Urban food and family reunion in Franklin

If Neels Gap was the impending destination of my first week, Franklin, North Carolina, was my next big goal. My son Noah was a student at Clemson and lived a relatively short 90-minute drive from Franklin, so I had arranged to meet him there beforehand. It would be my first zero and I had, not a hostel, but a hotel reservation.

Getting to know Moron

I left Rock Gap Shelter early to make the 3.6 mile hike to Winding Stair Gap and catch the early shuttle into town. As I approached the gap, I passed a tent where a man was camped talking on the phone. He waved at me and I waved back, then moved on, allowing myself to reflect on the quality of his signal when I hadn’t been able to get any.

I walked down the hill to Winding Stair Gap and came to a parking lot. I hoped it was the pickup location; It was not marked and there were no signs indicating where the van was. I had about half an hour to figure it out, so I wandered around the parking lot looking for a sign.

A few minutes later, the man I had seen earlier drove off the road. He was taller than me (that’s not saying much; I’m only 5′ 9″) and he was wearing a red cap. I greeted him and he said, «Do you mind if I empty my backpack here? I think I may have accidentally packed a mouse.»

He completely unpacked everything right in front of me, checking every bag and pocket for mice. His equipment was impressively sparse.

«I know I’m probably paranoid. I’m a bit of a germaphobe and I can’t help but think that mice carry the plague.»

The entire time he spoke, I couldn’t help but feel that there was something familiar about him. I realized I had a bunch of Appalachian Trail hiker tags going back quite a few years.

«It looks like you’ve done this once or twice,» I said.

She shared some interesting facts, like her food packing strategy: only carrying two days’ worth of food as motivation to get to the next resupply quickly. He also drank a mixture of coffee and honey for extra energy and ate some while we talked.

The ferry arrived and we boarded, finding several hikers on board. I was happy to see my friend Bogart with some companions, all bound for Rock Gap, giving us a moment to catch up. When all the hikers began to introduce themselves, the eccentric man introduced himself as Moronand suddenly I understood why he looked familiar: I recognized his voice.

“You did the podcast…Trail Correspondents.”

I explained that I had listened to the season he presented and enjoyed it, admitting that I had never really thought about the PCT until I heard some of the podcasters talk about their experiences.

Moments later we arrived at Rock Gap, where most of the other passengers got off, including Bogart and company. I wished them well and soon headed to Franklin and continued chatting with Moron.

«I really envy you getting to experience all of this for the first time,» he said. I found a special resonance in that comment. This initial trip is a high whose wonder can never be fully recovered.

Franklin Food Tour

When we got downtown, we split up and I headed to Outdoor 76 to find a replacement for my lost hat. Although it is a clothing supplier rather than a hostel, they offered laundry service and had a large hall in the basement and a tavern in the back. I found what I needed and spent some time in the lounge before heading out to get some food.

Due to my son’s exam schedule, he was unable to visit us that day. It doesn’t matter; The first day I made it about food. I had a lox bagel and my first decent cup of coffee in weeks at New York Bagels, and then, after returning to the Outdoor 76 lounge to catch up on emails and personal business, I headed to Graff’s Tavern, recommended by the cashier at Outdoor 76. I got a beer and a Bigfoot burger. It was incredibly satisfying after weeks of rehydrated food.

If there was one thing I wanted as badly as food, it was a shower, and it was almost time to check into my hotel. I got on the city bus and got there.

Hours later, when I was clean and my clothes were washed, I felt like a new man. It was time to embark on a side quest that Listener had given me the night before: go to Lazy Hiker to drink beer and eat at their food truck. The hotel was on the outskirts of town and the city shuttle stopped running at 5 pm The obvious solution: get an Uber. Unfortunately, that’s when I learned that you can’t just find an Uber in Franklin (or most trail towns I’ve been to since). After waiting 30 minutes and still not finding a driver, I accepted that I was going to fail my side mission. It was a small consolation that I would save money by enjoying a night at home.

Catch up with the child

The next day, Noah sent a message early saying he was on his way. I killed time by eating an unusually decent hotel breakfast and keeping my gear while waiting for it to arrive. He texted me when he got to the hotel and I gave him my room number. It was great to see and I always forget how tall he is now.

Noah is the third of four children. He is thin like me, but a few centimeters taller and wears glasses to correct his hereditary poor vision. His blonde hair is well maintained and he likes to dress well. He is studying biomedical engineering at Clemson, which made him the only one of my children close enough to the trail to visit me while I was passing through. «Close enough» is a 90 minute drive.

After the events that earned my trail the name “Rescue,” my wife insisted that I purchase a Garmin inReach, which she had sent me through Noah. He handed me the box, which I left on the hotel bed and we ran out to lunch.

As we were leaving, he commented that the windshield wiper blades were breaking, so I asked him to stop at Walmart to buy new ones and get some replenishment items. Moments later, like a classic dad, I helped him take off the old blades and put on the new ones. (He actually knows more about cars than I do, so it was nice to find a problem he actually knew how to fix.)

When the windshield wiper blades were replaced, we went to the Mexican restaurant downtown, where I ordered and consumed a giant plate of chimichanga while Noah struggled to finish his fajitas. He ended up taking half of it home in a box. We look for other things to do in the city. Franklin is known as a gem mining town, so I wanted to see the mining museum, located downtown in a former prison building. Unfortunately it was closed. We ended up walking by Outdoor 76 since it was nearby, and after he looked around and checked out the fishing store next door, we went down and walked by an antique store.

I was surprised to find that Noah was interested in examining antiques. I used to go to antique stores with my Oma when I was a kid, but it had been so long that I forgot what kind of interesting junk there was to find. It was the best option after walking through a museum. We found an old sign that said: “EXPLOSION AREA AHEAD.”

Noah laughed. Looking at the price tag, he said, «I would, but not for fifty dollars.»

After we walked through the store, we walked back to his car, both of us wondering, «What now?»

“Smoothies?” I asked.

«That sounds good.»

I Googled a place and found Juanito’s. It was a bar and restaurant that also had an ice cream bar and, in addition, a horchata machine. They even had horchata flavored ice cream, which Noah bought for his shake. I chose pistachio.

We had a little chat and he caught me up on his classes and I talked about the journey so far. I apologized because there didn’t seem to be much to do in town.

«After my exams this week,» he said, «my brain is fried, so it’s nice to have a relaxing day.»

I felt better asking him to take the trip after that.

When the tremors subsided, we returned to the hotel and turned on the TV while we tried to figure out the Garmin. Noah had charged it for me, but I still had to set up accounts and subscriptions to pass links to my family. Noah zoned out and watched The Hunger Games, maximizing his relaxation time.

When night came, it was time to leave and he said he had really enjoyed his time with me, which I thanked him for. We hugged and he got out to start his trip back to Clemson. I went up and went to bed.

The next morning I enjoyed my last hot shower for a while and had a hot breakfast and coffee at the hotel. Before long, the city shuttle picked me up and I was back at Winding Stair Gap, to begin the next leg of my journey: to the NOC.