Bruce has certainly had his share of lousy weather so far but he has remained upbeat most of the time. We caught up with him twice again and he experienced the unpredictable nature of weather in the mountains. He noticed the first signs of an imminent Spring and even ran into my old buddy from the Fat Guys group last year, Vagabond Jack.

Bruce is now hiking around one of my favorite spots on the trail; both north and south from Carvers Gap. He posted a great picture of the spruce forest on the top of Unaka Mountain, a view I recall so well from my time on the trail four years ago.

That very spot resonated so much with me and elicited memories all around that area. I recall that going into that forest I was a little nervous about how dark it was but, once I was in there, it was a delight to make my way along the path.

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