General Store Closed

We heard from Brittany and Kirstin yesterday from a payphone outside a laundromat in Franklin, NC (Sprint service hasn't been very reliable on the trail). They had a couple days of nice weather for hiking, but the rain came in and the temperature dropped drastically. The general store was closed so they had to buy their lunch and supplies from a gas station (pricey), and of course get quarters for their laundry. While in their rain gear they washed their clothes (at least that is what I understood) - but no warm shower until the next stop. Here are some spot messages and their locations from the last couple days and one from this morning.

Monday, March 9:
SPOT Check OK. We're doing fine. Love you and miss you! ESN:0-7418605 Latitude:35.3243 Longitude:-83.5901 Nearest Location:not known Distance:not known Time:03/09/2009 08:22:10 (US/Central) http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.3243,-83.5901&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Tuesday, March 10:
SPOT Check OK. We're doing fine. Love you and miss you! ESN:0-7418605 Latitude:35.3308 Longitude:-83.6671 Nearest Location:not known Distance:not known Time:03/10/2009 08:46:30 (US/Central) http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.3308,-83.6671&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

and this morning Thursday, March 12:
SPOT Check OK. We're doing fine. Love you and miss you! ESN:0-7418605 Latitude:35.4482 Longitude:-83.7937 Nearest Location:not known Distance:not known Time:03/12/2009 07:18:16 (US/Central) http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=35.4482,-83.7937&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Am not sure if this will work, but if you click on the http address (or copy it to the address bar), you should be able to view where they are and their progress. You have the option to view their location on the map, the terrain, and/or the satellite. It is fun to see their progress. I hope it works for you.

They are on their way to Hot Springs, N.C. about 100 miles from Franklin (where they were yesterday), will be starting their trek through the Smokey Mountains today, and hope to be in Hot Springs in about a week.

It is always so wonderful hearing from them. They sounded good, and said they can tell that their legs are getting stronger. I will sign off now and let them blog more on their adventures. Thanks to all of you who are following their blog, they so appreciate it and especially enjoy the comments. They are on their way to Hot Springs, N.C. about 100 miles from Franklin and hope to be there in a week.