Date: 2009-04-18
From: campsite on Temple Hill

To: Erwin
Miles today: 2.9
Weather: overcast clouds

Truckin' was up first, me second, then Neil, and lastly, Skip. Guess what time I was ready? 7:20! We set off at 7:23 am with Neil in the lead this time, and Skip in the rear. Skip fell off the pace right away and I wondered if he was feeling okay. When we paused to watch a train roll across the bridge on the Nolichucky river, Neil asked what had happened to Skip. However, he soon rolled in and everything appeared to be okay. Down, down we went, and then I could see houses! My heart always races with excitement to be so close to town- just above the rooftops! Oh my gosh, oh, my gosh... I'm almost there! I just can't seem to get there quick enough! And then, we all stepped out onto the road and headed for the bridge. "There's Uncle Johnny's!" I said. I recognized it from pictures I had seen. Who knew it was so close to the trail? We approached the porch, dropped our packs, and then I spotted Richard sequestered by the payphone! I thought I'd never see him again! He was too busy to be bothered at the moment, however. I stuck my head into the hostel and found Hellbender sitting in the dank room. I reunited him with his packcover (he hadn't known it was left behind) and was very grateful as this was the second time he had had something of his returned to him. He said he would now have to do this for someone else and joked that he would probably get stuck returning a bowling ball. Joe Kickass appeared in jeans and a tye-died T-shirt with his beautiful girlfriend, Serena, and offered to take 2 of us into town with them for breakfast. But we were now a party of 5! Serena said it was no problem. We could all cram into her little car. So Serena, Joe Kickass, and Skip all got in the front, with Hellbender, Neil, and me on Truckin's lap in the back. My neck was craned over with my head hitting the roof, and I was glad that the Huddle House was not farther than it was. It was fun while it lasted though. Where else could a bunch of stangers cram in so tightly against each other and feel so comfortable?      We divided ourselves into two booths and looked at the menu... not as impressive as I was expecting! And it took forever to bring us our food! I had my first taste of grits (I hadn't known it was basically cream of wheat but with a grittier texture and definitely in need of milk and sugar!) along with my typical Western omelette, wheat toast, water, coffee, and orange juice. For a moment, I got sad again about the transient nature of this experience. It was very unlikely that we would all be together like this again...   After we were finished, Serena dropped most of the group off at the Dollar General to resupply, while they brought me back to the hostel and prepared for their trail magic offering of grilled hotdogs and hamburgers. Richard was still on the phone, but I did get to talk with him for a minute before he headed back on the trail to do a good 15 more miles. Everyone in my breakfast group also planned to get back on the trail later that day. I had intended to write some more journal entries and was torn... It would be really nice to stay with them, but I owed it to my readers to do my duty and write up a few more days of experiences... If I didn't write here, I would put myself even further behind. What should I do? While everyone relaxed and chatted on the lawn, I sat alone and typed up my picture captions for several days worth of pictures. Then, I snuck in a shower, as I had found a towel hanging over the shower door... I washed my socks in the sink, snacked a lot to try to get my pack weight down (my maildrop was 14 pounds!), and told Skip I'd forego the journal writing and leave that evening... Truckin' took off, as did Neil and Hellbender, and Skip followed shortly.       It was 5:15 and I was still sitting on the porch, trying to organize and pack up my bag... CB (who works for Uncle Johnny) said, "Wendy, I think you need to stay here tonight. I've got a nice cabin room for you." I sighed and agreed... Yeah, I wasn't going anywhere... My pack was way too heavy, I had 4 miles of uphill to get to the first shelter, and the contents of my pack were still sprawled all over the porch. I guess it was for the best. I could now stick to my original plan of getting some writing done.       There is only one computer at Uncle Johnny's and it's tucked into a dark, dank corner of one of the bunkrooms- not the most pleasant place to write. While most of the people went into town for dinner, I used the time to do my laundry properly, soak my feet in hot water and epsom salts, and write an entry or two. I had eaten enough all day that I felt I didn't need dinner. St. Patty caught me on my way to the bathhouse to brush my teeth and asked me if I wanted to slackpack the next morning with him and Papa Doc. No slackpacking for me, thank you...   As I finally lied down in my bed, I could feel a metal bar press into my back, and the gigantic rolls and lumps in the mattress! There was not a flat, comfortable place to lie! The two boys in the next room laughed at the movie they were watching on their TV. Yet another night of non-restful night of sleep for me...