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From: Renee
lakes: 10000
Date: 30 May 2008
Time: 20:29:42 -0400
Remote Name: 72.61.185.192
I talked to Sipke briefly last night, as he and Karen were spending the night in a "very nice" little resort at Fontana Dam, NC. They have progressed 162.5 miles up the trail to date, and seem to be very well. With the plan as it is today, they will hike through the entire Smoky Mountain National Park and I will meet them on June 6, where the trail crosses I-40 on the north side of the park. They have been told that the trail will not be too hard across the park, although when I look at the map, I see most of the hike at altitudes above 5000 feet. They're both well ready for that challenge. Some days have been easier that others, and they recently did another 14 mile day, because they met a "very interesting and scary" character at their planned stop, so they continued an additional 5 miles in order to avoid staying there. There are a lot of trees, so not much visibility here, and they haven't encountered much wildlife, although there is plently of scat and other evidence of bear and coyote. They have encountered a few days of rain, but for the most part it has at least been warm.... but Pete says it's a rain forest up there, and it's always wet. I say welcome to the south. In the mean time, I'm holed up in a hotel in Bloomington IL, waiting out the thunderstorms and torrential rain that chased me off the road about 5:30pm. I still hope to be in Tampa by late Sunday, or at latest by midday Monday, so tomorrow will be a long day on the road, attempting to make Atlanta by dark.... so I'm off to bed, and hope to be on the road by 4am or so. Take care all, hope YOUR weather is better than I left it! Renee