Day 30 - Erwin, TN

I've walked about 4 miles, I found a sunny spot and this seems like a good time to give a recap of my Erwin experience. 

Everything just worked out perfect yesterday. I got down to the Nolichucky River by 8am, and decided it was early enough to walk the 3 miles into town. But only after about a quarter mile, I was picked up by the second pickup truck that went by! Dave and his dog Sassy brought me right downtown, and wished me well on the rest of the trip. 

It was still only about 8:30, and on a Saturday it seemed nothing was open. I asked a guy outside a restaurant if there was any place I could get a bite and hang out at this hour. Turns out that guy was Lou, the owner of the Hawg n Dawg, the BBQ joint in town. Lou was awesome. He told me I was welcome to sit outside his restaurant to charge my phone, and he just happened to have some extra tickets to the Kiwanis Club pancake breakfast that just happened to be at the Senior Center a block away! I spent the morning gorging myself on pancakes and bacon and mingling with the locals. It was great!

The rest of the day was good, too. I spent some time at the public library - a converted railroad station, I went back to Hawg n Dawg and ate a half-rack of ribs, and then I was picked up and given a ride back to the trail by the daughter of Miss Janet (I forgot her name :/).  For those who don't know, Miss Janet is sort of the Queen of trail angels, so meeting her daughter was very cool.

On my way out of town, I ran into Alice and Paul, a couple of longtime trail enthusiasts who gave me some tips for the miles to come.

Today the sun is still shining, its warm, and I've got the whole day. I'm loving the trail right now!

-Ted
10:15 am 4/12/2015

I'm at a point called "Beauty Spot, 10 miles out of Erwin. I got here at about 12:30 and decided that it would be a good spot to camp. The view lives up to its name. And besides, I have tomorrow and the next day and the next day to make up the 5 more miles I had planned to do! And the next day...

My first spontaneous half-day was real nice. I basically sat at this point- a grassy bald overlooking Erwin and into Tennessee on one side and the North Carolina hills on the other- all afternoon. Many hikers passed through and took breaks with me, and some decided to cowboy camp alongside me under the stars.

I spent my time reading and napping and above all NOT hiking! just hope I can snap out of the last two days and get back to my 15ers without much difficulty. It shouldn't be a problem.

Tonight promises to be a magnificent sunset over the town, and I hope tomorrow's sunrise is good too. Here's to a night with no rain!

Ted
7:30 p.m. 4/12/2015

Day 29 Photos Here!
&
Day 30 Photos Here!