The breakdown of the community

Up until Neel Gap, I had mostly camped with the same group of people at each site and it had been great to meet some of my mates. However, once I finished the night at Mountain Crossing, one of my hiking companions had to leave the trail to return home on business, the president was getting a zero, and the general had to stay behind. The rest of us continued on, but began to divide the group as we varied in our individual mileages.

It reminded me of the conversation I had with Nor’Easter on my first day of hiking from Springer. One bit of advice he gave me was to enjoy the company of the people you meet, but don’t hesitate to part ways with them when the time comes. Basically, he was telling me what is often repeated: «do your own hike.»

I spent the first week hiking about 8 miles a day, trying to develop some trail legs while my calves and heels got used to the zero-drop Altra Lone Peaks while carrying weight and tackling hills. Now that I had survived several days of back-to-back hiking, I was comfortable doing 10 to 12 miles. Some of my other friends pushed even harder and got way ahead of me, while others slowed down and fell behind.

One of my companions who matched my speed was 19-year-old Eagle Scout, who now goes by the name Bogart. He was a good guy and I enjoyed his company. For a few days we ran to the next place; Normally I passed him on the uphills, but he passed me on the downhills. Along with him were a few others, including the guy walking in Birkenstock sandals and another with dyed red hair who kept insisting that we all stop at The Green Dragon when we got to Hiawassee. I had also heard that Stanimals Around the Bend was a great place to stay, so I wasn’t sure which one I would choose.

There was no change in my pace, but I found that my increasing stamina supported longer days of walking. One day I went up and down six hills and felt great. The weather had been beautiful from the moment I started. I indulged in the honeymoon phase of my hike.

After a few days, I reached Unicoi Gap, the first road junction into Hiawassee. Bogart and I arrived together and were greeted with a magical trail where a guy named Boston (the reason became immediately apparent when you heard his accent) grilled us some hot dogs.

The night before, I had decided that I would stick with my remaining campmates and stay at The Green Dragon, so I made a reservation and texted them before arriving at the gap because they had warned me that I would lose phone signal at the bottom.

Shortly before the ferry was scheduled to arrive, Birkenstocks and Red Hair stumbled out of the woods toward the gap. They had both stayed up late partying the night before, but had rushed to catch the ferry. They spent a few minutes enjoying the magic of Boston’s trails before Donna, one of the owners of the Green Dragon, arrived to pick us up.

It was my first experience on a ferry, so I took a moment to take it in. He opened the hatch of his vehicle and had the four of us carry our backpacks and poles, and then we piled into the passenger seats in the back. The seats were covered with the same pads my wife uses when transporting dogs, something I have found to be common in hiker transports.

We pulled into the driveway of a summer cabin. Donna gave us the tour, pointing out the common areas, bathrooms, showers, and bunk beds. All the decoration alluded to The Lord of the Rings, something that I, as a Tolkien fan, could appreciate. He then let us sign up for transportation into town for dinner and resupply.

I enjoyed a pleasant stay, hanging out with my friends, having a great cheeseburger at Broncos for dinner, and then waking up to pancakes and coffee. The owners, Bill and Donna, were wonderful hosts and overall it was a wonderful experience with a bit of a family atmosphere.

During our stay, another tall, blonde 19-year-old came in and immediately hit it off with Bogart. Donna had made us an offer on a loose-fitting backpack, which meant she would carry most of the hiking gear and send a lighter bag with food and water up Tray Mountain, which was the section between Unicoi and Dicks Creek. I opted out and decided to camp halfway, but Bogart and his new friend took me up on the offer.

I had a brief moment where I realized that my final bond with my group from the first week was about to be broken when I separated from Bogart. I briefly mourned the final break in communion and found acceptance. It was by no means the end of the world. There would be new friends to make and then I would find many unexpected reunions.

The next day I climbed Tray Mountain while Bogart and his friend ran unhindered, trying to do in one day what I was going to do in two. I had been warned that there were some bear cubs on the trail that had lost their mother, at least according to reports the day before, but I saw no sign of them, much to my disappointment.

However, who I saw was no less exciting than the bears. I met Gray Beard! He was trying to regain his record as the oldest hiker to do the AT, now 90 years old. He was racing alongside Momma’s Boy, who was working on Stanimals Around the Bend. Greybeard let me take a photo with him and after hearing the name of my trail, Rescue, he remembered a lodge further up the trail called «The Shelter» that I now felt obligated to stay at. Mama’s boy handed me some candy and told me if I picked up trash off the trail, I’d get free breakfast at Stanimals.

Shortly after parting ways with them, I encountered some magic on the trail and Sidetrack from Boots Off Hostel in Tennessee served me a breakfast burrito. Then I continued my walk.

That night I met a new group of people, including a blond, bespectacled Norwegian man wearing a sweater adorned with a pattern of white keys woven into black, and a guy who called himself Melquizadek, a very apt but heavy-handed Bible trail.

The next morning, after a short hike, I met up with the Norwegian and Melchizadek at Dicks Creek, where a magical trail breakfast buffet was set up. We enjoyed a good meal and chatted before Melchizadek and I boarded a transport to Stanimals.

While Stanimals has a reputation among some as a party hostel, I found the atmosphere very calm. They allowed alcohol and even had some beer that was free to drink in the supply room. After arriving and choosing my bed, I was pleasantly surprised to run into my old friend The General. He had come from Unicoi and was not far from me.

The Stanimals common area had a nice vaulted ceiling and plenty of space. I was able to sit down and write a little, call my family, and catch up on business. Later, Stanimals hosted a pizza party and I was able to get my fill before going to bed.

The next morning, after cashing in my candy wrappers and some trash I’d picked up along the way to support Leave No Trace, I enjoyed the free breakfast of pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs. Before leaving, I took one more moment to say goodbye to the General. I was surprised to see him again, but he said we’d probably see each other again: The trail had a way of bringing people together.

Momma’s Boy picked me up after that and dropped me off at Dicks Creek Gap, which was just «Around the Bend» and I began the journey to my next big destination: Franklin, North Carolina.