Day 12: Hostel days heal the soul

After reaching such an important milestone the day before, we had a very important goal:

Watch the sunrise from Albert Mountain.

And he absolutely complied.

The colors spilling over the mountains were unreal…even if it was very cold.

Dan had the brilliant idea of ​​wrapping himself in his duvet while watching the sunrise, and I immediately felt jealous that I hadn’t thought of it first.

Meanwhile, I sat there, shaking dramatically like a Victorian child with tuberculosis.

After dawn, I returned to my tent and curled up inside my quilt.

“Just five more minutes of warmth,” I told myself.

Two hours later I woke up.

Oops.

At this point, Dan and Dread Pirate already had all their gear packed and were basically ready to go, which honestly surprised me because usually Am the early

That’s how I knew I had officially fallen asleep.

Fortunately, morale remained high because tonight I was headed to the Grove Hostel in Franklin.

And let me tell you:

Nothing motivates a hiker more than the promise of a shower and a bunk.

Franklin has a free shuttle for hikers during peak season and luckily we were still early enough in the year for it to be running.

Originally, my goal was to hike to Winding Stair Gap, about 10 miles.

Instead?

I reached Rock Gap around mile six and mentally marked the clock.

My feet were absolutely killing me this day.

Could I have gone the extra four miles?

Probably.

Did you want to do it?

At all.

Instead, I lay down in the parking lot like a lizard on a warm rock and created a small hiker camp while waiting for the ferry.

It was incredible.

This also became the time I debated sending my Kindle home.

But during the long break, having something to do besides stare into space was really nice.

For now, the Kindle survives.

However, the toothbrush handle could eventually be sacrificed in the name of ultralight backpacks.

Finally I saw a familiar figure stumbling down the path:

Narwhal.

Turns out he had called the Grove before and managed to get a bunk due to a cancellation.

At this point we were becoming accidental hostel mates.

Not long after, a trail angel named Happy Jack arrived playing folk music from his truck and offered us beers.

The magic of trails remains one of humanity’s greatest inventions.

Look at that magical smile

The shuttle finally arrived and I was ridiculously excited to see what all the fuss around Grove was about.

And honestly?

The moment I walked in, I understood it immediately.

The Grove seemed like an absolute hiker’s paradise.

Maybe it was the atmosphere.
Maybe it was the people.
Maybe it was the fact that I took an amazing shower.

Probably all three.

I especially loved the clothing loan situation because I found this beautiful lemon print dress to wear around town.

I later found out that Willow’s grandmother had actually made it, which somehow made me love it even more.

I love lemons

From what little I saw, Franklin seemed like a very nice town.

Historic, cozy, and exactly the kind of place I probably never would have visited if it weren’t for the Appalachian Trail.

But now it’s permanently linked to some really good memories.

Dan and Dread Pirate had already arrived at the lodge when Narwhal and I arrived, so the four of us headed to Lazy Hiker Brewing together.

Which was exactly what I needed.

Good barbecue.
Good beer.
Good company.

Honestly, one of the best parts of hiking so far has been how quickly strangers start to feel like old friends.

The brewery even gave us complimentary postcards specifically for hikers, which I immediately sent to my family.

Very healthy.

Very «look mom, I’m surviving in the woods.»

On the way back, we stopped at an old English place that seemed to have been around roughly since the invention of grocery stores.

And, of course, we bought chocolate cream pie.

As one does it.

The kids were also excited to have some chocolate milk, but Dan was the only one who got real milk. Dread Pirate ended with a “chocolate drink,” quite a farce if you ask me, but one that would become a running joke on our little tram.

After a full day of sun, trail magic, beer, barbecue, cake and a real bunk…

…I slept incredibly well.

Vintage English Sunset

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