April 18,19: We were out of cell range for a while. The 17th and 18th were hiked hiked in the rain. It is not fun to pitch a tent in the rain. We hike 16 brutal miles in the rain including the infamous Jacobs Ladder, a 700 foot climb straight up in less than a half mile. It was definitely the toughest day to date. After breaking camp in the rain, we hiked 6 miles in the rain to Fontana dam. Pictured are wet and weary hikers piling into the Fontana resort for some much needed r&r. This morning we leave out for the 70 miles through the great smoky national park.
