Date: 2017-04-06
From: Unicoe, TN

To: Unicoe, TN
Miles today: 0.0

Day 30: Unicoi, TN - 0.0 miles:After confirming with the Bird last night that we all planned to sleep in tomorrow, both Booty and I were up just after 7am, our bodies too accustomed to waking with the sunrise. The Bird had his coffeemaker set to begin brewing at 7am so we each grabbed a hot cup and sat on the couch to watch the previous day's sports highlights. We'd flip back and forth between sports and a movie, Rush, which, as far as a movie about racing goes, was pretty good. Bird's friend, Doug, would make an early morning appearance, softly knocking on the door, joining us for coffee, and eventually returning to his home across the street as the Bird still slept. At 9am, the Bird joined us, still in his robe, completely content with enjoying a zero day with hikers doing as hikers do - nothing.We'd eventually finish both the movie and baseball highlights, as both the Bird and Booty are Orioles and Red Sox fans respectively, and would begin on another movie, The Mist. As the movie carried on and the members of the small town began turning on themselves, I lost interest. I spent half an hour using a roller to roll out sore leg muscles and, under the guidance of the Bird, would go through a series of full body stretches to loosen tightened muscles. Afterwards, I asked the Bird to use his laptop to edit and post pictures. The editing process took nearly an hour and a half in which the Bird prepared Booty and I a tasty, filling lunch consisting of a hodgepodge of leftovers and hard-boiled eggs. Upon completion of editing, the process of uploading them to Facebook would take a few slow hours. Fortunately, we were doing nothing - the Bird back to politics on TV and Booty talking on the phone with someone from back home, or strumming on a guitar.The day would pass quickly, the way a weekend might for someone off work. Although some might view hikers as freely frolicking through the woods in the nude, it's actually quite the opposite. Although we enjoy killer views and unforgettable moments at times, those come after a lot of hard work, often many miles and mundane hours of pain, sweat, hunger, thirst, and chaffed undercarriages. The hours would pass too quickly as I mindlessly watched the sad state of foreign affairs on TV, talked with my mom on the phone, and regularly glanced outside as the wind and rain whipped outside for most of the day, the thermometer outside barely breaking 40 degrees.Before I knew it the evening had arrived, the last of the gray day beginning to fade. Just after 7pm we braved the cold by climbing into the Casper van to drive into nearby Erwin to grab some Chinese for dinner. We ordered to go and, as the food was being prepared, Booty and I walked the aisles of the small Family Dollar next door. I grabbed a two-liter of Coke, gum, two Snickers bars, and a can of Folgers coffee to replace what Booty and I have consumed so far. Climbing back into the cold van, Booty in front with the Bird and me in back on the couch, we returned to the Bird's home and would enjoy our meals in the warmth of his kitchen.As it nears 10pm, the Bird remains abreast on foreign affairs, recently updating us on the US unleashing 50+ Tomahawk missiles in Syria, Booty is lying in the fetal position on his bed as he messes on his phone, and I'm curled under the warm Native American print blanket on my bed. Although the weather tentatively calls for dry weather tomorrow, the highs should only just creep into the 40's, easily only in the 30's at higher elevations. The low will most likely be sub-freezing. The Bird has dropped comments trying to get Booty and I to reconsider one more zero to let the cold pass. We simply told him we'd let him know in the morning. With the terrain becoming noticeably more chill as we return to the trail, we're confident we can reach ~20 miles even with starting by 9-10am. We'll most likely be up around 7am or so again and will reassess, making a game time decision then.For now, as a light rain falls outside, I'm in the warmth of the home of one of the kindest trail angels I've had the pleasure of meeting. Not all hikers are quite as fortunate as Booty and I are tonight, many most surely shivering it out in the mountains, and knowing that reminds me to always appreciate the simple pleasures offered to me. That, Mr. Bird, you can be sure of.