Chapter 9Town Visits - Saturday, June 23rd to Friday, June 29th
The next morning the party of four arose to the sound of a rooster out in the yard somewhere. Fic was up and out first. Cooking some breakfast on the gas stove. Kent had given them some fresh eggs, and he was frying two of them in the large cast iron skillet that was sitting on the counter. He added some bacon bits to the mix and a slice of cheese. His mouth watered as he watched the egg bubble and sizzle. The other three hikers were lured out of their bunks by the smell, that protruded into the smell of the bunkhouse and drew them to the kitchen building.
Each building had its own peculiar smell. Most a little unsavory, but each was unique. The bunkhouse had the slight odor of piss. The kitchen had an odd smell near the sink. Kinda swampy or mildewy. The shower/laundry room had a different grade of damp smell. Each of these gave the farm an interesting aura. This place was legendary to the hikers of the trail. It had been around for several years and most hikers who come through have a story to tell about Standing Bear.
The foursome were sitting around the table in the kitchen like room eating their breakfasts and trading small talk. Gnobbit starts absentmindedly mumming a tune. The tune sounds a lot like the song that Class Room was playing in Fic’s dream. Slowly each of the three turn their heads towards Gnobbit with strange looks on their faces. “What’s that song you are humming, Gnobbit?” Class Room asked with a slightly intense expression on her face.
“Oh, nothing,” Gnobbit replied. “Just something that came to me as I was sitting here eating.” She continues with her breakfast, heedless to the continued stares each are giving her. Eventually the other three hikers go back to scarfing down their food. No one mentions anything else about the song.
Fic hears Brown Shades mumble under his breath, thinking no one can hear “A dwarf and an elf. Together.” Fic smiles at Brown Shades, but says nothing.
The breakfast was fantastic, and all the hikers felt refreshed and ready to get moving. The cold shower had even helped enliven each of the foursome. They packed up and went to settle with Kent.
“You guys really helped me out here. I do appreciate it.” He began. “I’ll tell you what. Just give me what you can spare, but make sure you still have something for up the trail. The ATMs ain’t working and credit cards are useless pieces of plastic now. Cash is king for now.”
Each of the hikers gave all that they had computed, and each still had some cash left, but no one had much. They thanked Kent for his hospitality and gave their best wishes. Class Room and Gnobbit both gave him a little hug which he seemed to appreciate a lot.
The morning started with a climb up Snowbird Mountain. It was a steady climb of right around 2500 feet, but the climb was spread out over four and a half miles. They arrived at the weird-looking tower huffing and puffing, and Fic called for a break.
The tower was a round roof sitting on top of a square building. The roof was offset from the square part to create a porch like overhang in front. Coming from the roof was a funnel looking antenna that resembled a smokestack. A wooden rail fence surrounded the site. No trespassing signs were hung around the building on the fence.
They came up to the fence and dropped their packs. When Gnobbit put hers down, she looked over to her left and saw a man sitting on the other side of the fence. A large, black pack sat beside him, and he was cooking a meal on his stove.
The man appeared short and stout, and his hair was dark, curly and long. His dark beard covered his face, obscuring his mouth. He killed the flame in his stove, stirred what was inside his pot and pulled it off the burner. Just then he noticed the party who had just arrived. He looked at each of them intently for a few seconds, then a smile broke on his hairy face. “Hallo.” He greeted them. “Welcome to Snowbird Mountain. I’m just having a little second breakfast here. Climbing up that mountain made me hungry. I bet you guys are the Party of Four.” He spoke in a brogue that revealed he was not originally from this continent.
He put the pot on the ground and came over to the other hikers. He had large boots on which made his feet look out of proportion to the rest of his short, thick body. His clothes were rough and woolly looking. Mostly of a brownish color. Instead of pants, he wore a kilt. It wasn’t of a bright plaid pattern but was a dark brown and had pockets. Around his neck he wore a large cross that had been carved from a piece of wood. “I’m Rodent Whisperer” He introduced himself. “Does anyone know what is going on in this country?” He asked the group.
