Since I had done the laundry yesterday, I only had a couple of tasks to do today. First, I needed to make a resupply store. Secondly, I needed to air out my gear after the storm the other night. At some point today I was going to move from the Motel to the Hostel, but I wasn’t sure when I would make that transition. After checking the food I had on hand, I made a list for my resupply store. Next, I want to have breakfast at McDonald’s, which was right next to the Dollar General, which I knew didn’t open until 9am because I had checked yesterday when I was coming back from lunch. My breakfast was spot on and I felt safe going to do my grocery resupply because I was no longer on an empty stomach. I am increasingly convinced that Dollar General is the ideal store for a backpack replenishment store. They usually have everything I need, except freeze-dried meals, for a 3-4 day replenishment. After shopping, I returned to the motel and organized my meal. My plan for the rest of the day was to walk into town to check out Outdoor 76, one of the trail’s main outfitters, head to the lodge, and clean up my gear.
While at Outdoor 76, I was pleasantly surprised to meet hikers from different parts of my trip:
*Scurvey: from PT, days 0 and 2
*Dad Bod: from the descending Approach Trail hike
*David: Day 1 from the AT
*Brandon (now “Sticks”) from OT days 4 and 5
*Lynnden: since yesterday on the AT
It was a great experience to meet all these people again, all at the same time, in one place. I bought some warmer gloves and a new stove (I had broken my first stove a couple of nights ago).
After saying goodbye to everyone, I began my walk towards the hostel. Once there, I claimed my bunk and took my backpack outside to deal with the wet gear. I soon discovered that it was muddy as well as wet, so I hosed down my tent and ground cloth and hung them to dry. The people at the hostel were amazing. They offered to help, provided emotional and logistical support, traveled all over the city. If you’re hiking or plan to walk the AT, be sure to spend some time at The Grove Hostel in Franklin, North Carolina. 
Around dinner time, Mike from The Grove offered to take me to a burger joint I was planning to eat at. I accepted the offer and along the way he heard from Hot Tang, whom he had met last year in New Hampshire and had run into in Georgia this year while transporting some people. We found out that Hot Tang was nearby, so we picked him up some food and went to transport him from the trail to the lodge. It was so good to see Hot Tang again. It had been two weeks since we last walked together. We spent the entire trip back to the shelter catching up on each other’s adventures while we were on the road. Hot Tang was thriving. And I was glad to know it.
Back at the hostel, there were plenty of new faces for the night. I met some of them; Hot Tang knew some of them, so together we were able to gather a fairly large group of hikers to sit and shoot the bull during the night. I haven’t had many conversations on the road yet, but I sure enjoy the conversations I have in town.
Hot Tang and I decided before going to bed that we would take a zero the next day. Since I no longer had time constraints, I decided to hang out in the city with him. I knew my time with him was short, so it seemed like a good idea to just relax in Franklin for one more day.
This website contains affiliate links, which means The Trek may receive a percentage of any products or services you purchase using links in articles or advertisements. The buyer pays the same price they would otherwise pay, and their purchase helps support The Trek’s ongoing goal of bringing you quality backpacking information and advice. Thank you for your support!
For more information, visit the About page of this site.
