It's COLD down here / Happy Easter

Greetings, all, from Tennessee. The cold snap that's been affecting much of the east has hit hard down here as well, and the last few days have been very, very chilly.



Two nights ago we camped at Ash Gap, just shy of the summit of Roan Mountain, and above 5500', the temp in the morning was about 19 degrees in the tent (which is ususally substantially warmer than ambient air temp - I'd guess we had low teens or high single digits).
Chilled to the bone by this experience, and with lower temps yesterday and today, we opted to hike in the day and hostel at night. Last night we stayed at Mountain Harbour where the trail crosses US19E, and the accommodations were excellent - hot hot woodburning stove in a fantastic bunkhouse over a barn, there was coffee, a hot shower, and a great bed. Plus the owner, Terry, drove us to the Times Square diner, where we enjoyed sweet potatoes, fried okra, tater tots, salad, and of course sweet tea. Thanks for everything Terry nad Mary!
Tonight we're at a new hostel called Abby's Place, which is about halfway between US19E and Dennis Cove Road. The bunkhouse is in a toolshed, also furnished with a woodburner, and the folks that run the place are gracious and interesting. Plus it's a whole lot warmer than outside! Tomorrow we hope also to find indoor lodging, and by monday the overnight lows should be back into the 20's, which we can weather outside.
Yesterday evening it snowed about 3 inches, and today's hiking was fun and challenging. Pushing through all that snow gets heavy quick, and gives your legs a workout like no other - and of course the snow covered trail is quite beautiful. Enjoy some of the new pics that we put up by following the link at right - I assure all of you they'll be captioned as time permits. For now it's time to fuel the fire... I've got wood to split.