all finished about 30 minutes behind Dusty and them. Dusty had dropped their packs on a slightly hilly section that would have been hard to camp at. When they did not return at 8:30p, I figured they got lost and I went across the highway at Winding Stair Gap to find a better place to camp. I did find a better place and we began to set up camp knowing that Dusty, Renee’ and Micah would not return until after dark. It was on a service road that went up the mountain very near the trail and near some water falls. Everyone was relieved to be finished on the trail. My legs and everyone else’ were very sore from hiking 10 miles that day.

FRI. – 6/26/09
Off the trail and everyone is glad. Got up, got breakfast, packed up and headed to Franklin, NC to find some civilized coffee. Had Dusty locate a coffee shop and $57.00 later, everyone had coffee, tea, fruit smoothie, bagel or biscotti. I saw a rock museum and rock shop and went to check it out. Loaded everyone up and to Wessor, NC and the Nantahala Outdoor Center we ventured. We felt so good to have a hot shower after 7 days on the trail and cold sponge baths. We got a hot meal shortly thereafter and finally relaxed. Found a place to camp and set up. Dusty took all the teenagers swimming while Renee’ and I went to Bryson City, NC to buy a few groceries and do laundry. It was a good relaxing day. We roasted some hot dogs, marshmallows, and even found a watermelon.

SAT. 6/27/09
To put an exclamation point on our vacation, we ended our trip with a rafting ride down the Nantahala River. The Tide Pirates rode down in style – “Soak’em till they cry, leave none dry”. People were asking a lot of questions why we had the detergent bottles with the bottoms cut out. Most found out pretty quickly and had fun or sought to avoid us. We had one older guy in a funyak who really enjoyed us getting him wet. We had a blast until the girls and my wife got cold and did not want to get wet any more. That’s why it’s a Men’s only rafting trip with our church. We will probably stick to that in the future. Still, it was a good trip and we had a lot of fun and got to see a lot great views from the mountains. Can’t wait to go again.