The group introduced themselves all around and told Rodent Whisperer what they knew, what they suspected and what they had heard. Once the group was done comparing notes Rodent Whisperer continued. “I have been hiking north. I was behind you guys up in the Smokies. I kept seeing your shelter register entries, Gnobbit.” He said looking over at the young girl and giving her a wink. “You write a nice journal. I had decided to try and catch you all up. I decided to bypass that last hostel, and I guess I did catch you up and passed you late yesterday. The registers are where I first saw Gnobbit referring to your Tramily as the Party of Four. I’m hoping we can change it to Party of Five.” A pleasant smile broke across his face. He looked hopefully at the party.
“Of course you can join us. How far up do you need to go?” Fic affirmed and inquired.
“I rightly don’t know at the moment. I’m over here on a six-month travel visa. I’m from Scotland, if you hadn’t noticed. I was planning on hiking the whole thing, but times have changed and therefore so do plans. I’m really not sure if it is even possible to fly out of the country now.” A worried look crossed his face for a second, but was gone quickly, replaced with a stern stubbornness.
“How are you doing in the food category?” Brown Shades asked.
“I’m doing pretty good. My pack has a lot of space and I have been stocking up on as much food as I can carry when the opportunity presents itself. I was able to sneak into the general store at Fontana Village in the middle of the night, when those crazy bastards were sleeping. They had appeared a little frazzled when I was observing them from the bush. Did you guys have anything to do with that?” He looked at Brown Shades with some respect showing in his dark eyes.
“We might have.” He replied, his own twinkle in his eye shining back.
They joined Rodent Whisperer as he ate his second breakfast, snacking on whatever was handy in their food bags. Some clouds started rolling in as they finished up and the now party of five continued down the trail.
“I guess if we keep adding people to our party, we should just use the Tramily name of The Party.” Gnobbit suggested.
“That sounds perfect.” Rodent Whisperer agreed. The others nodded and smiled. Trying the official group name on their lips. The Party. The optimistic name made them all forget that they now hiked in a dangerous world and many people seemed to be trying to keep them from getting north. From getting home.
The Party traveled another ten miles as the clouds in the sky became thicker and darker. Rain was once again heading to the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee.
Roaring Fork Shelter was a long log structure. Smaller than the shelters in the Smokies, but big enough for The Party. Brown Shades was happy to go back to his hammock for the night. Erecting it between two trees that were near the shelter. The rest of the group spread out inside the shelter. After gathering some wood, Rodent Whisperer pulled out the small hand axe that he kept strapped to the side of his pack. He used it to process the wood into easily burnable pieces. Working with Brown Shades, they had a nice fire going as the forest darkened once again. As they sat around the fire, a light drizzle started to fall around the hikers.
As the drizzle became a light rain, then a heavier shower, they retreated to the shelter to stay dry, as the rain doused the fire with its watery drops. Class Room asked Rodent Whisperer. “How did you become the Rodent Whisperer?”
“It was a funny thing.” Began Rodent Whisperer. “On the third night of this hike, we were all staying in the shelter at Gooch Gap. I was set up in the shelter on one side and as we were trying to sleep, the mice had come out to play. I started talking to them and they seemed to sit and listen to what I was saying. After a while, the mice went away and didn’t bother us the rest of the night. The group were impressed with my mouse wrangling skills and named me Rodent Whisperer. I liked it and adopted it as my trail name.” He finished his story.
Each member of The Party told their origin story and also talked about all the adventures they had experienced so far on this strange hike.
“I saw you were limping a little as we hiked today, Fic.” Rodent Whisperer asked the warrior. “Is that from the pig?”
“Yes. When I was charged, I couldn’t quite get out of the way of his tusks and he opened me up some. It has been getting better, but the soreness comes and goes as we walk.” Fic replied.
“I’m kind of a healer in my village. I serve the old gods and sometimes they work through me.” Rodent Whisperer said mysteriously. “Have you ever heard of Reiki?”
“I have.” Said Fic. “Isn’t it like channeling some universal energy and passing it through a person to help heal and comfort them?”
“That is almost exactly what it is. I’m surprised you know.”
“My wife has studied a lot of the holistic arts. I remember her researching Reiki for a couple of months.”
“If you like, I could check out your wound, and maybe help you out some.”
“Go for it, honorable cleric.” Fic smiled at the Scot and lifted his leg to pull up his pants past the wound.
