Fabulous Franklin

Snow in My Tent

When I unzipped my tent, I found the condensation from our breath last night had turned to snow. It was actually funny to me to see snow falling down on me as I unzipped the fly.

Bill had already been up for an hour and made coffee. We were having a slow morning because our shuttle was only 4 miles away and would not arrive for several hours. 

Campfire Pastry

So we hung out by the fire Bill had built before I woke up, and I created a breakfast pastry from a tortilla and a chocolate bar. I felt like a queen. Simple things make me happy.

When it was finally time to pack up, I did so with glee knowing we were going to take a zero in Franklin. This was going to be my first opportunity to stay in a hostel, which made me a little nervous. But we had heard great things about The Grove, and our friend, when was going to be there as well.

My First Hostel: The Grove

Our shuttle driver picked us up right on time. The Grove proved to be cozy and welcoming. Bluebs and Willow were amazing hosts and their hostel was lovely. My favorite part was their closet of goodies that we were allowed to use. My hiking muscles were very sore, and I was grateful to find epsom salts so I could soak. 

Trail Name at Last

After a long soak, I was ready to meet everyone. As we were all sitting around eating cake, our friend (Trail name: When) asked if I had a trail name yet. I did not. He told everyone the story of us climbing Albert Mountain, and he reiterated that he thought my trail name should be Pace Setter. Toppy, another hiker at the shelter, seconded it. I had a trail name just that fast.

Bluebs shuttled us all to dinner at a Buffet, and we all celebrated my trail name! There were ten of us sharing stories and laughing through dinner. All my worries about socializing on the trail was melting away. After dinner, we made our way home and went to sleep in a warm bed. The plan for the morning was to get breakfast and resupply a few items. 

Walmart

Resupply in full was done in the afternoon when the shuttle took us to Walmart. We got everything we needed and more. But as we were loading back up into the shuttle, the conversation went to the impending storm coming in the next two days. We went back to The Grove, and I went to bed early not feeling well.

Bill and I talked about the storm in the morning, and I was still not feeling 100%, so we decided to take another two zeros until the weather passed. Unfortunately, The Grove was fully booked because of the weather.
 

The Hilltop Inn 

Luckily, The Hilltop Inn had a room for us. Bill had stayed there in 2023 and told me it was perfect. So we packed up and walked to the inn. We were happy to see lots of other hiker friends there and slept well once our neighbors (NOT hikers) piped down.

The next day we decided to explore Outdoor 76 and downtown Franklin. We got delicious coffee and a pastry at the General Store first. Outdoor 76 had everything I was looking for, and I got to sign the banner. 

Running into Roadrunner

As I came out of the cutest gift shop, Trail Mix, Bill called me over. He had found one of the hikers we love to follow on YouTube: Roadrunner. We hit it off immediately and headed off to the Lazy Hiker for lunch. What a fun afternoon!

The plan was to keep in touch via text and get together again the next day. Bill and I chilled out with Pizza Hut in the room for dinner.

Fabulous Franklin Public Library

I needed to do some work on a computer and hadn’t found one at the hotel, so we asked how to get to the library. The town shuttle would happily take us there for one dollar!

In our travels, we have visited many libraries. The Franklin Public Library surpassed them all. They had a local art room, gem displays, local history displays, and recommended books. They also had the computer available, so I got everything completed.

The Heel Lock

Downtown Franklin is tiny, so it wasn’t surprising that we found our hiker friends again. I was complaining about how hiking downhill pounded my toes, and Roadrunner jumped in to ask if I was using my heel lock on my trail shoes.

I told her since I didn’t know what they were I likely wasn’t using them. So she quickly sat on the ground and fixed my shoes to have heel locks. I watched carefully because I had new shoes coming at the next stop and wanted to be able to restring the heel locks properly. Roadrunner is an angel. The heel locks worked perfectly. Downhill is no longer a problem.

Shopping in Franklin

Shopping isn’t usually my gig, but Franklin made it so easy. I had gifts needing to be purchased since I was going to be on trail for some special occasions. Trail Mix is next to Outdoor 76. I got a dress, jewelry and toys there, and everyone loved their gifts! They shipped it all for me too. Outdoor 76 provided all my second day resupply too, including new rain gear (I finally gave up my Frogg Toggs!).

Books make me the happiest, and I have been missing them on trail. But I got my book fix at A Novel Escape in downtown. The booksellers and I chatted about books we loved, and then I bought books for my loved ones. I could not believe it when the booksellers also said they would ship for me! Downtown Franklin is the best place to buy gifts!

The Last Supper

Weather was finally going to improve the next day, so we all agreed to have dinner together that night in downtown Franklin. We had some extra friend join too! Too many laughs to count!

Everyone said goodbye and happy trails, and we left for the night. 

Goodbye Pastry

There is a pastry shop we had been eyeing next to the Hilltop Inn, but it is only open Thursday through Sunday. Thankfully, we departed on a Thursday. Pastry is the food of the gods in my world. And these pastries were exceptional. Flaky with delectable flavor combos I had never dreamed of. It was the perfect send off back to the trail.

If you want to help me resupply or buy me breakfast when I’m in town, then there is a “Tip the Author” button below! It links directly to my Venmo. Thank you for following my adventures on the AT!