Having issues with my app updating the blog here is what I tried to post about my hike to Neil's gap:

Today  awoke in the company of my new friends and we ate a double serving of French toast, scrambled eggs, and grits. When we hit the trail I went ahead just trying to warm up in the early morning air. I soon realized that my rest at the hostel last night strengthened me. I went solo ahead of my group swiftly up one mountain and down to the next without any loss of breath or breaks. I hiked the eight miles from woody gap to blood mountain in two hours and forty minutes. Some unknown energy came upon me and I couldn't stop going. I sat topless at the top in the sun as the sweat dried from my clothes and looked out at the very scene that made me want this journey in the first place. Neither pictures not thousands of words could do justice to what I've seen today. The sky was so clear I could see endless mountains in every direction. As I waited for my fellowship at the top of the world I had a nice 1500 calorie lunch and relaxed. 1% of trail is behind me now and I feel my body shaping into what it needs to be. Tonight we rest in a hostel run by a crazy pirate but it's back to wooden shelters after this. 

I haven't done any journaling since then. The last three days (including the above) have been a 47.3 mile march over 10 mountains to d*** creek gap where Storm-song, Treebeard, and I hitch-hiked into Hiawasse and are re-supplying and resting. I ordered some hiking poles and had them shipped to Franklin, North Carolina where I should be in a few days. I also had to buy a new pair of socks as the mice at the Blue Mountain shelter carried off one of mine in the night. They also nabbed someone's scarf and a tootsie pop. I'm just glad they didn't chew through my pack (I hang everything up on the bear cables now). I uploaded all of my pictures to a new album and should have about as many each time.