Highs (emotional ones) and Lows (low temperatures!)

Okay! 1907 miles down! Less than 300 to go! We're having fun walking the North Carolina/Tennessee border. Along this stretch we've seen a number of amazing balds- some natural, some man-made, all with great views of the surrounding mountains. One of our favorite days of the whole trip was the day we went over the Roan Highlands. It was supposed to rain off and on all day but somehow we managed to dodge all bad weather until after we made camp. We climbed up to the top of Roan High Knob and all along the way we crossed over balds with gorgeous views. The skies were an amazing mix of dark and light clouds with the sun always trying to peek through. We ended our day at an old fire warden's cabin now used as an AT shelter- the Roan High Knob Shelter, where we cooked and ate dinner and then set our tent up in the loft to stay as warm as possible. Thus ended one of our favorite days. The next morning we awoke to what has been my least favorite day on the trail. We woke up to rain that turned to snow as we left. We walked a short distance down the mountain and the snow turned back into cold rain and sleet. There was nothing we could do but walk to stay warm. We were wet and cold most of the day. I will admit I had a break down on our first (and only!!) break of the day. The thought of putting my wet rain jacket back on over my frozen hands and trudging through the rain with numb feet was too much. Luckily we are a team! Shawn was patient enough to give me some time to cry before helping me into my wet jacket and leading me on down the trail. By the time we made it to camp we were both feeling better and were happy to crawl into our warm sleeping bags. The next morning there was a dusting of snow on the ground, the next night there was 4 inches in camp, and for two days after that we broke trail through drifts up to a foot high. One morning we woke up and it was 19.2 degrees! We left camp and hiked over snow-covered Big Bald with 360 degree views lit with that early-morning kind of yellow light the sun makes just after it clears the horizon. In our final push to the end we're really experiencing the highs and lows of the trail. Just a little over 2 weeks left. I think we can do it!