Erwin brings the merchandise (Day 33)

This morning it was an easy 9 mile hike to Erwin. Going into town is always easy because you’re excited to get there and it’s usually downhill. Of course, it occurs to me that tomorrow it will be all uphill to leave the city again. But that’s a problem for another day.

Free…Everything

When I arrived at Erwin, it was around noon. One of my friends had made a reservation for seven of us to stay the night and I checked in. Apparently there was a church service this morning at the lodge and they were providing free food and supplies to all hikers. There was pizza (even gluten-free!), sodas, sides, and plenty of backpacker snacks. I grabbed what I could eat and sat down to chat with some friends.

city ​​errands

Our reservation included showers and laundry, so I took care of that and then stayed waiting for the free 4pm shuttle to Food City. I had to pick up a prescription refill and also needed to buy more food for the next three days. I’m trying to keep my refueling to a minimum (about 3-4 days) to save weight as my daily mileage increases.

Everything was going well at the grocery store and most of the other hikers grabbed fast food at some of the surrounding restaurants for dinner. I didn’t have any options, but I got some food at the store that I could prepare in the kitchen at Uncle Johnny’s. In fact, I decided to make another frozen pizza (I guess I can’t eat enough), and another hiker and I sat down to eat near the Nolichucky River.

Modern amenities

I’m going to sleep inside our small room on the top bunk. The weather is clear, but it’s supposed to be cold again tonight. I’m happy to miss him. I feel pain in my right Achilles tendon again, but I hope it’s just from the long day yesterday. It will be good to rest him tonight.

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.