My son, Jeff, aka Loner, aka Snakesession left on the AT from Amicalola Falls on April 7, it's now April 20 and he's walked past Fontana Dam and may have climbed Clingman's Dome by now after two or three days of rain. He left with a 13.5 lb. pack and I get brief emails form hostels along the way. He says there's lots of tics in the south, has met lots of great folks and so far has only suffered with one blister, no knee or ankle problems. If you've followed his blog ...