“We have a long way to go Julie. We have to push ourselves to reach the site before dark.” As much as I worried about our remaining daylight hours, the weight of the backpack was my genuine concern. Ten minutes ago I thought it was a minor aggravation, but now it had grown into full fledged burden, consequently placing the entire hike into jeopardy. Nevertheless I thought it best to hike another mile of two, and ease into a comfortable stride before speaking to Julie. Unless there was no other alternative, I did not want to end trip up, which would be a true shame. Since she was ten, we've completed have completed about 40 day hikes in the Smokies, totaling close to almost 300 miles, and most, if not all of them were tougher than any we'd
