Three weeks already?!

Wow! The time has really gone fast. 206 miles down in about 20 days. Since we last blogged we've been through a lot of different places. After Hiawassee, we reached the 100 mile marker at Albert Mountain where there was a beautiful view from a fire tower. Franklin, NC was our next town destination. We happened to come to the crossroads to a couple and their grand daughter providing breakfast trail magic and a ride into town. 

Outdoor 76 was an outfitter in Franklin where we hung out for a few hours with fellow hikers and was able to talk to a feet and footwear specialist. Moose got new insoles for her shoes to help with the fit in order to reduce blisters and the chances of rolled ankles. From there we got a free ride from Vito himself to Vito's Pizza where we enjoyed beer and pizza over the TV news, which we realized is only bad and pretty nice to be away from.  Dollar General helped us get a cheap resupply of groceries where a nice lady offered us a ride back to the trail. It really is amazing how nice and helpful people are to thru-hikers, they are "trail angels".

We camped in the rain that night and woke the next day to hike 10.7 miles in the rain. It is nicer to hike in the rain during the day than having to set up camp in the evening while it's raining so we take what we can get. 

Easter Sunday brought us sunny weather and a great day for hiking. Wesser Bald was a beautiful view and we headed to Wesser Bald Shetler for an Easter dinner of mashed potatoes and pasta sides. 

Our goal for day 13 was to get to the NOC where there was basically a pretty awesome hiker oasis with an outfitter, restaraunts, hostels, and more. We did our laundry, took coin showers, and spent the night at "tent city" for free with some hiker friends for a fire and some fun. We woke up early to have breakfast at the diner and to head back on the tra before the rain started. 

A tough and wet 15.8 mile day took us to Brown Fork Shelter to the sun shining to dry us off. Our next day led us to Fontana where we expensively resupplied before realizing Mama Blunk had sent us a package! This left us with lots of food to enter the Smokies with. We were able to eat BBQ sandwiches and have a beer at the pit stop before heading to camp. Fontana Dam Shelter is nicknamed the "Hilton" for its georgous views and real showers. We had a nice campfire with friends and made delicious pizza quesadillas. 

The next day we got to walk over Fontana Dam which was not only pretty cool but fun to walk on the road for about a mile. We hit the Smokies and camped at Mollies Ridge Shelter at 176.8 miles. In the Smokies, hikers have to camp at Shelters which has allowed us to hike and camp with basically the same people throughout. A rainy 12 miles the next day took us to Derrick Knob Shelter. About 11 miles more the following day led us to Clingmans Dome, the highest spot on the whole trail! 

We hiked on to camp at Mt. Collins Shelter and took off to get to Gatlinburg the next day with dreams of pizza and a resupply of snacks. When we got to the road crossing, a man who hiked the trail 2 years ago offered us a 15 mile ride into town which we gladly accepted. We took showers at the outfitters and headed to Mellow Mushroom, Moonshine Brewery, and then the Family Dollar store for snacks. Currently, we sit charging our electronics in the laundry mat while waiting for our fellow hiker friend, Alpine, to finish his clothes. Back to the woods tonight! Check our Instagram (thewildoutsiders) for more frequent picture updates!