Friday, March 25th. Day 12 - We awoke to learn lesson #317. Bring your water inside the tent if you don't want it to freeze overnight. After we thawed from the night before the day was great all around. We caravanned with Flute Walker and California today and found trail magic just before lunch time. Luckily this magic not only had food and drinks, but also toilet paper which was badly needed. After climbing a steep ledge up a mtn. we were shocked to find more magic. This time it was 3 guys and a dog named Little Elvis making pancakes! One of them has been paying it forward since 2005. Every year he spends a month on top of this mtn feeding hikers until they are full. Ever tried to eat a pancake with syrup using just your hands? Sticky fingers and all, but we didn't care. A mile later we were bouldering up Albert Mtn. to reach a fire tower with 360 degree view. Good thing we had those pancakes. The biggest news of the day is that we crossed our 100th mile. The trail led us down a creek where we celebrated by eating peanut butter on bagels. BJ hit his head on a low lying branch today. Sometimes he forgets his own height. It was a great evening by the fire at Rock Gap Shelter. The Wisconsin couple joined our campsite and Flute taught me how to play her Native American Flute. 32 miles to Bryson City. We hear rain is in the forecast this weekend.

Day 13 - Morale has hit an all time low. We awoke today to rain. Rain that rained all day. Rained when you needed to tie your shoe laces. Rained when you had to eat. We ate our cold summer sausage and cheese burrito in the rain. Standing on the side of the trail glaring at two that passed. Rained when you wanted to sit and rest. The trail turned into a canal of water. It was slippery and the puddles were deep.  The creeks we forged had swelled. We hiked 8 miles today due to a close shelter (Siler Bald). Flute Walker led the way. California and the couple from Wisconsin took a "Nero Day" in Franklin, NC. We decided to press on to NOC. Got to the shelter only to find it was bottle necked. I guess no one else continued on today. Pitched to wet tent in the wet rain. Our clothes hang in our tent trying to dry, but only finding drips. I guess nothing is 100% rain proof. Planning a long 12 mile day tomorrow and 11.7 on Monday.