Date: 2006-04-02
From: Franklin, NC

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: scattered clouds

~ In the end, it was just the 3 of us... sitting there under a full moon night with nothing but an akward grin of great accomplishment. Ron Haven, Crutch & Myself sat.. and after 4 days, over 500 meals served, and 400+ hikers welcomed we reminised over what had taken place ~ The food was gone, tables & chairs away, the tarp down.... all that remained were images... and immediate memories of the best of times. Back in the "Real World", its Saturday night out at your local bar, the band playing so loud you perhaps have to scream at the bartender just to be heard. Here... it was a group of folks with absolutley no time card to punch come Monday Morning with a Banjo that played so soft, you would whisper at times not to offend the peace that had quickly settled over the fest.         Friday Night... well over 100 hikers, great food & beers in hand, quickly the reunion began... "Hey... so great to see you!" "Where have you been?" "Did'nt think we'd see you again!" ... And the comments rolled on . . . And the band played . . . you would have swared that Hank Williams himself was there The days rolled by, quickly sleep became about 4 hrs a night... prepping food for several hundred hikers will humble you... quickly The faces are still there, and even now I can hear the laughter... BLUEBELT & her fiance with the dogs, the "Aussie" gals... Dinosaur, JukeBox & Hellbender, FROSTY... Baltimore Jack.. NO JACK! DON'T STIR THE BEANS!!! (the burn came up, and the flavor got quite interesting) RED TRUCK, how close we live... back home, the coffee's on me, LONEWOLF, great getting to know someone like you, ps, did you get any eggs this morning? WEE WILLY, PIRATE, MAULA, the Legends... One question, will you hike out my trash!!! ORC & BEANY! Keep the Salmon ready.. VERY, very cool to meet 2 like you.... very cool indeed ! ~ And Contagious . . . thank you ~ The gang from HOBNOBR's was great, as was Cloud 9 & the trout dip! Beth sat all day from Hobnobr's Cafe... they have the ONLY decent coffee in town.. its quite amazing! Why is it that even in NC, there are Boston Red Sox Fans!?! (Beth's fiance) And a big thanx to Mark for helping with the pic's! Today is "crash day" for all 3 of us... the body's are moving.. but the mind seems quite off.... hosting a succesful festival will do that to you :P   Perhaps the hardest part of "town life" on the AT are "goodbye's"... Solace HATES Goodbye's, and if given the chance will quickly slip out of town undetected. But that was not the case day after day as I watched new friends climb into the van that would take them back to the trail... each time, a piece of me going with them ~ The band long gone, the banjo now quiet... and the grill finally out of gas, the 3 of us sat for awhile... and at times saying nothing at all . . . For in the previous 4 days we had said much about the way life should be, just by hosting the festival. At times, in silence we had said all we intended too... lives had been touched, stories shared, addresses exchanged ~ Further up the trail, the groups would convene, and stories of this years fest would go long into the night. FOR EVERYONE WHO CAME ~ FOR ALL WHO HELPED OUT . . .You have my thanks, even more... you have my friendship ~ Many, Many Cheers from a very tired Solace