A Great Break from the Trail

Day 22

We woke up early and packed up our things before anyone else woke up and stepped on us. As we walked out of the Smokies we noticed a thin layer of snow on the ground. We practically ran down the mountain to get out of the Smokies and with excitement of seeing my friends, who I had not seen in almost six years. When we were all the way off the mountain, just before crossing Pigeon River, two ladies had set up some snacks and sandwiches as trail magic. We didn't eat too much since we were about to get off the Trail and were on our way. We got to where the Trail passes I-40 in the afternoon and waited to be picked up. Gabe, and his wife Becky, were my RAs at the boarding school I went to in Germany. Gabe drove two hours to pick us up with his three year old son I had never met. You know you're dealing with good people when they're willing to drive so far to pick you up. We caught up on things on the drive back and after showers we had a delicious taco dinner, made by Becky. It was great seeing them both and meeting their son and ten month old daughter. After dinner we hung out in their backyard. It was very restful and fun to watch a young family interact. It made me really look forward to growing closer to Nepsis and one day having some children. After the kids were in bed we had apple strudel in honor of our German heritage and chatted a bit before we went to bed.

Miles hiked today: 9.9 mi. Total AT miles: 240 Total AT miles left to hike: 1945.3

Day 23

We woke up and were soon off to a day in Charlotte! It was great to take a zero away from the Trail culture for awhile. We stopped by Bojangles to have a southern fast food experience complete with biscuit sandwiches. Gabe and Becky had a few errands to run throughout the day and Nepsis and I spent a few hours in the morning at a park with Becky and the kids. Then we had another southern experience for lunch at Sauceman's where we had BBQ, hush puppies, and other southern standards. It was incredible, but our stomachs have shrunk on the Trail and we couldn't finish it all. After that, they dropped us off at a movie theater so we could see The Grand Budapest Hotel which really took us away from the Trail. After that we went to the nearby Starbucks to do some more blogging before Gabe picked us up to pick up dinner at Zoe's Kitchen, a sort of Qdoba for Mediterranean food. We brought it to another park and ate. We didn't have much time for blogging all day, but it was very restful. Blogging takes a lot more time than I thought it would, but ultimately I think it is good to do, as a good record of out time on the Trail if for nothing else. Back at their home, we stayed up late talking to Gabe and Becky around the dining room table. Just like back at the dorm! It is amazing how good it feels just to sit and talk to good friends when we haven't lived with anyone close for almost two years since we were in college.     

Day 24

We woke up a little bit later than when we are used to getting up on the Trail and had a great oatmeal breakfast before Gabe took us to Aldi to buy food. Since it was so cheap we thought we would buy a little more than we needed since it was so much cheaper than small-town grocery stores or outfitters. We went back and ate homemade chicken nuggets and potatoes by Becky. Afterward, we took a photo of us all and said goodbye before Gabe took us back to the Trail. It was late afternoon so we just decided to hike a little bit, and boy was it difficult. It was all up and I think we bought too much food. Our packs felt really heavy and it was quite the climb. Soon we found a campsite near Painter Branch and went to sleep.

Miles hiked today: 2.9 mi. Total AT miles: 242.9 Total AT miles left to hike: 1942.4

Day 25

We woke up and made the rest of the climb up Snowbird Mountain. The going was a bit slow, but we made it up and down the mountain before going up to Max Patch. Max Patch was a wonderfully beautiful grassy bald. It was like a humongous field on top of a mountain with great views all around. We sat up there and had dinner and enjoyed the grass and views for about an hour before walking down to Roaring Fork Shelter to sleep.

Miles hiked today: 13 mi. Total AT miles: 255.9 Total AT miles left to hike: 1929.4

Day 26

Today's hike was much easier since we had lightened our packs by eating our food and got used to hiking again after our break from the Trail. We still took several breaks, but made it to Deer Park Mountain Shelter with enough time to hang out a lot with two other hikers named Oconee and Wreaking Ball. We decided not to go into the nearby Hot Springs so that we could have all day there the next day. It was really warm as we tried to sleep in the shelter, but eventually we fell asleep.

Miles hiked today: 14.8 mi. Total AT miles: 270.7 Total AT miles left to hike: 1914.6