i have been continuing my travels, having the time of my life, unfortunately i have written in my journal little and been drawing even less, but my photos are quite numerous and i imagine that i will not finnish editing them for months, and i won't even get a chance to start for another few months anyways. but i'm out livin, so it's all good.

i was in the smoky mountains for about 2 weeks, one of the last hikes i did was up to La Conte, i would count it among one of the best days of my life. the day started out very smoky, very low clouds, couldn't see a thing from any of the overlooks. but that is part of the majestic smokys, i decided to hike up anyway, even though i may get to the top and not see the view. i was with my friend stephani, and we slept in the car, at an overlook. she wasn't going on the hike with me, but was nice enough to pick me up at the other end, so i could make a big loop to a different trailhead. it was a good hike, strenuous just like i like them. i really liked how fast the clouds would billow up the hills, and what i could see would constantly shift as fog rolled by. it's beautiful up there. there is almost what i would call a little village up there, with small cabins for campers, but with all the low clouds, it looked like a creepy haunted village long forgotten, only a few lights, and everything quickly fading out of sight. when i reached the cliff tops i couldn't see the peak of the mountain next to me. i felt the need to wander on, so i did, but then i had to turn around to make sure i was going the right way, witch i somehow knew would be a good thing, even though i had to climb back up a little ways. after i confirmed that i was on the path i wanted i passed by a nice little spot right by the trail, i stopped to watch the clouds go by, and i stood there long enough i decided to have lunch there. i was there for probably 2 hours or so, hard to say, but for the first time that day, the clouds kinda broke. first i could see one mountain peak and then another, and soon the tops of the mountains were playing peek a boo. i could see this one, but not those two, then i could see three over here, but not the rest, and so it went, until it cleared up enough to see the whole valley, but not for very long, it would quickly fade away again. but i loved it!!! i also had just a little dank herb to smoke that i was given a few weeks prior by a cook just needing to smoke with someone as i happened to be passing by. the hike down was awesome. beautiful!! rocks, trees, moss, mushrooms, rolling fog, solitude, beauty. i listened to music some of the way down, sometimes the sounds of the mountain were better. i had everything figured out. and most of why i had it all figured out is because i knew that i would never know the answer to most things. the more we learn the more we find we know less and less, new information disproving old beliefs. there will always be another mountain to climb, another story to hear, another book to read, another friend to spend time with, another food to try, another place to go, you will not do it all before you die. i think we are all just stupid and awkward and stumbling over each other to try and get what we each feel we need at the time, but sometimes we come together and make something beautiful. there is always more to learn, and everyone has a story. i am me, no more. but there is no where else i would've rather been, nothing else i wanted to do more. stop and look around you, really look, the small and simple things are amazing, and so are the grand things. my words fail me, i'm not really sure what it is i'm trying to say. it's a feeling without a name. but i knew we cannot understand everything, and that knowing so should not stop your pursuit of discovery. have you ever felt something so beautiful you could not contain it? maybe cried tears of joy? times when you realize where you are, and that in itself is an intense moment. times when the best thing you can do is breath and try to see, but it takes your breath away. i am ETERNALLY GRATEFUL that i am lucky enough to have had the chances to discover life in such joy. i think a lot of the time we understand each other, but do not realize our own understanding because our communication fails us. i always feel like my words and actions fail to communicate my feelings. i have discovered beauty so intense that i cannot describe it, love so much so that it pains me because it is so beautiful. beauty is many a thing, but in some ways it is a tragedy. i don't know that i can explain that at the moment, but i hope you understand. if anything, i hope the world is a better place for my being in it. i truly send you all love, even those i do not know. like i said, i'm just stupid and awkward and fumbling around, but sometimes beautiful things are made.

after the smoky mountains we went to Mammoth Cave national park, KY. the last thing i did there was take the wild cave tour, six and a half hours of caving, some spaces 9 inches or so wide. awesome formations of gybsome, amazing passageways and formations. life in caves is diverse and amazing, although sparse. the world is awesome.

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!