Snow, snow, snow, snow, SNOW!

Yesterday it snowed a lot! We felt like we were walking through Narnia the first time the children come out of the wardrobe. It was my (hannah's) 3rd time seeing snow, and it reminded me once again of why I am so thankful to live in FL. It's very nice to be in a warm house with dry feet. We are taking a zero day and staying with Robert Brewer and his wife. Robert is a world famous honey judge that we met at the UF Bee College.
We've met some wonderful people along the trail, and were traveling along with a little pack until the snow came. To name a few....Bark & Berry - a couple our age from Lousville, Sandy- a retired Scottish man from Australia, Itai - a young adventurer from Israel, Gypsy - a crazy and hilarious chef from Ocala.
We love being on the trail and actually miss it while taking this day off, but we need the rest for our weary bodies.

A verse that my mom gave us the day before we left:
"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way into the (mountains) these next (4 1/2 months), to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands....Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during this time. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the Lord your God, working in His ways and revering Him. For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land - a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills...when you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you." Deuteronomy 8:2-10

Please pray for my knee as it hurts and is swollen at the end of each day.

Daylight over the mountains

We've made it to Hiawassee, GA--we're doing great! We only have one more day of Georgia hiking before we hit North Carolina. We're staying with a friend here, and it's great to be indoors because it's snowing outsite! We went out to a great Mexican restaurant tonight--what a treat! I'm attaching a picture album of our journey thus far. Our feet are doing great: Mike has 2 small blisters, Hannah has none. Regarding trail names, some friends we met named Hannah "Good Spot" because everytime they saw us we were camping or taking a break in a beautiful spot on the mountain. Mike is still trail-name-less: any suggestions?

Springer Mtn to Dicks Creek Gap

We did buy a new tent (Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 for those keeping track). It's a bit smaller and a bit heavier but it actually keeps the rain on the outside which gives us great peace of mind. Last night we experienced some sideways blowing hail and had to come off the trail to get out of the storm. The temperature in our tent was about 29 degrees in the morning, but fortunately our sleeping bags kept us very toasty during the night. The picture below is the thermometer on my watch reading 29 degrees.

Snow started falling pretty steadily as we started walking towards Dicks Creek Gap (where the road to Hiawassee meets the trail). Below you see the start of our snowy walk on Tuesday morning. It began snowing very hard soon afterward and there were some beautiful (but cold!) scenes, but our camera ran out of battery power.

We expect to be in Franklin, NC in about 3-4 days, so you can expect the next update then. We are really enjoying the trail and having a fantastic time together!!Thanks for reading.

At Neels Gap

We've arrived at the Mountain Crossings hostel at Neel's Gap--it's pretty nice here. It has rained everyday so far, and we've learned that nothing is really water proof after being subjected to enough rain. We're staying in a bunk house with about 15 other thru-hikers, and we're considering buying another tent snice ours leaked so much last night! We've met a lot of great people so far, and we're having a great time. I've only got a few minutes, so I'll post pictures when we stop next which will be in Hiawassee, GA on Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for reading!

Finally starting

I've just finished a 4th helping of Hannah's uncle's fabulous Brunswick Stew! Thanks to all of you who voted in the poll...

We're finally hitting the trail in the morning, but by the time most of you read this, we will be on our way to Maine. Our packs feel heavier than expected, but comparably lighter than previous backpacking trips we have taken. We'll be heading 5-7 miles each day for the first week or so. We're carrying 3 days' worth of food, and our first planned resupply point is Mountain Crossings at Walasi-Yi which is on top of Blood Mountain--the highest peak on the AT in Georgia (4458') and is supposedly the spot of a battle between the Creek and Cherokee tribes in the late 1600's. If there's internet available there, we'll post an update and some pictures. Thanks for reading.

Our first picture

We're currently staying the night at our friends Ericson and Jen's house. Hannah's parents are here as well, and we'll be heading to Georgia with them in the morning. I'm posting a picture to test how easy (or difficult) it will be to do this on the trail from computers that are not our own. The picture is of me using silicone to seal the seams on our tent so the rain doesn't get through!

Before we get on the Trail

Updates before we go

Hello. I think it might be interesting for those reading to see some of the specifics about our trip, e.g., what exactly we will be carrying in our packs, what we plan to eat, and where we plan to be each day. I've begun to post these things on the site; I hope you enjoy and leave intriguing comments. 

We're in full gear tying up all the loose ends before we leave Gainesville and our jobs here. Those belongings that we decided not to keep have either been sold or donated to an organization (or friends). Hannah's parents are coming up to Gainesville on Sunday (29 March), and we're leaving Monday morning and heading to Georgia where we will stay the night at Hannah's aunt and uncle's house; I'm really hoping that Hannah's uncle will make his famous Brunswick stew--it's amazing! We'll be up and out early Tuesday morning and will hit the trail by Tuesday afternoon, I expect.

The first week we're only scheduled to go 5-7 miles per day. We'll gradually increase our mileage each week until we're averaging about 20-25 miles each day. That should put us in Maine in mid-August!

We are very excited about getting started on this journey. Thanks for reading