Hello All, Hope everyone is well. Up here in Ellijay, vacationing in a nice cabin with a spectacular view. Took the grandkids to Amicalola Falls, then to Preachers Rock, at Woody Gap and then to Neel's Gap and Mountain Crossings. Saw a lot of Thru Hikers, a lotta lotta Thru Hikers. Mostly young. Met some guy who said this was his 50th anniversary hike. He had hiked it in 1971. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask them if they participated here on WhiteBlaze. Saw a few pros and a lot of rookies. Talked with the folks at Mountain Crossings and they said about 30 are coming thru each day. Said they were going thru about 15 packs a day to help them lighten up. Some were receptive and some not so much. I carry less than 30 lbs for a 5-8 day hike. I'd say most of what I was looking at was 40 lb packs. Saw an occasional 50 lb'er and one guy was easily 60 but, he was a stocky young lad and handled the load well. I must admit, on my first hike, from Springer to Neel's Gap, I was toting 45 lbs , at the start. I tossed a lot of food out along the way or gave it away. After that, doing pretty good at 35 lbs for awhile and now I shoot for 28. I'm an older gent and I can handle that without thinking about it. A lot of Catalyst and Osprey packs. Oh yeah, a lot of Garmin Inreach minis and Garmin Inreach Explorers. That was interesting. Wasn't expecting that. I have one for taking the sailboat to the Keys or the Bahamas, but never occurred to me to take it on a hike. Can't beat world wide texting for 65 bucks a month. Wonder how much it weighs? Quite a few Vasque looking hiking boots, but mostly hiking shoes. A lot of Nalgene bottles. Nobody was moving very quickly. I reckon the first 33 miles from Springer and possibly the approach trail, had worn them down. They will be good in a couple of weeks. Well, that's the report. Might go back tomorrow and see a few more. Cheer them on. See you there... Kevin