Hiwassee to Franklin

I know I’m a couple days late in posting this, our stay in Franklin was short and I got behind! I am almost to Fontana Village but I will wait to post that until this Sunday. We stayed an extra day in Hiawassee to wait out a rainstorm before hitting the trail the next day. The weather was great but it was very muddy! I enjoyed hiking with my fellow Warrior Expedition hikers.

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We officially crossed into North Carolina and are out of Georgia! My tent was set up about 20 ft from a really gnarly tree that night.

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The next day started off really cold! But we warmed up as we made a huge climb up to a lookout tower and officially hit 100 miles! Just before the climb up we hit Trail Magic where I got a hot dog, chips, and two beers!

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As you may have noticed by now I have my left knee wrapped…. It is nothing serious but gets really tight when I am going downhill. I limped my way to Winding Stair Gap where I was picked up by Patti, our host while in Franklin. She was absolutely amazing! After rushing me to her house so I could shower and do laundry she drove us to the local VFW where we were presented with quilts that will be mailed home and a free lunch, and then drove us around to run errands to pick up gear and resupply items.

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We were spoiled later that night to a home cooked meal of meatloaf with a bunch of sides and a fire with red wine and s’mores, what more could you ask for?! Unfortunately it was such a short stay and we had to say goodbye the next day but she is meeting us further down the trail when we head into the smokies! I am currently making my way to Fontana Village so my next post should be in just a couple of days. I think I officially have a trail name but you will have to wait for my next post! Good night ⛺💤💤💤🥱