Halfway!!!

He made it to the halfway point today! Breck was with him, and he took a picture of Trand with the sign for me. But I can't post that one. Thankfully, though, Trand agreed today to let me get some pictures of him. I got a great one of him with the kids this morning!! I'm so happy to have it to frame!! 

We had a great time last night with the "Turtles." They kept trying to tell Trand to slow down so they could hang out more. They said he was way too fast for them. They are only a day behind him, but Trand walks much faster. Today he and Breck caught up to Firefoot and a few others. He will start about a mile behind them tomorrow so he will be with quite a few of them for a little while. He's planning to do his 4 state challenge on Friday and then take a zero this weekend. None of the others were planning to do the 4 state challenge. But they won't do zeros either. So they will probably end up pretty close together afterward. Thankful for cell phones and texting. I'm trying to talk him into slowing his pace. They all think he's nuts for doing 25-30 mile days. He says if he gets down and home a lot sooner then he can pick them all up on the trail when they come through Gatlinburg and show them Knoxville. I'd rather him just enjoy his time with them then we can pick them all up together and he can show them Knoxville that way!! But it's not my choice. 

After we took the "Turtles" to Cracker Barrell last night, they came back and stayed at the hotel. I hadn't planned on that. But it worked out. But oh my gosh--you should've smelled the room. And poor Breck had to sleep in there with all of them. Somehow, he didn't seem to mind. Haha!! I guess that's when smelling like a 12 year old boy comes in handy!! They all took showers, but it was their backpacks that smelled so badly. Wow!! They got free breakfast this morning and we dropped them off on the trail about 12 miles behind where Trand and Breck started. So they are probably only a few miles behind him now. 

The kids had a fun experience with all of them, and I'm pretty sure we were an experience that those guys will never forget!! Haha!! This morning on the way to drop them off Cama-Jane was in her rare form. Oh my. I can't imagine what they thought. 

So we will get up tomorrow and drop Trand off once again to hike the second half of the AT. He is now closer to Springer Mtn., GA than Mt. Katahdin, ME so he's very happy about that. We've had a great visit, and I'll be sad to leave him, but I'm so proud of him and what he's accomplished. All of my kids have now vowed to thru-hike the trail one day. I'll be supporting them all the way!!