We woke the next morning to light rain. I don't think any of us slept very well. While we weren't accustomed to the hard ground, the hikers anxiously awaited the next Tanner episode.........luckily, that never happened.
Beth started breakfast. The hikers woke to the smell of bacon, sausage, eggs fried with onions and tomatoes and peppers, sprinkled with a little cheese. As they rolled out of their tents they immediately began breaking down tents and methodically packing their gear. As I looked on I was amazed at how all this seemed effortless for each of them, almost like they were still in a sleepy slumber, quietly moving around as they prepared for the trail that morning.
Originally, we had considered the idea of Tanner hiking this section of the trail with Will while Beth and I went ahead to Pine Grove Furnace to set up camp for the night. We were sure this would not happen as he was up last night sick. Kids will prove you wrong though as they are quick to recover and bounce back. Tanner wanted to hike and we agreed.
Turkey and Thrasher left first ahead of the others. Soon after Bowtie, Castore, Spatchula, DarkStar and Tanner left. The plan ----- hike to first road crossing somewhere around the 6 mile mark and see how Tanner is doing. If he needed to jump in with us he could, if he felt like hiking on we would meet him at the 12 mile mark. After the last of the hikers departed, Beth and I packed up camp, cleaned up the site and headed for town to re-supply our food.
We returned to Caladonia State Park and headed through the park to meet the hikers at our first check point. Will saved us some time by calling and assuring us Tanner was fine and wanted to continue hiking. We proceeded to the next checkpoint and parked. We hiked south on the trail about 2.3 miles until we came to the first shelter and found Turkey and Thrasher already there. Beth and I decided to hike on further until we met Will and Tanner on the trail. Soon after we crossed paths with the Traveling Circus. The Traveling Circus (Monkey, Ring Leader, Lightening) is a group of hikers who are filming a documentary about the AT and the hikers who experience the trail. Next came Bowtie, Castore and Spatchula. Just behind them was Will followed by Tanner. Tanner made the 12 miles without incident and looking good. Together we all hiked back to the truck parked 2.3 miles away.
On our short hike we were able to experience a part of what Will enjoys everyday and without the hardships the hikers endure. The forest was beautiful, carpeted with fresh green ferns and outlined with mountain laurel in full bloom. In a small distance and a brief bit of time, is all it takes to spark our imagination of what these hikers experience each day they are on the trail. In some ways it is easier to understand what fuels the passion these hikers exhibit. Without full knowledge of the difficulties they face, we often think we too could possibly do this some day.
With Tanner back in the truck and the hikers back on the trail, we planned to meet in Pine Grove Furnace State park for the evening. The three of us would set up camp and prepare for 14 hikers that night. More to come on this evening later.
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