My first state border, complete with a log book!

Me and the border.

Sure looks like the trail.

A gnarled oak at the border. The Companion guide book says the border is at this gnarled oak. No matter, it looks cool. The next blaze in N.C., where there is a long, steep climb, reads "New State, Old School."

I didn't want to find out where this one lead.

I was in the south near the end of rhodo season, so I only saw them in higher regions.

That's better.

Pretty rhododendron.

Me at the new Carter Gap shelter in the morning. Some church group with several dozen folks pissed off the trail maintainers who wanted strict adherence to the ten-person maximum. My hair looks like I just had it bleached or something.

It was pretty hazy, but not too hot at 5000 feet.

More Views

But still a lot of haze.

Just underneath the Albert Mountain fire tower.

Trail? Stream? Take your pick.

Me and the AT. Looking very serious indeed.

Me and the AT looking a little more flippant.

Not only was this a perfect place to fill my water bottles, but the pool below made a great place to soak my sore ankle.

But I don't know why I was so enamored with it.

Flame Azalea in the sunlight.

The nice dirt trail in a straight line towards more flowers.

Red flame azalea, as pictured here, were a rarer sight than their orange counterparts, and this is the only time I observed them side-by-side.

Red and orange flame azalea.

More of 'em.

Fish Man's fire illuminating folks behind.

More fire.

I experimented with longer...

...and longer...

...and longer exposures.

The best picture of the famous Fish Man Fires. No idea what the exposure or aperture was, but it came out well.

Siler Bald in the morn.

More hazy views. It was hot early on.

Azalea on Wayah Bald. Of the non-flame sort. They smell very good too.

Wayah Bald Azalea in a bunch.

More flame azalea around a white blaze.

A pair of thunderstorms hit, but in between the sun illuminated the trail.

And later shone down through the trees. Very nice.

Sun and fog, Appalachian Trail, North Carolina.

From the Wesser Bald Fire Tower, it was nearly 4000 feet straight down to the NOC.

But the views across the Nantahala were worth it.

In the south, a thunderstorm hits, and it is hot, hazy and humid minutes later.

The Nantahala carves a path through the rolling hills near the Smokies.

I arrived at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (everyone calls it "The NOC") in the dark, but the next day it was bright as the sun reflected off of the river where the AT crosses.

And met Laura Kerr's boyfriend Scott, who thru-hiked in 1997. From Maine to Georgia. Get it? (He says some folks misread it as "me too gay" which might not go over so well in these parts.

*Talk about adapting to an environment. This tree grew straight out before it went up.

Walking through a rhododendron tunnel almost makes it feel like night.

And more flame azalea above the trail

Mountains in the clouds.

Purple flowers of some sort.

Another snake! And this one I knew was a harmless garter.

Off in the distance you can see Fontana Lake and, behind it, the Smokies.

White flowers.

This is a pretty flower. What kind? I know not. Any help?

The entire tree had rotted except for this bit of the core which stood about five feet high.

Yup. On the land of the TVA

If you want a lake in the South, you have to settle for Manmade. Fontana Lake is the largest, stretching all the way back to NOC.

Fontana Dam, the largest dam in the east, stands high at 480 feet.

Built in the 1940s, the dam used deco-esque lettering, even on the bathrooms.

The spillways are huge, and it is impossible to see the bottom. Why did I have an urge (a small urge) to explore it.

The Little Tennessee River below Fontana Dam. At one point it must have flowed freely.

The AT sign beyond the dam (which carries a road), with Fontana Lake and The Smokies in the background.