Hitchin' a Ride

A few sobos, who had already finished their hike this year (Milk Carton, Buzz Lightyear, and Easy), drove to Springer to visit friends finishing their trip. They met us in Mars Hill. Nine of us piled into Milk Carton's 5-passenger Kia Sportage with our gear tied to the roof and headed to Asheville, North Carolina.

At first, how we managed to pack into that car was hilarious. After fifteen miles, being smooshed into a Kia was more uncomfortable than funny.

We had some food and drink in town then shared a hotel room for the night. Red, Joe, and I spent the next day trying to hitch the 28 miles back to the trail. After four hours, and three hitches, we were still fifteen miles away. After nightfall, we met a nice guy named Chuck at a gas station who offered to drive us the rest of the way. When we got to the trailhead, Chuck passed us each a beer and toasted to a successful trip. The moon was half full, but provided enough light to hike the two miles to the next shelter without headlamps. We will try to make up the lost miles over the next few days.