It was a little cold last night, but it made me sleep more comfortable. I got up and hiked at 8am even though I had gone to sleep thinking my hiking day would end about 10 miles later at Cave Spring. I knew I had about 7 miles of trail and then 3 miles of road ahead of me. It was a very pleasant morning although my fingers were a little numb from the cold. As I walked along the path, an idea occurred to me. Could you arrange a shuttle to pick me up ten miles beyond Cave Spring and take me back to the Hearn Inn (in Cave Spring) where I had a room reserved for the night? I knew that Hot Tang and Two Meals were planning to walk beyond the city that day, so I thought I could stay closer to their position along the way. Besides, I knew that the trail was at least fifteen miles past Cave Spring, and that I would reach the city before noon, so there was no reason not to go ahead with my idea.
As soon as I hit the road, I checked my cell signal. I had a couple of bars, so I texted Callie, the person who runs the Hearn Inn, with my idea. She texted me the numbers of three shuttle drivers/trail angels in the Cave Spring area, and I contacted each of them. Two were not available, but the third, Chris, helped me. Lihat juga ikmj. It would be available if you could take me to the 10 mile point as soon as I got to Cave Spring, and then I would have to walk back to town. Evidently he had plans for later that day. And then yes, it could take me back to where I left it the next morning. Most of that happened just as I was entering Cave Spring, so my attention was on my phone. Ironically, I was looking at the map trying to locate the inn, walked by it, walked around town, and then stumbled upon it. Callie met me on the porch and checked me in. I knew Chris would show up soon, so instead of grabbing my backpack and all my gear, I just grabbed my fanny pack with my food, 1 liter of water, my phone, and my In Reach. I didn’t even bring my trekking poles because I knew it was all about walking on the road and I got into Chris’ truck. It turns out that Chris is an experienced hiker (Pinhoti, AT, and PCT) and offered plenty of advice on our trip to the 200 mile point, where he intended to drop me off. We decided on a 7am pick up from the Hearn Inn for the next morning to take me back to where I was dropping off today. We were there in no time.
I said goodbye and thanked him. I began a very happy ten mile hike back to Cave Spring. It is almost therapeutic to walk without weight on your back. I felt light and springy, which was good because a couple of times there was minimal shoulder on the road and I needed to jump between the pavement and the dirt every time a wide vehicle passed. But overall the traffic was minimal. It was an easy hike. I’m an old road racer the way I am, so I’m more than comfortable on the shoulder of a country road. My hoodie and hat kept me protected from the sun. The temperature was around 70 degrees. It was a glorious afternoon of walking along the road. About 5 miles into the hike back to town, I ran into Hot Tang and Two Meals, who were taking a break on the side of the road, and we sat and chatted for a bit before continuing on. Their plan was to camp under a bridge just beyond where I had started, so we figured we’d meet up the next morning. The last five miles into town were just as beautiful as the first five. Before I knew it, I had reached the city limit sign. I only walked a little further and a couple of turns, and I was in town on my way to the inn. I jumped into the grocery store to pick up a day’s worth of food because I knew I’d be doing a major resupply 17 miles up the road in anticipation of a four-day haul to Dalton, Georgia.
Back at the inn, I did the laundry. I took a shower. I caught up on my writing and social media. I talked to some family members on the phone and then after I did the laundry, I got dressed and walked to the Stagecoach Inn, a pizza place in Cave Spring. I knew I should look for it because when I stopped to chat with Hot Tang and Two Meals earlier, Two Meals had packed a box full of pizza that he had tied to the top of his backpack. When I found them, they also informed me that the restaurant served Yuengling beer on tap. Now, I’m not a big drinker, but if I’m going to have a beer, a Yuengling is one of my favorite brands.
Once I was seated, I scanned the menu and ordered a Yuengling, a house salad, and a glass of water. For my main course, I ordered a medium Hawaiian pizza and a Mellow Yellow, which is a rare soft drink to find in a northern restaurant. It’s not Mountain Dew (my only vice), but it will do in a pinch. The beer was delicious. The salad hit the spot and when the pizza arrived, my immediate thought was: I guess I’ll take some back to the room. But no, if you sit at a table long enough watching college basketball, you can eat an entire medium pizza at the Stagecoach Inn. No, I didn’t have another beer, but I did have a second glass of Mellow Yellow. Completely satiated from the salad and pizza, I saw no need to order dessert, so I settled in and headed back to the Hearn Inn. It was almost dark, but it’s a small town so I was able to easily navigate back. Cave Spring is a quaint little town, and I imagine it’s a good getaway spot for a young couple from Atlanta or the surrounding suburbs to spend a weekend. I highly recommend it.
Back at the inn, I packed my backpack to be ready to leave in the morning and then turned my attention to writing my next blog post. Even in a comfortable bed, I was finding it difficult to fall asleep, so I started checking my email again in an attempt to fall asleep. I thought I was about to fall asleep when I felt the need to go to the bathroom, so I went and did that and then went back to bed. Wondering when I would fall asleep, I remember looking at my watch at midnight and knowing that Chris would come pick me up at seven, so I started to worry about when I would finally be able to fall asleep. Eventually, I found myself struggling to keep my eyelids open and determined it was time to close everything and try to fall asleep.
Happy trails. . .
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