After 11 hours of sleep, barely enough after 16 miles of hike and 3,000 feet of climb on the first day…the trip continued on.

We heated canned pinto beans for breakfast. We devoured the beans in few minutes before they got cold. I normally don’t eat canned beans (because of the preservatives), but they were darn delicious when it was the only breakfast option.

We started our second day going uphill in the snow…how encouraging!

Our hard work was rewarded with a beautiful view. I could have stayed up there for a little longer had I worn a little more clothes (I only wore a long-sleeves and t-shirt when hiking to avoid overheating myself).

And I just kept climbing…

Another classic shot of Great Smoky Mountains.

That’s a bear’s footprint. I guess the park rangers were not kidding when they put up the sign to warn us (see previous entry).

One of the happiest moments on this trip…eating homemade granola bars and store bought beef jerky (will attempt to make jerky in the next trip).

At around 12 PM, we saw people for the first time after 30 hours into our trip.

We made a detour to Mt. Cammerer, where we saw a famous firehouse built from the ground.

The firehouse, where fire watchers used to stay and keep an eye on the forest.

I got a great view from the firehouse…what a soothing moment.

Hooray! 2.9 miles until the end of our hike!

I learned few things on this trip, and one of them was that the double line mark means intersection is within 1/4 mile. A sign of relieve…towards the end of each trail.

And we did it! We had planned to start at Newfound Gap. However, the road up to Newfound Gap was closed and we had to start at lower elevation and add few miles to our original route.

To celebrate our accomplishment, we went to The Cracker Barrel, a southern chain restaurant similar to Applebees, for authentic southern food. I ordered BBQ pork with rice and greens. I just needed something hearty…and a bit grease to help me recover.

35 miles later…I was spent.