It has been some time since we have posted here. That does not mean that Sylva has become routine. Yes there is a pattern here, and there has been more sameness not only of place but also of Anne’s work and Chuck’s chores, and of being in western Carolina; but our time here has been eventful. We have largely been successful in reserving weekends for recreation, mostly hiking, birding, and paddling and also motoring, shopping, blue grass, and Cherokee events.

The summer passed quickly and now as fall begins we are short-timers. New challenges are emerging – feeding the horses and managing the household in cold weather being most significant. Autumn is usually spectacular here. At six thousand feet the birches are already yellow and dropping leaves. Even here at 2500 feet the dogwoods are already purple and the sourwoods and blackgum are starting to redden. Two cold fronts have already passed and night temperatures are into the forties and fifties even as the mid-day sunshine is warm. The days are beautiful.

We have had several visitors and enjoyed every visit. Mom and Dad Strehl are here now. Alex arrives Thursday evening. We will take a hike with Robert and Mary Davidson on Saturday. Mom and Dad Woods are coming for a week next month.

Last Friday through Sunday we backpacked across half of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.) along the Great Smoky Mountain Range. The walk took us from Fontana Dam to Clingman’s Dome, the high point of the A.T. Another walk is planned for the end of October to finish the trail across the Smoky Mountains National Park, filling in a long section of trail between sections hiked two years ago and this spring.

We are to finish our stay here in early January and are plotting adventures for next year. Our departure may be delayed to allow for a six-day winter backpack to complete all of the Appalachian Trail south of Virginia.

We plan to visit family and friends in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania in January. We may run to Ft. Myers as well if that is where Mom and Dad Woods are (and they will have us.)

The motor home won’t start to purr until about the first of February. The plan is to run back to Texas and start up just past where we left off last year. Old El Paso and southern New Mexico and Arizona in February. Southwestern California and Las Vegas in March. The west coast in April and a ferry ride to southeastern Alaska in the last week of that month. Alaska – St. Paul, Nome, Kenai Peninsula, Denali, and the Alaska Highway south in May and June. The northern tier of states in July and August for a return to the east coast by the end of August. Walking the A.T. with our hiking buddies in Vermont in August/September, and then another round of visits in the autumn.

No plans beyond that, but lots of thoughts.

Meanwhile we stay busy here. This is truly one of the most magnificent areas of the East, and our opportunity to stay here was a good one. We are glad some of our friends and relatives could enjoy some time here. We relish the opportunity to spend an entire fall in Sylva and will celebrate a major birthday for Anne here too. Then we will be on the road again. We look forward to that too.