Here are the first pics from the Trail. Enjoy these gems!
About Me
- Leslie
- I find myself loving life and what it has to offer. Boredom is far from reality. What a privilege it is to live in a country where I am free to travel, free to live where I want for as long as I desire, free to dream, free to achieve those dreams.
14 comments:
Your pictures are really kool Ms. Gottschalk. That tree is pretty awesome. Hope you ankle gets better
2nd shower in 10 days? I hope u brought deoderant! Peeewwwwwwiiiieee!
Are those your underpants hanging on the line? Gross! Those aren't the "gems" you were talking about, were they? lol
Glad you're having fun, Leslie! Let me know when you make it to Michigan - the trail goes thru there, right? ;) haha
Hey Girls,
Looks like a great time out there. I'm sitting here listening to the phones ringing constantly - people wanting this, wanting that.... and you two are out in the midst of God's greatness. One day maybe Tommy and I can enjoy that type of wonderment. Love and prayers to you both. Tommy and Tracy.
P.S. This is probably the 5th time I've tried to post. I just get so frustrated. Hope it works this time.
Leslie-
If you are in a town and can call back tonight please do so. I just got home after 6:00. I want to talk to you on the phone.
Tracy
Librarians Rule!
Can't wait for your next post. How's it going? How do you fix an achilles' problem?
I miss you. Sometimes I want to give you a phone call, and I can't. Hope the weather has been good, it's all tornadoes and thunderstorms here. But warm...really warm.
love you
Maddie sets up the camping doll every night in her sleeping bag and tent. She named her Leslie. Every morning she gets her up and re-packs her sleeping bag into her pack and folds up the tent. She's on a table beneath a laminated US map. We put little sticky feet from GA to ME and are moving a little sticker of your head as you go.
Mom and Dad are in AZ right now. We've been hoping to hear from you. Wondering if everything is okay.
We sent a package to Hot Springs last week. We hadn't gotten out of the house much because Katie has been really sick, so Maddie helped me pick things out of the pantry to send you. It's really funny. She always wants to send you lots of food and drinks. She wanted me to mail you milk.
We had to take Katie to the Urgent Care the other night. Her fever hit 105.2 and she may have had a mild febral seizure. She hit 105.3 the next night. Today, she is doing a little better. I hope she is okay for Mom and Dad this weekend.
We are concerned about your achilles. Has is slowed you down so much? Try to let it heal. Like I said, Maddie is really concerned most with your eating and drinking. And your long underwear. The subject fascinates her. She doesn't quite understand long underwear.
She hasn't been slowed down by that Achilles at ALL!
Man, I tried to keep up with them from the Nantahala Outdoor Center. WOW, what a climb. Megan just kind of shoots off into the horizon, and I managed to keep Leslie within smelling distance most of the time, (no, they didn't pack deoderant) but I usually couldn't see her.
I spent most of the hike leaning against a tree, huffing and puffing for breath. i think we went up something like 4000 feet in 7 miles of distance.
The next morning we hiked to the top of the last mountain before all the downhill action. As soon as we dropped our packs at the top we find that the cloud we're in is actually a thunderhead. "Oh man, its hailing" I point out.
"Nuh uh." Says Leslie. So I went over and picked up a big piece of ice off the ground and showed it to her. "It didn't fall out of my soda." (is what I should have said)
So we hurried down off the mountain hoping to get away from the lightning and thunder, but it seemed to be a pretty big storm. It poured for about 2 hours that morning, thundering all the while.
I had a choice when it started raining. Get soaked by the rain, or put on this big huge army poncho and get soaked by my own sweat. Either way I wouldn't stay dry. Thats the trick with rain gear. So, I opted not to bother to take the time to get the stuff out. Not until I started to shiver, anyways.
The downhills are killer on the knees. My right knee starting killing me on the way down to Stecoah gap, and I thought to myself "Wait a sec, I'm on a vacation, why am I beating myself up like this"
Besides, I was starting to lag WAY behind Leslie and Megan, so I said "Well girls, can't say it hasn't been fun, but you enjoy the crummy weather and steep hills now, (The steepest climb of the section was yet to come) I'm gonna go ahead and hitch a ride back to the Outdoor Center."
So after sticking out my thumb for a while, I managed to get a series of rides back to my car. The sun came out, I dried off, and then I found a nice motel with cable TV and hot showers and soft beds, and a great mexican place where I had a huge burrito and taco.
I went back the next day and met up with Leslie and Megan again at Fontana Dam. Took them to Wendy's in Robbinsville to eat dinner, then dropped them back off at the dam and wished them on their merry way!
They are both in really great spirits, and Leslie's Achilles isn't really bothering her anymore. They are well on their way into the Smokies now, and I had a great time hiking WAY behind them and hanging out with them and all the other thru hikers along the way.
Eric
"Section-Hiker Chloe"
Ms. G
This is Mercer I just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that I've been thinking about you while you are gone. I hope you are having a great time exploring and adventuring the wild. Hope that achilles tendon isn't going to slow you down to much. Well as far as I know you are well and continuing your journey. Well my words are getting short and I got to go my God bless you and have fun.
P.S. You can also email me if you got time at only1jay2002@yahoo.com
A man on a hiking trip through the Smokey Mountains came to the top of a hill and saw, just below the crest, a small log cabin. Its aged owner was sitting in front of the door, smoking a corncob pipe, and when the traveler drew close enough he asked the old man patronizingly: "Lived here all your life?" "Nope," the old mountaineer replied patiently. "Not yet."
I'm the ODB in the place to be!
hey sista!
i am sorry that i haven't left you anything earlier, but i have been thinking about you a whole lot. seeing those pics of you in those pants with the shorts over them makes me think of all the times you picked on me for that! now the jokes on you. i love you. and tell meg i said hey as well.
God bless you,
Calli
looks like and sounds like your having fun. =].
i miss you very much.
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