Rodent Whisperer removed his bandage and checked out the wound. He massaged around the area and then just placed his hands on either side of the gash, an intense look on his face. To Fic, it seemed as if the area around the wound heated up some. The pain began to subside. He didn’t know if it was his imagination of if true power was being wielded through Mouse Whisperer’s hands. This continued for about ten minutes. Next, he put some more antibiotic ointment on the wound and re-bandaged it.
They settled into a comfortable silence in the dark shelter. Brown Shades retired to his hammock. The hanging structure swayed back and forth for several seconds as the Mage found his comfort then it was still. One by one, the hikers retired to their sleeping bags and quilts and within minutes, the snoring of exhausted hikers flowed through the shelter.
The Party was sitting at Deer Park Mountain Shelter. The day was late, and the sun was heading towards the edge of the mountain to the west. They had walked almost fifteen miles today. Fic’s leg felt amazingly good throughout the day. He could hardly tell that he had a large wound on his calf anymore. They had left early and made good time to get to the shelter in the early afternoon. They all rested in the shelter, Brown Shades even putting up his hammock to catch a few z’s before the next challenge was to begin. In three more miles, the trail was going to go through its first town. All the other towns they had passed so far had been away from the trail. Some quite a few miles, but this one was different. It would be hard to avoid the town because they would have to use roads to do that, and the roads were not safe.
They had decided to get through it in the dark of night, to try to avoid detection and getting taken prisoner again. They didn’t know what to expect, but they were going to take every precaution they could. Their weapons were either rudimentary or low on ammo, so getting through undetected was the plan. With about an hour's worth of daylight left in the day, they slung their packs and moved out of the shelter area. They had rested enough and ate a good meal before heading out and after they walked off the stiffness that seemed to always afflict their bodies when they stopped moving, they felt good.
The trail moved steadily downhill with darkness descending onto The Party as they approached the French Broad River valley and the small town of Hot Springs. As they moved along the ridge, they would come to an opening in the forest every once in a while. They could see where the town was, but it was a pretty dark town. The young crescent moon was approaching the western horizon and provided little light. They would use their red head lamps from time to time, but mostly just relied on their night vision to see the trail. They could see some lights sparsely around the town, but there were no streetlights or any sources of illumination coming from most of the houses. They could also see several large bonfires at different places in the town.
They waited about 100 meters up the hill from where the trail entered town and waited for the town to go to sleep. A short time after the moon set, they continued down the last of the trail and came to a road with a parking lot next to it. To their left, about a hundred meters away was the remains of a recently burned to the ground house. “That’s where the Laughing Heart Hostel was.” Fic said. It looks like someone wanted it gone.
They went over to the charred hulk and checked it out. The long low building was no more. It had completely burned. It looks like no fireman came to squirt even one hose on the conflagration. As they checked out the remains, they saw that the large stone and wood lodge behind the hostel had also been torched.
They moved on. The trail joins the road here and continues downhill to the river. They passed the Smoky Mountain Diner. It was dark and empty. Next to it was a Dollar General. The windows had been smashed, and the door was ajar. They decided to check it out. It was a mess inside, but they were all able to grab a few things that hadn’t been destroyed or ruined to supplement their food bags.
They continued on through the very small heart of ‘downtown’. Past the welcome center which didn’t appear very welcoming and the post office that was also a burned-out shell. The outfitters and the tavern. Everything was dark and quiet. Not a soul was around.
They crossed the small bridge over a creek and continued towards the railroad tracks. After crossing the tracks, the road turned a bend. They could see light up ahead. There was also the low rumble of generators.
The Party slowly and carefully moved along the side of the street. Passing an old train caboose on their right, they veered toward it to keep to the shadows. As they turned the bend, they saw a wall of cars. They had been stacked across the road where the bridge spanned the river below. Light shown down the road towards the hikers and all around the bridge area. They could see men dressed in military uniforms moving around on the other side of the barricade. They couldn’t go any further without walking into the middle of what was most likely the enemy. They were trapped. Up ahead, about 50 meters was a white sign with green lettering. As they approached the sign, they saw it said, Hot Springs Resort and Spa. Under that it said, Campground open all year. In smaller print, below that, it said, Canoe and Kayak rentals, see camp host.
