722 miles

We haven't been near any computers lately and haven't turned on the phone much either. We have been taking lots of good photos but they are all currently stored on the camera and this blog is coming atcha via the phone. Next time we get access to a computer I promise to throw up some pics.
We passed through the Grayson Highlands State Park back a ways. It is a lovely zone where dwarf trees both deciduous and needle-bearing give way to open space with grassy meadows surrounding gray rock outcroppings. It is a quite surreal landscape that goes on like this, up, over and along ridges interspersed with small herds of wild ponies!  The horses were introduced in the sixties to help keep the bald meadow areas along the ridge open.  Elk used to roam in great herds through the Appalachians having this effect.  In some areas Elk are being reintroduced.  The ponies are small. They vary in color and are some of the most beautiful horses I've seen; brown with blond mane and tail, splotchy, spotted and splattered looking.  They are fairly used to people and know that hikers mean sweaty arms and legs to lick, and though you aren't supposed to feed them, perhaps an oatmeal or granola treat.  We hiked only a short distance on the day we passed through Grayson Highlands, petting the ponies, eating snacks on boulders with sweeping views.
The time is flying. We have met lots of people now and continue to meet new ones and run into others we met previously. It really is all about the people. The views aren't all that different.  The solitude of being in the woods is nice yet sharing stories around a campfire with folks who are out here for the same reasons you are is a real treasure.  Just last night a friend of ours said as it was getting late around the fire, "Ya'll need to go to bed. I need to get some sleep and I have a serious case of FOMO".  We all kind of looked at him questioningly. He smiled and said Fear Of Missing Out.
It is easy to get caught up in the social scene, to wait for friends to catch up or find an excuse to rest your feet for a day.  We stayed the night at a shelter that was near a Forest Service Ranger Station. This place had it all!  There was a shower, a sink out back for washing clothes and a clothes-line, a real 'standard government issue' type outhouse, a pond for swimming, and the place was two stories and all log.  A short walk across the parking lot meant you could use a phone on the outside of the Ranger Station to make local calls, more specifically to order pizza and have it delivered!  There was one kid who it was rumored had been at the shelter for almost a week!
Another neat place we camped was called The Captain's. The Captain was gone for the weekend while we were there, but he has set up a zip-line with a seat so you can sail over the creek from the AT to his backyard. He has a big fire pit, tables, clothes line and lots of flat space to pitch a tent. He is another "trail angel" who enjoys people and helping hikers on their journey.
There are some restaurants just off the trail that cater to hikers. In Atkins we each ate a 16oz. "Hiker burger" with Bacon and cheese. Butch ate all her fries too, and then we had dessert! So much for her vegetarianism.  At the Home Place Restaurant in Catawba you can choose to have 2 or 3 meats. Everything else is included and comes family style to your table. It is all-you-can-eat and felt like thanksgiving.  Made it a bit uncomfortable to put the pack back on.
Butch has finally had enough "barefoot" hiking in her Five-finger shoes. She just bought a pair of nice, normal shoes. I think this will help us move a little faster and her feet won't be as sore when we stop at night. So now we need to keep moving. We'll see y'all up the trail!