Spontaneous Secondary Search to Asheville

Day 32

I admit it: I was sick of hiking. After a stay at Boots Off, I found myself packing up the mountain I skipped to get there. At the top of what other hikers considered a PUD (useless ups and downs (isn’t that the whole trail?)), I hummed songs while enjoying the lack of weight on my back. I missed music. I got lost live music. With a few bars of service, I checked the programming of Susto Stringband, some friends of mine who were also one of my favorite bands. They would be in Asheville that night. As a half-joke, I checked how far it would be to get from Hampton, TN to Asheville, NC. One hour and twenty minutes. He knew me well enough to know that I wouldn’t give up on the idea until I at least tried it.

“How hard would it be to hitchhike to Asheville from here?” I posed for Sunshine, who worked at Boots Off. She paused for a moment before leading me to the garage to talk to Too High, who she claimed was her «tracking dad.» He would know what to do.

“You could get transportation, there’s no doubt about that,” Too High said. The three of us were mulling over the idea by the check-in counter. «But it’s not like it used to be. The best thing to do would be to flag down and sit in front of the gas station down the street. Use your instincts and say no if someone doesn’t feel right.»

After a long conversation about logistics, I decided I wanted to give it a try. I had been walking for over a month and needed a push. Sunshine gave me construction paper, a marker, and her phone number in case I needed it. I drew in bold: ASHEVILLE / AT THRU HIKER

Just as I was packing up to start my adventure, a guy from the hostel named WB saw my sign and asked me to look up a map on my phone. He studied the route and scratched his white beard.

«I have a motor home. We’d have to take some back roads because it can’t go over 60 mph, but I could get you there.»

In fact, I started jumping for joy and thanking WB for being my shadow angel that day. When WB asked me my name, I told him:

«Dreamcatcher.»

He turned around and pointed to the back of his right calf, where a faded tattoo of a dreamcatcher was tattooed.

“The trail delivers,” another hiker smiled.

“The universe saw you struggle and gave you an answer,” Sunshine said.

«The damn ink on your sign hasn’t even dried!» Too high added.

WB led me to our trusty steed: a 1975 Dodge RV. After the big tour and some adjustments so nothing would spill along the way, we were off. I flipped through his CD book and happily put Tunnel of Love on the stereo. We drove down the highways of Tennessee singing Springsteen while WB drummed on the wheel. I found that WB loved explaining things, especially his tricks on how to drive the RV. When the beast started panting on the climbs, WB would rub the board and say, «Come on, baby! We’ve done this before! You can do it!»

I promised him lunch in exchange for his charity, so we stopped at a Waffle House on the outskirts of town. I knew the show would start well after my bedtime, so I sipped my coffee and devoured a grilled cheese and hash browns. With our bellies full, we pulled the RV into the Asheville city limits and WB dropped me off at a parking lot near downtown. We wished each other the best and before I knew it, I was alone.

There was a moment of panic for a fleeting second. That feeling of “oh no…how am I going to get back on track?” But that was the problem of tomorrow. As WB said, “you can only urinate on one fire at a time.”

I arrived early to the show and apologized for my hiker scent. I stood behind the merch table like old times and felt a pang of nostalgia for the days when I toured with the band. Everyone was happy to see me but quickly asked me, «How did you get here?» I told my story with pride.

A night of live music filled my glass more than I thought it would. The trail was far away on a map and in my mind. For one night I finally didn’t feel like a hiker. When I introduced myself, I used to say, «Drea…uh, Charlotte.» It was like trying on someone else’s clothes. Somehow I managed to keep my eyes open throughout the show and dance every last ounce of energy.

The next morning I could no longer say that returning was “tomorrow’s problem.” I went to a coffee shop to mentally scan the place for anyone who might be even slightly interested in talking to the girl with the big backpack. No luck. I journaled while sitting with panic slowly rising in my chest.

«I just want to cry. This is hard and I’m tired of depending on myself to save me from my own decisions. I could have kept walking yesterday like a normal person. Now I’m in Asheville. I can’t get that close to Damascus and bail out, I just need to be patient and it will happen. The road provides, but does Asheville provide?»

I felt the tears welling up and sending me outside into the rain, where I could get away from the townspeople. I found a picnic table, plopped down and sobbed. Not even two minutes later, a voice called out to me.

«Hey! So I lost my keys last night because I was drinking and yeah, I’m waiting for a locksmith to open my car so I can get home, but you looked great, what’s going on?» He said rather awkwardly. I stared at him with tears staining my cheeks.

«I’m hiking the Appalachian Trail. Well…obviously right now I’m not. That’s the problem. I’m trying to find a way back to Hampton, Tennessee,» I said, wiping my face.

«That’s fine, I don’t have anything else to do today so I can take you. We would just have to wait for my locksmith,» he said. «Oh. Are you crying?»

Sure, it was uncomfortable. Of course, he was somewhat distant about my situation. But I asked the universe to take me and now they were offering it to me. That means something, right?

We walked to the only open bar near us and sat outside. I tried to be grateful for my only ticket home, but it was becoming increasingly clear that this hungover man thought I’d been on a date. After too many flirtatious comments, I suggested we move under the awning next to the only people in the bar.

“Are you hiking the AT?” The woman at the bar immediately asked. I was excited to meet Rhea and Tim, who happily chatted with me about the trail and their own hiking experience. Deep down I thought, man, I wish they They were my trip. Rhea noticed my awkward body language and I could see in her eyes that she was reading the room. Then Tim miraculously said, «We could take you if you want.»

Even though I already had an offer, my gut told me to say yes. I quickly told the man my new plan and shuffled off with Rhea and Tim, who kindly took me to their house, gave me food, and loaded my dirty backpack into their trunk for a road trip in Tennessee.

During the trip, Rhea told me about her experience with Hurricane Helene and the near-apocalyptic state of North Carolina at the time. It told stories of devastation, but even more stories of a fiercely determined community coming together to help each other. I looked out the window at familiar mountains and reflected on the absurdity of their kindness. They had experienced profound loss, and yet they had a great willingness to give. I didn’t really know how to process it.

When they dropped me off at Boots Off, Sunshine gave Rhea a long hug and said, «Thank you for bringing our sweet girl home.» The air around the place felt tingly, as if some real magic had just happened. Sunshine asked me if I had a reservation for that night, but before I could say no, she said, «Actually… you should keep walking. You got what you needed from this place.»

To the wrong ears, it might have sounded like she was telling me to get lost, but I saw in her eyes that she said it with love. And she was right. Whatever trail magic I tuned into, it took me back to the exact place I needed and I had to honor it. I hugged Sunshine with moist eyes as she said, «Trust your instincts. You’re a wise girl.»

I felt motivated to make a game plan. First, I ate an entire frozen pizza. Second, I got back on track. I camped alone for the first time that night, letting the sounds of the lake lull me to sleep. The last 24 hours seemed like a confusing dream. When I got service again, I saw a text from Rhea that they had run into a friend they hadn’t seen in years right after dropping me off. That’s how the road seems to be going lately. Every decision is a domino, every bit of kindness somehow gets returned to the right person at the right time, and sometimes the universe rewards you for blindly saying Yeah.