We were up at our normal time, 7:30a. The shuttle schedule would start at 9a. Our hope was to catch that and then head back to the trail. While Warthog was getting his morning can of Pepsi, he ran into other hikers who told him that the shuttles don’t run to the trailhead on the weekend. We left the motel and headed to Walmart with the hopes of getting more information from the shuttle driver. As I was running to McDonald’s for breakfast, Warthog found out that in fact, the shuttles don’t run at all on the weekend, not even just in town. Now we would need to be creative about how to get out of Marion. Just then, Snow Monkey, Wonder Woman, and Kirby waved us over. They found us a ride.
All seven of us, plus one or two extras climbed in. Lotus, Wonder Woman, Kirby, and I sat in the cab of this man’s truck. The rest were in the bed. I can’t remember what his name was, but he was a retired Physical Therapist. He currently still coaches the high school swimming team. He is an adventure racer, runs Iron Man triathlons and more. He is also a future AT hiker. He plans to hike, but isn’t sure he’s ready to step back from coaching yet. I really enjoyed meeting him. He was extremely generous and kind to us. Almost everyone we’ve met in Marion has been welcoming.
When we got back to the visitor center we sat for about thirty minutes. People were refilling water, going to the bathroom, and generally preparing to hit the trail. Somehow the guys got on the subject of doing push-ups to avoid “T-Rex Syndrome” and decided they would start incorporating them in their morning ritual, starting now. All four guys took turns, each trying to outdo the other. Afterwards, we all headed out. The guys were tired and red in the face… sort of.
The trail was flooded today, as was to be expected. We spent a lot of miles jumping on rocks and navigating the edges, trying to stay dry. I was not successful.
Partway through the day we got to trail magic at an old school house. There’s a guy that stocks it everyday. He stocked soda, treats, toiletry items, etc. I wished we had hit it before we resupplied. I could have taken better advantage of it all. A lot of what they offered was really creative. The whole group met up there. We had two miles to go before we would hit the Barn Restaurant. Snow Monkey and Wonder Woman had a box sent there. Our plan was to eat while they picked it up.
As we got out of the woods and into town, we heard someone calling and whistling at us. It was a group of hikers, many of whom we know. One of the hikers had his dad in town offering trail magic. They were set up at the gas station (with permission). It was awesome. They had all kinds of take home snacks, fresh fruit, and Jersey Mike’s subs. We arrived just in time to get the last bit of the subs. After hanging out there for a bit, it was time to move on to the restaurant. Despite our snacks, we all still ordered a dinner for ourselves… and dessert. It was 8p when we left. We had a 1.8 mile hike to our campsite for the night. It was an easy 1.8 miles, but it was still 9a when we arrived, headlamps turned on.
It was probably the fastest we have ever set up camp. Warthog and I were right off of the path, under a canopy of rhododendrons. Once we were set up, we dove in and passed out for the night.
– ansel