Only
had 11.6 miles to do to get to the road, but I had a feeling they’d be
tough ones. This terrain is steep ups and steep downs with lots of
rhododendrons and boggy creeks or streams at the bottom.
Took five solid hours to make it to the road. I was on my own the whole way – didn’t want to hang around waiting for Dave in the morning. I find myself counting or singing stupid songs in my head to break up the monotony – especially on the uphills.
Just
before the road was a cooler – semi-trail magic provided by the Laurel
Creek Hostel. The fruit punch drink was mighty refreshing. Didn’t know
which of the two hostels Dave and Tim would want to go to, so I sat on a
log and had lunch while I waited. A cat was walking by on the street,
so I called to it and it came up to me. Jumped right on me and was very
affectionate. So I just chilled out for about an hour.
Turns out they wanted to go to Laurel Creek, so I was glad I’d waited. It’s a nice place with lots of services. The three of us are staying in the 11-bed bunkhouse. Got a ride in the van into town (Elizabethton) for food shopping. At the supermarket, there was a mirror behind the meat counter. When I looked into it, I didn’t even recognize myself at first!
Bought chicken to grill and a frozen pizza to cook. Will be tough to put all that weight in my backpack again.
Hung out at the hostel, cooking and eating. Talked to Chef for a while, who’s nice. And Kid Rock isn’t as bad as I thought he was going to be. Pretty harmless, though quite a drinker.
The Outlaws showed up late. Dave, Tim and I ended up having the bunkhouse to ourselves, which was nice.
Pack explosions everywhere. Gerber, Trail Dancer, and Mudman came in
later, too, after their 29-mile slackpack.
Dave called Kathy and Skip. They are expecting us to arrive in Damascus sometime Saturday afternoon.
Took five solid hours to make it to the road. I was on my own the whole way – didn’t want to hang around waiting for Dave in the morning. I find myself counting or singing stupid songs in my head to break up the monotony – especially on the uphills.
Turns out they wanted to go to Laurel Creek, so I was glad I’d waited. It’s a nice place with lots of services. The three of us are staying in the 11-bed bunkhouse. Got a ride in the van into town (Elizabethton) for food shopping. At the supermarket, there was a mirror behind the meat counter. When I looked into it, I didn’t even recognize myself at first!
Bought chicken to grill and a frozen pizza to cook. Will be tough to put all that weight in my backpack again.
Hung out at the hostel, cooking and eating. Talked to Chef for a while, who’s nice. And Kid Rock isn’t as bad as I thought he was going to be. Pretty harmless, though quite a drinker.
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| Longshanks and Chops at Laurel Creek |
Dave called Kathy and Skip. They are expecting us to arrive in Damascus sometime Saturday afternoon.
Enjoying the account of your trek very much.
ReplyDeleteYou and the cat look like old friends. He must have recognized something about you that convinced him that he and you were kindred spirits.