Sunday, July 5 9:23 pm 22.1 mi
AT 950.3 Stealth campsite → AT 972.4 Mountain Home Cabin
Weather: Hot and sunny, sunny and rainy simultaneously
Trail Conditions: Crowded and sweaty
My Condition: Sad to say goodbye for now to Fresh Ground
One last breakfast with Fresh Ground – banana pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Read him a silly little poem I wrote:
Fresh Ground Fresh Ground
I say I’m done eating he says here’s another pound
If we keep hiking together I’m going to end up round
If the average person has a gram of kindness he’s got a whole pound
Good ol’ Fresh Ground Fresh Ground
We stayed at the Mountain Home Cabin’s main house, a house from the 1800s. By far the nicest place I’ve stayed – hard wood floors, newly renovated bathrooms, the nicest bed I’ve slept in on trail – and they took COVID very seriously. Pre-screening, contact tracing info, masks in common room areas, lots of rules designed to keep everyone safe. Delicious catfish tacos from a local place, huge Martin’s for resupply. Saw a little kid hiking, who looked up at me and just said, quite loudly, “WOOOW!”
Post Trail Analysis
I seemed to have a strange effect on the kids I crossed paths with during the thru hike. Maybe it was the crazy beard and long, wild hair. Maybe it was the stench. Maybe it’s the way I walk under the weight of a fully loaded backpack. I don’t know what it is, but I had a handful of really funny interactions. This is the first of many!
A day or two ago, Puddles and I sat at a beautiful overlook as she told me about her absolutely adorable tradition of writing poems for the members of her trail family. She was in the process of writing one for Fresh Ground, which was MUCH more elegantly written than my own:
He’s always there around the bend
With food that’s really rad
He’ll stuff you til you cannot walk
He’s our AT Dad
Doesn’t matter what you’re craving
He’s got food for you
Pancakes, hot dogs, sloppy joes
Bear-sized burgers too
He has the kindest heart of gold
All are welcome round
Makes the meanest cup of joe
He’s the legend, Fresh Ground
SOOO GOOD!!! Fresh Ground let us know shortly after we arrived to breakfast that he would be backtracking to feed some of the other hikers behind us. We were sad to see him go, grateful for his cooking and his companionship, and excited that these other hikers were about to experience the Leapfrog Cafe for themselves. I felt bad about taking the lead with my poem since the concept is hers and her poem was so much more eloquent than my own, but I panicked as the meal was winding down, standing up and going for it. I wish that Puddles had been the one to first present the idea, and read hers, since the premise was hers and hers alone. I don’t know if it bothered her, but it nagged at me a bit. As for Fresh Ground, though, he had both Puddles and I write our verses on the precious real estate within his van, where seemingly every inch was already taken up with the signatures of hikers past. I wrote mine on a back side-panel, and Puddles got a well-deserved position of honor on the dashboard! It was hard saying goodbye to someone that really had become our “AT Dad” (I’ll never forget the way he teared up upon hearing Gumby call him that at dinner on July 2), but we knew we’d see him in a few days for the upcoming 4 State Challenge. There’s a ton of time, effort, and resources that Fresh Ground pours into the Leapfrog Cafe, and though it’s donations that allow him to do what he does, it’s the man that truly makes the experience. He’s an absolute legend, and my poem was just a fraction of the thanks that this guy deserves. Pro-hiker tip: pitch in and help wash the dishes. He’ll never ask you to do it, but I promise you that it will be appreciated. He works hard! Show him some love and make his life a little easier.
The Mountain Home Cabin was a lovely experience – I appreciated that the owners took COVID so seriously. There were history binders in our rooms, talking about how the building used to be a plantation home and about its history with having kept slaves. That often feels like ancient history, but it really wasn’t all that long ago. It’s gut wrenching what slaves went through. Here I was, a dirty, smelly thru hiker, able to enjoy a night’s respite in true luxury during my journey, and some of the very men and women that lived and worked their entire lives in servitude to this very plantation would never have been afforded that same level of opportunity and privilege. Experiences like this really shape your perspective, and I do my best to learn from the past so that I can personally do better. We also met Ankit, who was working remotely from here while enjoying the many great day hikes the region has to offer.
Comments