A Shout Out To My Buddies
Day 31 of the Hike: 10 miles hiked
Ever have one of those "What The F**k" moments? Ever have one at 1 am in the middle of nowhere? I did last night.
Right at about 1 am I woke up to a loud thrashing coming from the area Thomas was sleeping. When I looked up I saw his contorted body struggling inside his sleeping bag. The image itself was troubling but the realization he kept struggling for some unknown reason sent a wave of terror through me. Keep in mind this is all happening within seconds. I leaped from my bag and to the best fighting position I could, but never made it past my knees. "WHAT," I yelled! No response so I asked him again. Thomas chuckled and looked at me then sifted through his sleeping bag.
I was still in my guarded phase and waiting for a response when he finally said he thinks a mouse had jumped on him and woke him up. I relaxed and sighed in relief but was still amped up a bit. We both laughed and I looked at John who was still sleeping comfortably unaware of the attack.
I did get back to sleep eventually and was awoken again to the sound of John packing up and the light of the rising sun.
We have gotten pretty efficient at getting ready. We can get packed and ready with breakfast eaten within 25 minutes. Also, being at the end the hiking week our bags are lite and we naturally can hike faster. We hiked the first 6 miles in 2 hours and eventually made it to Erwin, TN by 11:30 am. When we got into Erwin, John made arrangements with the local hostel to take us to the TriCity airport where he rented a car. It was about a 40 minute ride and then about 30 minutes from the rental place to the hotel. We did make a short stop at a local Italian pizza place and split a pizza , cheese bread, and some beer. Once at the hotel it was shower time for everyone. I may or may not surprise most people when I tell you that the weeks of dirt and grime that can collect on one person is measurable at the bottom of a shower. Anyhow, after the shower, it's laundry time and then chill at the hotel till dinner. Tomorrow is a full zero and meeting with the local American Legion.
I also used this time to check in with some folks from home, so to to my buddies at work here is a shout out. Let me know if you are actually reading these!
