It snowed for days: the walk

Unsurprisingly, after leaving frozen North Georgia following Winter Storm Fern, the small group (Annika and Emily) I hiked with encountered icy trail conditions with, it seemed, dozens and dozens of tree falls on the AT. Although the trail conditions were challenging and we were put in this position, I thought it was quite cool and peacefully beautiful to walk in the phenomenon of ice, snow and the «overgrown» forest.

gianna

As we headed into the Hiawassee and Clayton, GA trail areas, reports were coming in of a major snow storm heading our way near Franklin, NC. To reach a safe destination, we hiked fairly quickly for a few days, including a nearly 25-mile day that turned into a windy, nighttime hike up the mountain until about 10:00 p.m. We arrived at The Grove Hostel in Franklin just before Winter Storm Gianna hit, dumping several inches of snow on the town and much more on the trail at its highest mountain elevation.

The night of the hostel and the city

The Grove Hostel is a 100% woman-owned business from Willow, who hiked the AT a few years ago. His companion, Bluebs (short for Blueberries) and former AT thru hiker, contributes greatly to the running and homely comfort of the lodge.

When we arrived at the lodge to ride out the snow storm and unseasonably cold temperatures, we met Mangy Moose and Skillet; through hikers who were also there due to weather conditions. The six of us went to Lazy Hiker Brewing Co.’s annual chili cook-off and had a great time. There were about 15 entries in the chili contest and I personally tried them all and maybe went back for seconds to some of my favorite recipes. I was very hungry and the food was delicious. The people at the cook-off were very friendly and curious about our adventures on the AT and our lives at home. It was truly a great and memorable night on the town!

At the city’s chili cooking contest with clothes borrowed from our hostel.

More snow and transportation problems

The next day the wind and snow started strong. Another hiker named Kyle showed up at the lodge. After him, Bluebs set out in the poor weather conditions to pick up an already booked hiker, Blackbeard, whom he had met about two days earlier. On the way back to the lodge, they lost control of the vehicle on an icy road and fell down an embankment on a mountainside. Luckily, they were not injured and everything was fine in terms of health, but the car got stuck and was not moving, and was also hanging somewhat precariously on the side of a steep ravine. To do? As good luck would have it, the mayor of Franklin periodically liked to drive through the mountains during snowfalls and came across Bluebs and Blackbeard stranded next to his car and rescued them.

Back to the shelter with the mayor of Franklin to the rescue.

Even more snow and a strange encounter

Around the same time, in another mountainous location near Franklin, hiker SIL (short for son-in-law) was trying to get to town using Google Maps and walking fire service roads. As the snow fell harder, no passing car would pick it up. However, luck also smiled on SIL and a good Samaritan stopped, picked him up and took him to the shelter. The driver also revealed during the hook-up that he had recently been released after spending five years in prison. In a twist of fate, SIL had spent about 20 years of his career as a law enforcement correctional officer. A potentially unnerving meeting of two people who had been on opposite ends of the law enforcement prison spectrum, but who converged in a time of need.

Safe and sound at The Grove

All of us had these incredible stories, some more serious and far-reaching than others, about how we ended up at The Grove Hostel before and during Winter Storm Gianna. Willow and Bluebs looked after us very well during the storm, from sharing food (excellent communal spaghetti dinner) to happy, heady conversations to imparting their knowledge of the area. It was a pleasure to spend three days with them and their hospitality is unmatched. Plus, their two dogs were great and very snuggly.

Takeaway meals

I think this type of experience, which could have gone wrong but turned out right in the end, is a personal «why» for undertaking this AT journey. I mean, meeting hikers, interacting with people who run lodges, and enjoying trail towns (and Franklin is very supportive of AT hikers) is very rewarding for me. These are the experiences on the trails that I will remember and reflect on for the rest of my life.

February’s snow moon backdrops the beautiful Franklin Mountains

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