Day 100: Da Smokies Part 2 Run Away!!!

Today i got the heck out of dodge... or should i say the smokies.  I did 15.6 miles to Newfound gap where i met my grandmothers friends Vicky and Steve who offered to take me in.  It is a blessing from God that they were around to help me because otherwise I would have been in life threatening conditions.  We had this arrangement planned for about a month it just so happened to work out with this storm.  God sure does have a plan and if you put your faith and trust in him it is amazing how things will work out.  Vicky and Steve live about an hour from Newfound gap at a much, much lower elevation than the smokies.  They were kind enough to drive me to a local outfitter where i purchased some nano spikes to put on my shoes and a pair of heavy duty merino wool socks which i will need for sleeping.  They also took me to the grocery store for resupply.  Here is the reason i purchased spikes: there is rain coming before the snow hits.  That rain is gonna pool up on the AT like it does (aka the Appalachian River) and is gonna freeze solid then get a ton of snow on top of it.  Hopefully they pay off because they weren't cheap and there will only be a couple days i actually use them.  I cannot emphasize how grateful i am to Vicky and Steve for taking me in.  This really is a lifesaver and having a bed to sleep in and hot food to eat is soooooo much nicer than risking hypothermia at 6000 ft.  I will never forget Vicky and Steve helping me and this is the number one trail magic i have ever heard of.  It looks like i will be zeroing here tomorrow and hitting the trail if the road is open on Sunday.  I still have a goal of finishing the 9th but i will admit it will be a challenge because i will have to average 26 miles per day if i am able to hit the trail Sunday.  Here's one cool thing is i will get some awesome pictures of the Appalachian "Winter Wonderland" trail.  Also, i got some cool pictures at Charlies bunion today so check those out on my photo account.