A Happy Reunion

As my eyes opens I looked at my tent which was coated in ice. I was plenty warm inside but there was no motivation to pack up and get out. They had begun a fire a few yards away which was the only thing I looked forward to as I crawled out of my tent to pack it up. By the time I had finished putting my icy tent in it’s bag, my hands definitely had no feeling. I cozied up by the fire and tried to make some oatmeal with what little feeling I could get out of my hands.

Knowing the only way I would actually get warm was to start hiking I put on my pack, grabbed my poles and started up the trail. The trail wasn’t too difficult and made for a nice morning. Eventually I did thaw out which was good.

Coming up on the road right before the climb to Albert Mountain was a pleasant surprise. Chestnut had brought his truck and a whole bunch of trail magic. He had burgers, fruit, soda, chips, and even homemade brownies his wife had made. We all hung out down there for a while enjoying the break and some awesome food.

I looked up toward Albert Mountain and saw a familiar jacket and glasses. It looked like Violet. I squinted trying to make out whether Daisy was behind her but it didn’t look like her. But the closer she got, there was no way that wasn’t Violet. I yelled out to her and she squealed and started running towards us. She was with Sherlock and not too far behind was Mitch, Einstein, Friday, and Doc. They were doing some SOBO slack-packing while the others were resting up in Franklin. After talking for a while, Sparky and I decided to do an extra 4 miles and hitch into town to hang out with everyone in Franklin. We told them not to say anything and let it be a surprise.

The rest of the hike was fairly easy. We had a decent climb up to Albert Mountain, but was rewarded by a beautiful view off the fire tower. Not too long after, we crossed the 100 mile marker. Although 100 seems so small in comparison to the trail, it was an awesome milestone. We ended our day at Winding Stair Gap and easily got a hitch in the back of a truck to the hotel.

We got a key to Einstein’s room and headed to the third floor. Everyone started emerging from their rooms when they heard our voices and squeals to follow. It was a fun reunion all around.

I was able to shower and chill which was really nice. I had some time to call back home but also catch up with the old squad. It was a relaxing evening with not too much going on. Since I had just resupplied, I ate trail food in the hotel while I talked on the phone.

A group of them were getting up early to go slack pack so we all tucked ourselves in bed early tonight. It was nice to be in a warm bed after our frozen morning we woke up to yesterday.