We had almost 15 miles to get to Trent’s Grocery. Apparently they have space for hikers to camp for $6- per person. The price includes a shower and laundry. I had very little hopes for a grocery store/gas station/campground combo. Knowing it was going to be hot again, Warthog and I were leaving camp at 8a. Kirby left then as well. The rest of the group were still getting ready when we hit the trail.
We made great time even though I struggled today (I’m ready for a zero day). We covered 4.8 miles in just over two hours. The other nine took us until 3:15p or so. It was an easy enough day. I complained about the pushes uphill, but overall we had more downhill than uphill. We went through pine forests, boulder fields, down into gaps and a meadow, up over hills, and across springs. I slipped on loose gravel and fell on the trail. All was good. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I may have cried a couple of tears. The fall didn’t hurt. I was just so tired. I blame it on the horrible sleep I got the night before. Absolutely horrible.
Later in our hike, we ran into a day hiker who took our picture and names. He gets a magazine every year of those that complete the AT and likes to look through to see if they are the people he met. He told us about a guy he saw two years in a row with a girlfriend. Apparently this guy spent five years hiking the AT. Turns out, he was hiding from the law. He had an embezzlement scandal and disappeared into he woods. He would go into towns and spend a huge amount of money. Finally the FBI caught him. They arrested him at a festival called Trail Days (where we are heading tomorrow). I’ve always wondered how many are out here running from the law. I doubt there are many, but I’m also sure there there are a few. If I’ve met them, something has tipped my internal radar and I’ve kept my distance.
Just before we hit the road that would take us to Trent’s, we crossed over a suspension bridge. It was probably a hundred feet long. Warthog and I bounced and danced our way across, the bridge swaying and moving under our feet. It was fun. It was also a new bridge, which is why I felt confident in the engineering. On the other side of the river was Kirby, Chips, and Blaze. There were also remnants of trail magic, but we were too late to partake. Once we joined up, the five of us made our way the .5 miles down the road to the store so we could settle in. First things first, we bought Mt. Dew, a lemonade, Pringles, a Zebra Cake, and finally, a Mallo Cup – just enough to appease our desire for junk food and to get us to dinner.
Once we paid for our snacks and site, we headed back to the “campground”. It’s an open field with a few RV’s parked (none in use). There is also a building that houses the showers/bathrooms and laundry room. The bathrooms were pretty gross. They fully lived up to what I expected them to be, piles of human hair and all. The upside? Our tent us under a massive tree, in short grass, there’s a picnic table, and fire ring. Even more, there’s a horse paddock right next to us. Only one horse resides in it, his interest piqued when we arrived and he slowly made his way over to us. He seemed to do that anytime a new hiker came in.
Lotus, Atlas, Wonder Woman, and Snow Monkey made it in a few hours after us. They stocked up at the store but plan to hike on .7 miles to a site in the woods next to a waterfall. We will all meet up in the morning when Wonder Woman’s mom comes in to pick us up. While they were there, Snow Monkey got into an impromptu jam session with a local outside of the store. No trip to the Appalachian country would be complete without experiencing an impromptu concert – particularly one with a steel guitar and finger picks. Apparently the man stopped by with the instruments and Snow Monkey said he could play, so they did together. It was awesome. We sat for probably a half hour listening to those two. The man was incredibly friendly and happy to play to a group of dirty, stinky hikers. I know it’ll be a moment I won’t ever forget from the trail.
During the “concert” Warthog and I had a pizza being baked. Once it was ready we took it back to the campground and devoured it, enjoying our Oberon along with it. Our friend Scribbles cooked up some trout he caught. Afterwards, he removed stitches from an accident earlier on the trail. Hikers were circled around him taking photos and videos of his task.
The rest of the evening was spent sitting at the picnic table, watching fireflies, and enjoying a campfire – just like a Michigan summer. It wasn’t a big evening, but it was a good evening. I’m especially looking forward to the morning that will follow it. It’s the first time in almost two weeks that I get to sleep in. So. Freaking. Excited.
– ansel