Day 7 Hiawassie - Zero
Nothing of note.
Day 8 - On the road again
Met up with my buddy Garrett at the grocery store in anticipation of getting on the free shuttle that the town sponsors to get hikers into and out of town. We were sitting there BS’ing when this guy walks in wearing a fight club t-shirt and points at us and asks which gap we are going to. We tell him and he asks if we want a ride. We accept and he tells us his trail name is Roadhouse. On the way to Unicoi Gap he asks us our stories and tells us he loves giving hikers rides just to get to hear their stories. I tell him I just completed a 22 year career as a Green Beret and that I am here to reconcile the things I had done and to find myself and to hopefully get closer with my higher power. We get to the gap and there is a church group there frying up hamburgers with all the fixings and handing them out to hikers. I came to the realization that I forgot my trekking poles at the grocery store. I tell RoadHouse and he tells me he will take me back into town. We grab 3 other hikers and head into town. On the way Roadhouse says to me that he will have a recommendation for me on a possible trail name. We drop the other hikers off and I grab my trekking poles. We get back to the Gap and I reminded Roadhouse that he was supposed to recommend a trail name for me. He looks me in the eye for a thoughtful moment and says “wars over.” I start to cry and I give him a hug and he tells me “your war is over and its now your time to give back and to find yourself.”
It is hard hiking the Appalachian Trail with tears in your eyes.
Unicoi Gap -> Steeltrap Gap
Distance: 7.4 miles
Time: 6 hrs
Avg speed: 1.2 mph
Total accent: 2,631’
I'm grateful you ran into Roadhouse. I wonder how many of us need to hear what he shared. I am thankful there are people willing to help strangers accomplish their goals that you are running into. I am filled with wonder at what still lies ahead.
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