They followed the gravel road that led into the dark campground. When they got to the check in booth, they noticed a few dim lights in the cabins in front of them. The flicker of a flashlight could be seen about 400 meters away, illuminating a person walking through the campground. “This camp is occupied.” Rodent Whisperer softly spoke to Fic.
“It must be where those guys on the bridge are sleeping.” Replied Fic. The campground as a whole appeared to be settled down for the night. There weren’t very many lights, and they couldn’t tell if there were guards posted.
“We have to go the other way, anyway.” Whispered Gnobbit. Holding up a copy of the Resort map she had picked up at the check in booth. The map including the campground, spa buildings and boat rental area. “It is across the road and up towards the spa area.” She added.
They retraced their steps back to the road and hunkered down next to caboose for a minute. There was an opening in the fence at the corner of the property and a crosswalk that lead across the road. They walked that way and crossed the road, out of sight of the men at the bridge.
Across the road was a line of trees next to the railroad tracks and a gravel road leading to a large building. They paralleled the road on the grassy area and came to the spa building. A small sign pointed the way to the boat rental area.
There were about twenty kayaks and fifteen canoes stacked next to the river. They found two canoes and lifted them, taking them to the water’s edge. Gnobbit came over with four paddles in her arms. Handing one to Fic and two to Rodent Whisperer. “Here ya go RW.” She said.
Rodent Whisperer handed one of the paddles to Brown Shades. “You’re with me Professor.” He said, dumping his pack into the canoe on the left.
Gnobbit went with Fic and Class Room got into the middle of Rodent Whisperer’s canoe.
“The plan is to get across the river before the bridge and go around the bridge back to the trail. It looks like there is a road on the other side.” Fic relayed the plan.
They pushed off and headed out into the dark river. It was completely dark out there. The moon was gone, and clouds had rolled in, filling the sky lowering the ceiling quite a bit. The water bubbled and churned merrily. The current was swift here. They could hear the sound of rapids on the other side of the bridge.
The hikers with the paddles started paddling to get across, but it became clear quite quickly that the current wasn’t going to make this an easy task. They were headed towards the bridge.
Everyone realized at the same time that they weren’t going to make the other shore so easily and the plan adjusted immediately to a silent pass under the bridge.
As they approached the upstream side of the bridge, they stopped actively paddling and just steered the canoes to pass under the bridge. No one appeared to be looking down at the river from the bridge. Most of the activity was at the two ends of the bridge and the lights were shining towards the roads on either side, leaving the churning river dark to the night sky. The canoes entered the even darker shadow of the bridge and passed under their enemies.
They came out on the other side. The sound of rapids was much louder now. Gnobbit could see a slight glimmer of white water up ahead. She pointed it out to Fic, and he signaled that they need to paddle and make the other shore before those rapids.
Everyone dug in. They passed through a small example of what was ahead and pushed harder. Twenty meters from the white line of rapids, they made it to the shore next to each other. There was a small sandy area, and they quickly jumped out and pulled the canoes out of the current. They had made it.
They pulled the canoes into the brush and bushwhacked to the trail, which was just beyond the thick reeds next to the river. The trail followed the river for a few 100 meters then it started up the other side of the valley. Long switchbacks brought them up away from the river, climbing back up, above 2000 feet. The Party continued along, once again night hiking to put some distance between the bad guys and The Party. After about two more hours, they came to a clearing that had space for several tents and trees to hang hammocks. A large fire ring dominated the center of the campsite and there were even a couple logs and rocks that worked as crude seats.
They set up their tents and hammock in silence and immediately rolled into their sleeping bags to try to sleep. It had been an extremely long and stressful day. They had hiked the length of a marathon today. Their longest day so far, but they had made it through a trail town and had avoided being spotted or captured.
“I’ll take the first watch.” Rodent Whisperer said. “I was well rested when you found me and am still a little excited from the canoe ride. I’m not a fan of water.”
Fic handed him the shotgun and threw a soft salute his way. “I’ll relieve you in a few hours.” He said.
Town days used to be something hikers looked forward to. Fic thought to himself as he slid into his bag and zipped his bivvy shut. Now it’s get in and get out without any trouble. This world had become really fucked up. He rolled over in his sleeping bag and fell asleep very quickly.
