Saturday, June 25th

Laurel Creek Shelter (675.2 mi) to Four Pines Hostel (704.5 mi)

Hiking Miles: 29.3

Total Ascent: 6,096.8 ft

Total Descent: 6,969.2 ft

Total Grade: 446.8 ft/mi

Steps: 67,841

We accomplished our goal of reaching 29 miles for the day (60 miles in two days) but it wasn’t until we arrived at the Four Pines Hostel at 9 pm, with the last half hour requiring our phones and headlamps to guide us through the darkness. Overall, with the exception of perhaps the last 8 miles, it was a pleasant day of hiking. We saw many interesting sights (open fields with hay bales, an old broken down shelter, a few deer, etc.).

I hiked much of the trail with Smiles and we had good conversations along the way. I learned many good things about him and his family. We met an interesting couple who had stopped for a lunch break on a bench, so Smiles and I joined them.

Also during the day Stephen had gone ahead of the pack to catch Double Trouble, so they could order food in Catawba (we read it on Far Out) at a grocery store that was closing at 9 pm. It was located down the road about a half mile from the Four Pines Hostel where we had planned to stay for the evening. When they met up, they both stopped at Trout Creek where a “Trail Magician” (his term) by the real name Jason was chilling all day; he was offering cold beers, sodas and watermelon to hikers who stopped and talked. He was also encouraging hikers to soak their feet in the cool water.

While there, they both met a lady named “Mama Ozark” (another Trail Angel) who stopped by that spot on occasion to take hikers’ packs to the Four Pines Hostel to lighten their load for the remaining 8 miles of trail leading there. This was especially welcoming when that stretch of trail included difficult maneuvering through Dragon’s Tooth.

Stevie & DT came up with the brilliant idea of having Mama Ozark drive Stevie’s pack to the hostel, then Stevie would carry mine the rest of the way when I finally showed up. That was extremely thoughtful and I appreciated their generosity, especially after hiking 21 miles at that point. The unfortunate thing was that Smiles and I had just missed meeting Mama Ozark after she left. Had we arrived five minutes sooner, she could have transported all of our packs. We stayed at the river for another 15 minutes and I downed a delicious “Little Sumpin’ Sumpin Ale”, and chatted with our host.

Meanwhile, Double Trouble forged ahead to reach the grocery store in time to order food for our dinner that evening. A few times, he contacted us along the way warning us of the intense terrain we were about to head into. He said it would be like hiking the Whites, and he wasn’t kidding.

At the onset of the rock hike just past Dragon’s Tooth, I torqued the back of my right knee, and for a split moment I thought my AT hike was over. The pain was sharp and it almost felt like I tore something. But I slowly and deliberately maneuvered my way down and over the rocks, and the pain in my knee eventually eased up. I have to admit, I did curse the trail a number of times along that stretch, and poor Smiles had to hear my ranting.

When we finally arrived at the hostel, we had Gatorade, Yeungling, pizza, donuts, and ham & cheeses sandwiches that Double Trouble had picked up (luckily he was able to hitch hike back to the hostel with all that food and his pack), and we feasted by a campfire built by a bunch of hikers who were also staying at the hostel. One hiker named “Birthday Girl” was a 76 year young woman with pink hair who was remarkably thru hiking the AT! Incredible!

An interesting note about Four Pines was that Tarryn had stayed here overnight when she was on her TransAmerican bike trip in 2017. I slept on a comfy sofa (so did Stevie and Double Trouble), and actually had a descent night’s sleep. I needed it given that tomorrow we would be climbing up to McAfee Knob and another 26 miles of hiking.