Farewell Kentucky! Hello Tennessee!!

Well, the time came to bid farewell to Kentucky, our home sweet home of the last five weeks. Our time here was awesome, save for the regular drenching rains, and we are leaving on a high note, as we completed most of the routes that we hoped to climb, including the exciting send of Melissa's project, Golden Touch (her first 13b!), on the last day.

We are now in the deep south of Tennessee, where the accents are thicker, the people more strange and wonderful, and the rivers are even wilder. We are staying at a magical little campground called the Lilly Pad, owned by the world's sweetest family, the Scruggs'. There is Dell and Marty and their kids Bryson and Vade. They have turned their land into a marvelous little campground for visiting climbers and have an abundance of Southern hospitality to share. Rounding out their family is Tipsy, Jack, Lilly, and Soldier, four of the sweetest hounds of various shapes and sizes that follow us the 45 minute hike into the climbing every day. Winnie and Tigger have become part of the family too, and the six of them are like a little parade each day.
Oh, and there is also the two goats, Midnight and Pawnee, that belong to Eric, a resident camper. You should see the dogs try to make sense of those two!

There is a great natural hot tub in the woods, fed from a spring, and warmed by the fires that we build under it. It sits under a bluff, surrounded by tall pines and is a great conclusion to the day after climbing and hiking. This place is great! We won't be staying for long, however, as we plan to head to Georgia with our Canadian friends Rich and Senja.

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