Nothing Ahead is Known Warmed by Memory (The Way West)

Day 56- 13 Miles today from Relax Inn to Possum Creek, 2,800 Feet Up, 2,700 Feet down, Total 634 AT miles

Hard Work

It rained pretty hard last night so the trail is a bit of a mess but more on that later. First stop yesterday was the Mexican restaurant for some delicious food. After picking up a few things at the gas station we went back to the Inn. That’s about the time the rain hit.

Angela and Kier who run the Relax Inn were outstanding hosts. They have done such a good job making that place the best it can be. It is an old motel. They work really hard 100 hours plus weeks.

Unfortunately a few weeks ago I group of hikers rampaged I through here. They trashed a room packing eight people but only paid for one. They stole from the Inn and the other establishments nearby. So now they all have a rule that you have to keep your backpacks outside to keep from having stuff stolen. The companion of fools suffers harm (Proverbs 13.20).

Late Start

We got a late start this morning . Before we left Knockers got rid of probably four pounds of clothing and other stuff that she didn’t need. We stopped by the gas station for one last meal. Our goal today is over 12 miles but we have a lot of elevation to gain.

Once we left the interstate we started hiking through a bunch of farm fields. It was really beautiful and a nice breeze was blowing. The grass in the fields was tall enough that the seed heads were waving in the wind.

Home

Nothing ahead is known warmed by memory (The way west). This quote reminded me of how we miss a home when we travel. Home is security. It’s deeply engrained in our human OS to need a sense of that grounding provided by a place we can call home.

Ahead is unknown and that can be unsettling but also exciting. It can provide a strength if it can be embraced rather than feared.

Attacked by a Wild Animal

The path entered into the woods and started climbing. It continued to climb until it reached a ridge. We then traveled along that ridge for a few miles.

I was listening to a book called the way west about a group of people that travel in a wagon train to Oregon in the mid 1800s. I was hiking away when I heard a high-pitched scream. I had to take my earbuds off to see if I imagined that scream.

I thought it might have been Knockerz. She might have seen a bear or stepped on a snake? So I picked up my pace.

As I was approaching Knockerz a large grousse came at me and ran into the woods. When I came up on Knockerz. I asked her if she was the one that screamed. She said yes she didn’t see it until she was on it. She came up on that large bird sitting in the trail and that it growled at her.

Old Farmland

As we came off the ridge we wound down through several switchbacks. The entire forest was littered with laurels in all stages of bloom. There were pinks and whites as far as the eye could see. Periodically there were splashes of rhododendron flowers with their large purple and white blooms.

I haven’t seen too much Helene damage but after about 6 miles of hiking I passed a very old oak tree that had fallen. Someone had counted the rings it was 115 years old.

The trail continued to wind down until it exited the woods and travel along a fence line that must have been hundreds of years old. There were centuries old trees equally spaced along those fence line. We then entered more open posture land most of it look like it wasn’t farmed anymore.

After a short walk down a paved road we went through another farm gate and started climbing through a pasture. I had known by the far out app a comment somebody made about stopping if you’re a nobo and turning around and looking.

As you climb up a hill your tendency is to look down. Here if you stop and look back you see this spectacular scene. Open green fields giving way to woods and small mountains. The same woods we just come from.

Fence Climbing

We re-entered some woods and then came out by a small river. We had to climb up and over many fences using fence ladders. The area was private land with just an easement for the AT. So no camping was allowed. We eventually made it to Possum Creek where we called it a night.