So, Day 17 was Sunday, March 29th. I got up around 7am this day to go downstairs for coffee and breakfast. One strange aspect of this town stay is the lack of my bounce box! Being that I only have my backpack, it’s a little more like camping in a room compared to a “real” hotel stay.
While at breakfast and chatting with some other hikers, my plan for returning to the trail came together. I wanted to avoid hiking back to the A.T. along that blue blaze (the Chunky Gal Trail) at all costs. Others had examined a local map and found that 3 miles past that blue blaze, on the A.T. was an intersection with a forest service road at Deep Gap. From there, it was about six miles down to US64. According to the map, the elevation changes were small, especially compared to the blue blaze we hiked out on. Our group called ourselves “the blue blaze bozos” as a nod to our ignorance of the easier way off the trail!
So that would be my plan to return, in reverse. On Tuesday, I would hire a shuttle to take me to that forest service road whete I would hike the six miles to the A.T. From there, since I do not want to skip any section of trail, I would hike southbound to the point I left the trail. Then, I would do an about face and re hike those 3 miles in the correct direction and continue on.
But before that, I had to relocate to the Comfort Inn where Jim planned to arrive on Monday. So, back upstairs to my room, I took care of a shower and other bathroom necessities and then packed up. After checking out, I was now mobile again.
I first called the Comfort Inn and made reservations for Sunday and Monday night. I then took a look where and how far it was. At a distance of 3.5 miles, I first thought about getting a shuttle. Finally, I decided to just road walk.
While getting ready to leave, outside was another hiker who was about to walk to the Three Eagles Outfitter, one of Franklin’s outdoor outfitter stores. Being it was on my way, we hiked over together. While browsing their inventory, it was obvious this place catered primarily to thru hikers. They had tons and tons of ultra lightweight gear to choose from. While browsing, I came across these cool salt/pepper/spice shakers. I’d been using these containers from the dollar store that originally contained party glitter. They were ok, but had issues. The ones I found here were superior, so I purchased them!
At the outfitter, i saw Doc, Grey Wolf and Jersey. We chatted for a whole and i learned Jersey had made his final decision; he was leaving the A.T. for fear of further injury. It’s sad, but sometimes that’s the right call. I said farewell to everyone and wished them a good hike. I was then on my way to the Comfort Inn.
Road walks suck. They actually hurt because the road bed his so hard. So the 3.5 miles felt like forever. Despite this, it was a nice scenic walk and didn’t have any sharp elevation changes. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures! Boooo on me!
I finally got to Comfort Inn and checked in. The walk made me hungry and I was craving a burger. Unfortunately, the Comfort Inn is way outside Franklin and only has a couple stores and restaurants within walking distance. There’s a KFC and Taco Bell here, neither of which was compatible with a burger craving. However, there was also “Willy’s Barbecue” close by. According to the hotel desk person, it was the best local BBQ place in town. That sounded awesome, so I walked over there. As I approached the place, it looked totally dead. Walking up to the window, I was greeted with a CLOSED sign. The place had closed at 230pm and it was now 300pm. Grrrrr!!!
I came back to the hotel all frustrated – no lunch! Walking into the lobby, I must’ve been visibly upset. The clerk, Debbie, said hi and asked how I was. I said, “Well, I’m a little frustrated! I came here to meet my friend Jim from Virginia, I’m trying to get lunch, and the BBQ place is already closed!”
Debbie said, “Are you Kelly?” I kinda looked a little confused and surprised and gave a tentative, “Uh… yes?!? How do you know who I am???” She smiled and said the she’d talked to Jim the previous day and that he’d mentioned me. With my frustration now morphed into being dumbfounded, Debbie asked if I’d heard about Vito’s, a local Italian restaurant. I had and was hoping to have dinner there the following night after Jim arrived.
But with no other appetizing lunch options nearby, I decided to ditch lunch and go for an early dinner. Debbie said that the folks at Vito’s would actually come pick me up, take me to the resturaunt and then return me. Sounded like a great plan! Vito’s didn’t open until 4pm, so I went for a quick store run first at the Ingles, a local grocery store.
A guy from Vito’s then picked me up around 530pm and transported me to the resturaunt. It was one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had, in spite of being a bit light on the sauce. It is considered to be traditional Italian, so light sauce is usually the norm. The pizza special I ordered also included a whole plate of bread sticks with cheese and bacon. It was super good, but no way I could finish it all. The waitress boxed it up for me.
The atmosphere of the place was pretty cool. They had some neat atmospheric smooth jazz type music playing. There were also a couple TVs that had sports programming on. The combination made for an odd, but not disagreeable entertainment experience. There were only two other people in the restaurant, also thru hikers. I tried to engage them in conversation, but they didn’t seem the sociable type. By about 7pm, I was ready to leave. I promptly was given a ride back to Comfort Inn, where I tipped the driver and thanked him for the transportation.
Back in my room with the TV on some mindless show, I quickly vanished into lala land.
Wandering on…
Kelly