Chapter 10: In which Mosse disappears

Now it’s just Laura, Forrest and me. Today we say goodbye to Melissa, Cowboy and Miranda at Rambling Roots. I hope to see them again soon, but we’ll probably do different miles in the future, and today we’re going to slack off a little while they zero in. We took our shuttle back to Stecoah Gap to begin the last leg of our trip to Fontana, which is located just outside the southern boundary of Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Today was another good day. It sure seems like there are a lot of them around here. Well, apart from a very sad loss. During yesterday’s slackpack, I lost Mosse, my little cow friend. I was about to cry when I found out. And now he is lost somewhere in the forest, all alone. That is, apart from bears, mice, and all the less scary critters.

One moment I was enjoying the view from the back of my backpack and the next it was gone.

But all is not lost, because upon arriving at Stecoah Gap we met the Goregous Stays shuttle, and someone there had seen Mosse! And they even took a photo of him sitting in a tree, waiting to be rescued. Just two miles away, they said.

«Do you want me to go get it?» Forrest asked me seriously. I looked at him for a moment, trying to determine if he was serious or not.

«Oh no, you don’t have to do that.»

«No, really, would you like me to bring it to you?»

He looked at me while probably waiting for me to give in. But the truth is that I would have loved him to accelerate in the wrong direction towards where we were going with the sole mission of saving Mosse.

“No, it’s okay,” I said.

Because if I had said yes and he had done it right, I probably would have been so happy I would have kissed him. And then things could have gotten really awkward.

“Let’s make the journey magical,” I said instead. «There are a lot of people here today watching him. Somehow, Mosse will come back to me.»

Sometimes I wonder how I got these amazing people to walk beside me. I know if I had said yes, Forrest would be on the mission in a heartbeat. When I’m with him and Laura I laugh a lot! It feels wonderful. Here I can be free, wild and unruly. And they still seem to accept me. The trail is truly magical.

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.