Saying goodbye to Turkenna – The Trek

After walking 32 miles the day before, we were glad to have a rest day. Angel’s Rest Hiker Haven had been very good to us. It’s been so many days since we stayed anywhere. And although this stay was unplanned, we were glad to be somewhere we felt comfortable while we figured out what to do with Turkenna.

One more zero

After talking to Cody’s parents the night before, they planned to come pick up Turk tomorrow. This gave us a full day to do any tasks we needed and rest. Cody cleaned our fire water bottles and our camping pot. I washed the clothes and hung everything up. I then treated all of our equipment and clothing with permethrin. We had seen an increase in ticks between Damascus and Pearisburg. It seemed as if each of us found ourselves crawling on our legs or over the tent about once a day. In some areas we saw two or three in one day. So I was really looking forward to treating our team.

Luckily it was a beautiful day. Very different from the hours of rain we had gone through the day before. The sun was shining and a pleasant breeze blew in the courtyard all day long. Cody volunteered to do a «permanent job» job. Since we were about to spend a fourth night at Angel’s Rest, we were looking for a way to save a few dollars. He was given the task of removing weeds around the main house. A task he would later regret agreeing to do.

Mexican Food and Friends

With no other tasks to do, we spent the afternoon watching The Hobbit and cuddling Turkenna. We made plans with some friends to have dinner at a Mexican restaurant within walking distance of the hostel. Those friends invited some friends and a group of eight of us met for dinner. There is something about our appetite that has been slowly changing since we began the journey. We are always hungry. «Hiker hunger» has caught up with us. Watching the long table of hikers put away huge amounts of food was something to behold! After we were all done, we migrated to the bar area of ​​the restaurant which had a pool table. Cody and I aren’t good at pool, but we can hold our own with a group of hikers. We were doing great until some local pros showed up to show us how the game really is played. We said goodbye and after that we returned to the hostel.

Packing to leave town

When we woke up that morning, we finally realized that Turkenna was separating from us. Cody’s parents were making the almost 4-hour trip to pick her up. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad to see her go. I watched her closely as she walked through the garden that morning. Their normal morning zoomies were on display. A small voice inside me asked if it was a sign that she was good enough to stay with us and keep walking. But I knew that a few weeks of rest and a home visit to our vet was best for her.

Cody and I finished packing. We reapplied permethrin to some clothes before packing them. I checked our food bag one last time to make sure we had enough to make it to the next resupply. With all our gear packed, the three of us waited outside for their parents’ arrival.

Lunch with mom and dad

We hugged them tightly when they got out of the car. His mom immediately leaned over to give Turk a gift and let us know she brought a blanket to snuggle with on the way home. “I bought him some toys and a bed,” he said. «I bought him a big rope and a Kong toy that I can fill with peanut butter.» She will be very pampered when she leaves grandma’s house. But it calms me to know how spoiled she will be. I appreciate that Cody’s mom is making this goodbye process easier for us. And I’m glad Turkenna is a happy girl, although I’m sure she’ll lose track of herself (and her mom and dad).

After piling our suitcases in the back of the car, we decided to head to the Happy Hog for lunch. It was just as good as when we first ate there. We also ran into two friends we hadn’t seen since Gatlinburg. The joy of unexpectedly meeting people you haven’t seen in a long time is a joy that is difficult to explain.

Saying goodbye to Turkenna

After lunch, his parents drove us to the road access to Peter’s Mountain. It’s where we left off after our loose package. I let Turk walk before the long car ride home. I took a selfie with her. I squeezed her tighter and buried my face in her fur. Saying goodbye was difficult. It was hard to say goodbye to Turkenna and Cody’s parents. The visit was short. Too short. We miss home and family. Seeing them reminded us how much we miss them.

As we turned to walk down the trail, Turkenna jumped out of the passenger door of the car and ran to join us. That was it. The water works began. Cody corralled her back to the car and, like ripping off a Band-Aid, we quickly turned our backs on him and started walking down the trail.

Getting back to it

The walk was calm. Only the sound of our footsteps was heard. We walked in silence for a long time. No podcasts, no music, no conversations. Only the sound of the stream and the rustling of leaves in the wind kept us busy as we walked. Our pace was also slower than usual. Maybe it was a reflection of our mood or maybe our legs just needed reminding how to walk after a few zeros. Cody broke the silence to announce that his ankle hurt. More than the usual pain we both constantly feel in one or both ankles.

At about the same time, we passed a SOBO hiker who warned us about the rocky ridge line ahead of us. «It’s a real pain in the ass,» he exclaimed. Excellent. Just what Cody’s ankle needs…a rock gym to traverse. Needless to say, we took it easy.

See a bear

I ended up a few hundred meters ahead of Cody as we finished the rocky ridge section. A noise from the top of the hill caught my attention. It looked like it was pretty close, maybe 20 or 30 meters away. Most of the strange noises that come closer are usually from different birds. It sounded like something screaming. To my surprise, I could see something coming from the direction of the wailing. It was the unmistakable silhouette of a black bear cub. The cub ran up the hill and I quickly lost sight of him as he ran behind large rocks. But his screams could still be heard growing fainter as he fled. «Honey!!» I whispered and screamed as loud as I could. «I just saw a little black bear! Can you still hear it?!» The excitement of the moment temporarily distracted us from missing Turkenna. In fact, I’m glad our first bear encounter happened without her there. I don’t know where the mama bear was, but I wouldn’t stick around to find out.

Get to the camp

We finished our 13 mile day with enough sunlight to set up our tent and prepare dinner. We had fallen a day or two behind the group we had been hiking with, even with the loose 32-mile pack. We were introduced to some new faces at the shelter. Some mentioned that they had heard about the couple with a dog. One thing we love about AT is the community.

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