Date: 2015-04-25
From: Sams Gap, NC/TN

To: Sams Gap, NC/TN
Miles today: 0.0

Woke to light rain this morning. I didn't hear anyone else stirring in their tents nearby, so I used the time to finish my last journal. Eventually Hobble (who had quite the evening and doesn't remember much) came out to see if we were awake. We originally planned to hit the road in order to be back at the trailhead by 10:00am, but, as is the usual, plans changed. Our hosts insisted we should go onto West Asheville to eat breakfast at Sunny Point Cafe, a favorite among the locals. Luckily we got there early enough to beat the rush and only had tp wait ~30 minutes to be seated. I enjoyed a 4-egg omelet with cheesy grits and a large biscuit with jam. All the ingredients were grown either right out behind the restaurant or within the local community. The locals got it right with this little joint and I highly suggest it. Afterwards, back at our tents,everyone in the group decided to utilize the day by taking another zero in Asheville, NC in order to experience more of this unique city nestled in the mountains of western NC. Burnsides, however, held firm with wanting to return to the trail and we parted ways. I'm sure we'll reunite with him in a better days, but we exchanged goodbye's as if we may not due to how relationships come and go easily on the trail. We applaud his willingness to continue on alone, but the rest of us decided it's not the miles spent hiking up and down mountains that we'll remember most fondly - it's the adventures along the way.Moosehead, Hobble, and I spent the late morning hours rehydrating with water and playing the harmonica that both Moosehead and I brought along. We have aspirations of being able to play more than a few jingles by trail's end.Moosehead, Hobble, and I wandered into downtown and would spend the next several hours enjoying ourselves in a small, unique city dealing of charm. Under a backdrop of towering mountains, Asheville is home to not only a sizable community of hipsters, but also many former thru-hikers. The streets are aligned with countless shops offering fine arts, jewelry, books, and local merchandise specific to the area. Everything, like in most touristy towns, is a bit overpriced so we spent the day mainly window shopping and talking to locals about our AT travels. We discovered a wall that anyone could, using chalk, write what they hoped to do before they died. Some things written included: travel, rescue 100 cats, find God, etc. I thought it'd be neat for all larger metropolitan areas to install one of these in order to get a feel for the hopes and dreams of his inhabitants.We visited a local bar/eatery, The Thirsty Monk, and had a beer and light lunch. After more walking around the downtown area while enjoying sunshine, conversation, and a unique array of hipsters, we dropped by the Sky Bar, a bar with patios offering a birds eye view of the city below as well as a 180-degree view of the mountains. Here we enjoyed another overpriced beer (a 1 beer minimum policy is in place) but decided the view was worth the price.After about an hour of enjoying the views, our hosts picked us and took us into West Asheville to a dive bar, Double Crown, where they were throwing a benefit dinner for a local who is recovering from a recent motorcycle accident that almost took his life. The guys and I enjoyed a dinner consisting of fried catfish, potato wedges, coleslaw, and more beer.or was a solis few hours of relaxing and getting to know friends of our hosts. Afterwards, they dropped us off at the Wedge, an old cattle auction factory turned into several businesses including a bar and art gallery. Even though it's plenty modern, consisting of music, food trucks, and a fine selection of local beers, it still maintains some of its old charm, making you keep your head on a swivel for escaped cattle fleeing an auction. We each had a beer, chatted with locals about our AT journey and life in Asheville, and ate our weight in free peanuts.We're currently still here, digesting our beer and peanuts, sitting beneath the warm glow of light bulbs inside of mason jars. The crowd has thinned considerably as if they know it's reached hiker's midnight - 9:00pm. We'll soon be returning to pour tents on the vacant lot, hoping to catch another restful night before returning to the trailhead by 9:00am. The mountains are calling once again and it's time to return. The goal is to reach Erwin, TN in 2 days, currenrtly less than ~30 miles away, in order to resupply on food.A train is rolling by ~100ft away, rather quietely actually. As a kid we all tend to dream of hopping on one of the cars and seeing where it takes us. I conclude this in good spirits knowing that in the morning I'll be on my own version of that train.