I broke free of Asheville's grip when David dropped me off fully loaded on the trail this morning. I have about eight days of food if I need them. The weather should be good for the rest of the trip.

Today was a real treat. It warmed up and the winds stopped last night. Best of all there weren't too many fallen trees across the trail although there were lots of spider webs. Nearly the whole day was spent on old railroad grades or logging roads so the walking was level. I don't think I gained much more than 1000 ft in elevation. The only problem occurred early in the day. Middle Prong Wilderness doesn't have enough blazes and there was one trail junction that I wasn't sure about but with the guidebook's description I did okay.

I'm camped out by a little stream tonight. I think it is part of the headwaters for Beechflat Creek. I had leftover pizza for lunch and dinner. Dessert was a vitamin and water.