Between a very confused bird crowing all night, and a thrumming headache, I got very little sleep. The siren call of Subway still got me on the trail by 8am, but I was quite tired and achey.
Mr. Fantastic and I dominated once we got going though. We hiked past the people who had started out before we had gotten up, and continued on, not willing to break for lunch until we saw the neon lights of Subway.
When we finished our 11.8 mile hike to the highway, we were treated to the best hitch hiking experience we've had thus far. We walked off the trail, toward the road, and as a car was passing Mr. Fantastic threw up a quick thumb. The white Mustang convertible came to a screeching halt across a gravel driveway right next to us. It happened so fast that we questioned if he was stopping to pick us up, to park, or to kill us. He was a nice guy who had thru-hiked 15 years ago and had moved to Bland from Manhattan immediately after. He drove us directly to the Subway, and even went in himself to get some grub.
We moved into a table by the window and set up camp. Gear was strewn about, electronics were plugged in, and food was piled high. We spent entirely too much, and just enough time there. I ate a foot long cheesesteak with 2 Mr. Pibbs and 2 cookies, a personal pepperoni pizza, and chocolate milkshake. Eat fresh indeed. All this while enjoying their free wifi, and small talk with some curious locals. Speaking of wifi, I finally got to check my Paypal, and want to thank Val, Bill, Walter, Lia, Amy, and Monica. Your generous donations go a long way toward protecting the endangered Appalachian Wyatt, a rare and majestic creature on the verge of extinction. To the best of my knowledge there is only one left out here.
After eating far too much, and sitting comatose far too long, we finally made way for the Dollar General across the street. A quick 2 day resupply later, we were outside sorting through our rations. At this point we had what then became our best hitch hiking experience yet, beating out this mornings .5 second record. As Mr. Fantastic went to the trash bin to dispose of his excess packaging (no point in carrying extra weight in and out) a Bland local asked him, point blank, if we needed a ride anywhere. This was so far out of the ordinary on its own, but made even more unusual by the fact that it was a lone woman with her son. We scrambled to get our gear together and leapt into the back of her pick-up, where we rode back to the exact spot we had been picked up hours earlier.
With dairy swelling our bellies, the remaining 2.5 miles of steep hiking was made rather arduous. Having made it, we rejoined Palm Tree and some other hikers we've seen the last few days. Everyone seems to be just as tired as we are today, it seems that sleep didn't come easy for anyone last night.
It's only a 2 day hike to our planned hostel break. I've reached a point where my aroma is even starting to bother me, so laundry and a shower sound like the greatest day ever. It's an early evening for everyone here, unlike last nights dinner in the dark, and that suits me just fine. Here's to a good nights sleep before another long day.
