Date: 2017-04-03
From: Uncle Johnny's Hostel (Erwin, TN)

To: Uncle Johnny's Hostel (Erwin, TN)
Miles today: 0.0

Day 27: Erwin, TN - 0.0 miles:Last night brought a rough night of trying to sleep, a battle I would ultimately lose. The bunkhouse grew increasingly hotter; stripping my layers off and lying on my bunk with no sleeping back didn't even work. At 4am, worried my tossing was keeping others up, I took my sleeping bag onto the outdoor patio and curled up in a hammock. I drifted in and out of sleep over the next three hours, a light breeze gently rocking me, and the sound of the Nolichucky River filling the air. I woke just after sunrise in order to really do nothing other than relax for the day.At 8:30am half a dozen or so hikers climbed into a shuttle and were taken to a Huddle House for breakfast - three eggs, hash browns, bacon, grits, and toast for me. Toepick, Tank, and Sugar enjoyed their own version of a perfect breakfast; Tin Man sat alone at the counter top. After downing breakfast I waddled over next door to a gas station and got me a 32oz of Pepsi in hopes it'd last me a while. Polishing it off during the short ride back to the hostel, I would get another can of Pepsi from a vending machine and finally feel satisfied.The remainder of the morning and afternoon hours were spent being lazy and doing the least amount of physical activity as possible. I mainly hung with Toepick, Odin, and Tank in their private cabin as a way to escape the endless trail banter that takes place in the bunk house. By early afternoon the clouds finally opened up, unleashing a torrent of hard, fat, cold rain that would remain until late afternoon. A few cold, soaked hikers would stumble in during this time, looking miserable and wanting nothing more than a warm bed. The hostel was quickly at capacity, and several of the hikers would have to tent or hammock camp on the property, paying $17.50 to do so, of course. As the rain fell, the three of us passed an hour playing a phone app version of Heads Up Charades. Odin slept silently on the bed nearby, having practically not moved since arriving at the hostel yesterday evening.I escaped to enjoy another shower, going through the routine of a shower twice - shampoo, rinse, conditioner, rinse, soap, rinse, repeat. The hiker smell is almost permanent and won't begin to fade for at least a week or two of normal bathing post-hike. I mentally feel clean, though, and that's what's important. At 5:30pm nearly two dozen hikers squeezed into two shuttles and made our way back into Erwin, the same routine each night, to Walmart and your selection of Mexican or Italian for dinner. At least half of the bunch chose Italian this time, and we'd all cram into two tables. Fried cheese sticks, garlic knots, garlic bread, massive stromboli's, pizza, salad, and a variety of pasta flowed between hikers.Upon completion of dinner, I sauntered over to Walmart with an hour to kill, but with nothing needed. I mindlessly wandered almost every aisle, looking at food I couldn't carry with me on trail and, unfortunately, the pathetic food I'm forced to carry. I checked out the colorful flowers of the outdoor center, still a few weeks away from noticing any real color changes at the higher elevations. A small Trolls balloon with Poppie, Creek, and Guy Diamond sat at the end of an aisle. I thought it'd be fun to strap one to my pack, but couldn't justify the weight-to-laugh ratio. Eventually the hour passed and we returned to he hostel just before nightfall.Tomorrow brings a return to the trail despite potentially crumby weather, both tomorrow and the week ahead. Tomorrow is all uphill as I'll climb out of Erwin and eventually enter the Roan Highlands area of northeast Tennessee. Shelters are only located at four and 17 miles in, so I'll either need to shoot for the 17 or end up camping somewhere in between. With enough food to comfortably last me five or six days, my legs will most definitely feel the burn that follows a zero, but I will find my groove soon enough. Toepick is tentatively planning to get a late start and only cover four miles to the first shelter so our hiking days together are most likely over. If so, I will miss her company, and especially the love from my moon-howling-buddy-in-arms, Odin. Just over 200 miles remaining for me.