I felt like I barely slept last night. It was rainy and cold from the time we went to bed to the time we were supposed to get moving. I didn’t want to move. I wanted to stay inside our 4×6 sanctuary and then magically float into Damascus. I heard people breaking down camp as early as 5:30a/6a. Kirby was up and out of his tent by 6:30a. Everything of his was soaked; his sleeping bag, rain/wind jacket, tent floor, etc. We helped each other breakdown our tents to limit the amount of time they were exposed to the rain. When we broke down Kirby’s tent, we literally poured the pooled water out from it. Then I realized just how lucky Warthog and I were to be dry. Our floor was damp wherever things touched it, but nothing much more than that.
The trail magic we slept at held to their promise, they made breakfast for everyone. They had hot coffee ready, cheesy eggs with onions, and cinnamon buns. They also started their truck and offered for hikers to sit in and warm up if needed. We were tempted, but knew if we did, it would be way too difficult to come back out into the cold.
This morning I put on sock liners and wool socks, wool long johns, normal pants and a t-shirt, my puffy down jacket, rain coat and pants, wool neck cowl, fleece ear warmer, ball cap, and my gloves. It was the most layers I had worn yet. You would think I was about to trudge through a blizzard. To my defense, it was freezing. If it wasn’t the coldest we’ve been, it was pretty darn close. Once we started moving we started to warm up. I had to get going so I could go to the bathroom, but I had to work up the courage to be exposed to the cold. It took our first hill to get me warmed up. After that I gave my gloves to Warthog, he had sent his home and wouldn’t bring his hands out of his jacket. Mine were toasty. By the end of the day, I had shed the rain pants, cowl, ear warmer, gloves, and puffy down jacket.
The miles today were fairly easy, although I tend to complain about any uphill – even the small ones. I hate pushing up, but I sure do like how it’s transforming me physically. You can’t get strong by sitting, unless it’s a squat I guess.
The rain cleared up by mid morning. Luckily, it never really got much harder than a mist while we were hiking. It stayed chilly, but we were bundled, so that was okay. We passed by “ruins”, all we saw was a pile of what we first thought were normal rocks. We also hit a major milestone: crossing out of Tennessee for the last time and into Virginia! There was a line of stones across the path and a sign declaring our 460 some mile victory. We linked arms (Kirby, Lotus, Atlas, Warthog, and myself) and crossed the boundary all together. Three states are down; Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. For the next month or so we will be conquering Virginia, a state that has almost 500 miles of trail in it alone.
We pushed 14.6 miles to the edge of town and got to the trailhead by 3p. A SOBO (southbound) hiker told us there was beer at the trailhead. When we arrived, there were two boxes of Yuengling and two bags of clementines accompanied by a note that said something like, “My son is a triple crowner. He said that trail magic is one of the ways he got through it. Here’s to helping you get through your hike.” One of the boxes sat empty… well, it did after each of us grabbed a celebratory can. We returned the note to the other box and began our journey through town. We were so close to having our packs off and feet up.
Snow Monkey and Bullseye (now called Wonder Woman), had grabbed a rental house in town for us. We are all taking a zero day in order to send Hype off in style. He heads home to be back with his pregnant wife. The house was only a half a mile to a mile off of the trailhead. In fact, we followed the trail almost right to the house. Snow Monkey, Wonder Woman, and Hype were waiting on the porch when we walked up. Finally, the whole group is reunited.
It didn’t take us long to settle. Our boots came off and we congregated into the kitchen, catching up on inside jokes and other things we’ve missed over the last week and a half. Warthog ran to the grocery store next door for frozen pizzas and corndogs. We spent the evening eating, visiting, showering, doing laundry, laughing, and watching movies. Our spirits were high – we were glad to be warm, dry, clean, and with each other. It was a good night.
Friendship was a central theme for Warthog and I today. Our buddy back home, Matt, turned 30 today. His wife, Brittany, threw him a surprise birthday party. This is why I love technology; Warthog and I got to FaceTime in so we could be a part of the big “SURPRISE!” moment. Afterwards, we were passed around from friend to friend catching up with life at home.
I am acutely aware of how blessed I am to have so many wonderful people in my life. New friends and longtime friends… it makes me happy.
-ansel