We knew there was a hiker cookout waiting for us in Franklin, so we got up early – ready to seize the day. My alarm went off at 6 and by 6:30, McKay and I had each broken down our camp and packed up. We hit the road. 

We had checked the map last night and saw that there was one incredibly steep climb ahead of us for the day before it would be smooth sailing into town. So we stopped for a quick breakfast of cold soaked oatmeal (it’s exactly what it sounds like – an oatmeal packet filled with cold water and best enjoyed paired with a handful of candy) and a water refill before we continued towards the hill we now referred to only as “Hell no.”

We drove up Hell No to a consistent beat. Everytime my left foot struck I thought “burger” and every time my right foot struck, I thought “beer”. We “burger, beer, burger, beer”ed our way up and were soon at the top. The top of the mountain is known for its scenic overlook, but today, all there was to see was a blanket of mist and a few raindrops. The two hikers who had camped on top must have clearly not expect the drizzle – neither had their rain flies up and both looked quite damp. 

The rest of the way into town was a flowing conversation of the food we most craved. Burgers, pizza, sushi, sausages, pasta, cheese cake. We hit all the basic food groups and had built up quite the appetite when we hit the pass where a shuttle would pick us up.

A hiker told us he was about to toss a bagel, “want it?” When we said yes and split it, his buddy asked if we wanted nerds gummy clusters. “Does a bear…” (my mom reads this. I’ll stop there) 

We sat in the parking lot, realizing that we passed the 100 mile mark today! Yay! 

A ride into town brought us to a sporting goods store where I bought more toe socks (surgery impending) and McKay picked up a new pillow. The guys there were great, helping us find what we were looking for and lobbing large discounts our way when we did eventually check out. 

We left our bags there and headed to the camper cookout. We were greeted as we walked in like celebrities. “They’re here!” “We heard you were stuck at rock gap, I was about to hop in my truck and go get you!” “Has anyone ever referred to you as D’Artagnan?”

“Come again” 

“We couldn’t remember your name so we’ve been referring to you as D’Artagnan – hes the guy who joins the musketeers (us) and does a bunch of shit to help them – and you look just like him”

“I hope you know you just got your trail name,” whispered McKay behind my back. 

We spent the rest of the cookout catching up with Dani, Fail, and Lark, and meeting a few others. Lark let us know he was still hurting so was going to fly home for a dental conference and come back in a week – hopefully better than ever. Dani and Fail were also a little battered and, looking at the incoming rain, had decided to do double zeros in town. 

After a burger and a shake for dinner it was a bit hard to head back to camp, but we did. We said good bye to the group and McKay and I headed back to the woods, meeting back up with Old Man and a few others from nights before. 

Key stats:

Miles: 8.5

Elevation gained: 1,500 ft

Trail name: D’Art