A disclaimer: I apologize for the delay on these few posts. Reception was not great in the Smokey Mountains, but I anticipate better results in the future.

I picked up the pace a bit, which was good, as I was a bit worried about making it through the Smokies. I do have a lot of food, but I also eat a lot of food. It’s a Catch-22.

The most notable part of today’s hike was (or should have been) Clingman’s Dome. Luckily, I saw it with my family, so I was not severely disappointed to see this today:

And I went to the store to see if I could pick up some more food. Alas, the only thing they had was a few chocolate bars, which I bought. I also bought some bottled water, since they had no source of free water there. A little anticlimactic, but I was determined to hike on.

Most of the day was done alone, and though it was not a long day, it felt like one, especially with the muddy trails.

I am meeting some new hikers, which is pretty fun, and it reminds me not to get stuck only thinking about the same people, to enjoy what and who is around me right now. Starting a fire and talking time. I think there are even s’mores tonight!