Today was our first full day off the trail, which we spent in the hiker town of Franklin, NC. The town really embraces the hiker community in many ways. We were picked up in from of our motel at 7:15 this morning by a cheerful bus driver from the First Baptist Church just a mile or so away. There were approximately 15 other hikers and we were treated to a great breakfast by a few kind and enthusiastic church volunteers. Afterwards we walked about 3/4 mile to a local grocery store to pick up supplies for the next few days. Then back to the motel to do laundry. Last night we met some other thru hikers that are traveling in our “bubble” and celebrated the 65th birthday of one hiker from Michigan. We will meet other thru hikers at another local restaurant tonight and then return to the trail tomorrow morning. 

Our tramily was formed under a crowded shelter on a cold, rainy day a little over one week ago. Snapshot and I met the second day on the trail at our campsite when the temperature dropped below 17 degrees. Mountain Crusher and Snapshot met on the approach trail to Springer Mountain. Snapshot and Cobweb Rose met at Mountain Crossing and Mountain Crusher met Cobweb Rose at Hawk Mountain shelter.   So, back to that cold, rainy day at the shelter – that is the first time the four of us met. Because the conditions were so bad that day, and everything we were carrying was soaking wet, we quickly came together and agreed to hike another 2.5 miles to the town of Helen where we got hotel rooms, washed our clothes and dried out all of our camping equipment. And that was how our tramily was formed. 

Cobweb Rose (aka Emily) is a traveling ICU nurse and lives in Asheville, NC. Her trail name derives from a previous hiking group. Cobweb because she was always out in front on the trail and therefore clearing the cobwebs strewn across the trail. Rose because she was hiking with all guys who dubbed her the Rose between the thorns. She is the most avid hiker in our group, has a lot of trail knowledge and always a fun, positive, high-energy personality. Cobweb Rose has a YouTube channel where she has begun posting videos of our exploits. 

Mountain Crusher (aka Justin) is from Front Royal, VA. The youngest hiker on our team. he previously worked as a substitute high school teacher and a park ranger. He hopes to become a National Park Ranger after completing the AT. As his name suggests, he excels at ascending mountains and everything steep. He has a sharp but funny wit about him and a lot of energy to push us on the trail.

Snapshot (aka Taylor) is from Los Angeles, CA. Prior to hitting the AT he worked in the movie industry as a film colorist (the last person to insure the final film product meets the director’s expectations). Snapshot always has a smile on his face and is also a very solid hiker, in part due to his long stride and the ground he can cover very quickly. He thinks through options and decisions carefully and has a very calm disposition. Snapshot has some great trail photos on Instagram at tfmahonyphoto. 

And then, there is me. I live in Concord, NH with my wonderful wife Diane. We are both retired which gives me the luxury of pursuing this crazy adventure. For reasons that are unclear to me, our young team members tolerate having me around which I greatly appreciate. There is an old African Proverb that says “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. So, together we are making our way to Mt Katahdin and it’s great to do so with this tramily. 

Pics: church breakfast, food for next 4 days