Day 12: Erwin, TN. 1846.3 miles from Katahdin, 342.9 to Springer Mt.

"I can't read, so I don't bother with signs." This is what our hitchhiking ride informed us as he drove us into town to buy supplies, where the TN/GA football game was on big screen and loud speaker at the Food Lion.

Every valley in this part of Tennessee is called a "hollow," but pronounced "holler." We've heard tales that each holler is occupied by a different family, usually feuding with the family in the next holler, Hatfield & McCoy style.

We are now picking our way along the Tennessee/North Carolina border, staying as far above the hollers as possible, except when we descend for supplies.

Fall is coming: the leaves are just beginning to change and the sky is raining acorns and chestnuts, one of which beaned Forrest, a direct hit from a mischievous squirrel.

As painful as the AT is, there are some redeeming qualities: the food, the kindness of strangers, and the appreciation it gives you for the overlooked. 

Hiking and camping for days, carrying everything you need with you, gives you a new appreciation for how wonderful a well-prepared meal is (like this one, at Mountain Harbour Hostel), or the luxury of a warm clean bed, conveniently elevated above the ground. Things we take for granted have again, after less than 2 weeks of hiking, become sources of joy-- maybe this is why many religions advocate fasting.

Appreciation of all the luxuries in our life, no matter how small, is something of which we all could use more. Today, as we trudge on, I will appreciate the ability to read.