October 2019 Southern Appalachians

Bob and Dave took 11 days to complete a 119-mile section of the Mountains to Sea Trail (MST) and a 9-mile traverse and exploration of Grandfather Mountain in the high country of Western North Carolina between , Asheville and Boone. Heather joined them for the first three days and afterwards provided critical trail-angel support. The trip encompassed about half of Segment 3, the entire Segment 4, and a small part of Segment 5 of the MST. In addition to Grandfather Mountain, the route passed through the Craggies along the Blue Ridge and the Black Mountains across Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi. The path then crossed the Blue Ridge, Woods Mt. and Dobson Knob in succession to reach the Linville Gorge. After crossing the mouth of the gorge, the route ran along the East Rim before winding a complex route northeast to Grandfather. Bob and Dave "neroed" twice in Marion and Pineola respectively.