Views of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Brent’s breathtaking photography. Check out that wingspan!

Alexis hiking through the fog and wet terrain of GSMNP.

Views from Clingmans Dome, the highest point on the Appalachian Trail.

Views from Clingmans Dome.

Views from Clingmans Dome.

The two of us without our canine companions at Clingmans Dome.

Breakfast and camp breakdown one foggy morning at Icewater Spring Shelter. The views from here were spectacular the evening before, the site of where we were reunited with our hiking stick, Nobo.

Views of GSMNP.

Fellow thru-hiker, ‘Ace’ snapped our picture during our climb up to Clingmans Dome on a clear day.

Clingmans Dome lookout.

Surprises along the trail, keeping us moving.

Our one stay in a shelter at Silers Bald Shelter. That’s our packs and sleeping bags in the bottom right of the photo.

If we were southbounders this would likely be an important white blaze, signifying 2000 miles hiked on the Appalachian Trail. For us northbounders it meant we had the “and some” of the “two thousand and some miles” completed. It’s the little things, if you consider 185.9 miles a small feat.

Brent directing fellow hikers just outside GSMNP, minutes away from reuniting with our boys.