TN, NC, GA.

Hi, long time no blog.

Been through Tennessee, North Carolina and entering Georgia and the Southern terminus of the trail is fast approaching. Even though we will have summited both ends we will have a good bit of hiking to do still, but looking forward to it.

Smokies were great, however the Nantahala National forest area in Southern North Carolina has been absolutely breathtaking, unexpectedly so. Some of the best panoramic views and perfect weather have made it a memorable section of our trip.

Lots more bears in the Smokies, they are protected and used to humans, so we got some pictures this time. Salamander, Bald eagle, wild Turkey, Blue Jays, but no large reptiles but we have seen some very large discarded snake skins. I worry when i get to shelters and there is no mice activity at night, i think 'what the hells eatin the mice'! The mice are crazy in the South, and love to steal hairs from our heads at night. Lovely.

Visited the tourist town of Gatlinburg to resupply halfway through the smokies. It was mental. It was like Blackpool on crack. It was like Vegas with trees. I was scared. All i wanted to do was get back to the safety of the woods with the bears in!

We have been hiking into the evening recently, doing some big miles. The moon has been lighting our path, full and very bright. We crossed the highest dam in the East recently, Fontana Dam was used in the film 'The Fugitive' (Tommy Lee Jones), and was very beautiful when we crossed it at night.

No 'Deliverance' style stories to tell you, sorry. Everyones really nice down South. Got a crash course on American Football by a hiker called 'Curse', at last, it all makes sense. So I'm a converted football fan now (Football, not soccer). Speaking of soccer, if I'm in town on a Saturday morning i can pick up the midday game in England on ESPN, live.

And lastly, to get to the deep South we had to go through New York city. I never planned to go to NYC, but i am so glad we did. Walking up the steps from Penn Station dressed as a hiker with my pack on and hiking poles, and looking up to see the skyscrapers all around us, is an unforgettable experience, after being in the woods. In addition, there was a KISS concert that night so there were hundreds of fans dressed like Gene Simmons, surreal. Came in at 4pm, our train South wasn't until 7am the next day and it was Saturday night. There were no Hotel rooms available in Manhattan, so we tested the theory that NY is the city that never sleeps, and its true!!

Missing our friends up North and all you fellas in the UK, but we'll be catching up with our buddy Houdini for thanks-giving dinner soon, and we'll stay in touch on t'internet.

G