The crickets sang their song and the other night sounds resumed as the camp settled into an uneasy slumber. In a few more days, they would have to do this all over again as the descended upon Erwin, Tennessee. The next town the trail traversed through.
The Party had been hiking all day. The rain had started at about noon and, it had been steady for the last five hours. Slowly soaking into everyone’s rain gear. Everyone was wet and miserable. They had hiked about eighteen miles so far, but they still had several miles to go to get to the next shelter. The day was darkening prematurely due to the rain and thick overcast.
They crossed a small dirt road and could see down the road a light coming from the window of a cabin that they could just make out in the forest. They stood talking. Wondering how that cabin had power and if there was anyone there.
From the other side of the road, a voice said. “That’s my cabin.” They looked over to where the voice had come from, surprise on all of their faces. Before them stood a tall man in a long poncho. Next to him sat a large fluffy dog. Its fur was wet from the rain, but it didn’t look uncomfortable. “You all look like a bunch of drowned rats. You should come visit with me for a spell. I have a nice fire going and I also have food.” He offered. “And beer.” He added. The man was tall with long blond hair going to gray. His beard was of medium length and matched his head. He was of a stocky build and he moved his body easily, with an interesting agility. He walked up to them, the dog keeping pace at his knee, its tail wagging slowly, and motioned for them to follow. He was wearing a long poncho that covered his large bulk. The bill of a ball cap protruded from the hood of the rain gear.
“I’m Paul. Paul Thomas and this here is Copper.” He pointed to the dog. “Welcome to my mountain.”
The vote was unanimous to head to the cabin, and they followed the man to his abode.
As they approached the building, they were now sure that electric light was coming out of the window. “Do you have electricity, sir?” Asked Brown Shades.
“I do. It is provided by the sun. I have a clearing behind the cabin, and I have an array of a thousand watts that provides me with all the power I need. Except when the weather is like this, but I have a hefty battery bank, which can last a couple of days.” The man explained.
They all entered the cabin, removed their packs and rain gear and went to sit around the large fire that was burning in a large cast iron wood-burning stove. The dog shook off a lot of the water, spraying the guests, but no one minded. They all felt like doing the same thing. Paul removed his poncho and they saw he had his own shotgun strapped to his chest on a one point sling. It had been unnoticeable under the poncho. He grabbed an old towel and helped dry the large Golden Doodle’s fluffy, thick fur.
The hikers were ready to change out of their wet hiking clothes and change into their dry camp clothes.
“I have plenty of hot water. The bathroom is down that hallway.” He pointed out.
“Ladies first.” Brown Shades offered to the two women, who promptly gathered their stuff, heading down the hallway. Class Room heading in first, while Gnobbit arranged her clothes and waited her turn.
The cabin had an interesting decor. There were a lot of things all over the place. Not quite in the hoarder category, but you could tell Paul liked to collect things. In the kitchen area there were no less than fifteen cast iron skillets of several sizes. On the shelves Fic counted three old coffee grinders, two cheese graters, two flour sifters, at least a dozen spatulas of various sizes and styles and many other things. Each couch or chair had a hand-knitted Afghan blanket and in the corner of the living room there was an ancient stereo system with an actual turntable. Next to the turntable was a large collection of vinyl records.
Paul started gathering various meats, cheeses and other ingredients from his refrigerator and pantry and started to make a meal that would warm them all up and make them feel better. He was making from scratch mac and cheese with chicken and ham mixed in. Just thinking about it made everyone’s mouth water with anticipation.
Paul also pulled out several brown bottles with no labels “I make my own beer. This is an amber ale that I call rust belt ale. If you are thirsty, this will do the trick.”
Everyone popped a cap except for Rodent Whisperer and the murmurs of approval came from all around.
As dinner was being made, The Party each took their turn, taking a quick shower and putting on dry clothes. The front porch was screened in, and that area became the make-shift laundry drying room. A piece of paracord was run from two of the posts and damp, dripping hiking clothes started growing on it like a vine. After each shower, another set of clothes grew there. The hikers comfortably spread out and checked out the place. It was so nice being indoors for a change. Feeling safe and getting warm. It raised everyone’s spirits by several degrees.
Class Room and Gnobbit sat by the stereo and started looking through the albums. They found one that looked interesting and put it on the turntable. Gnobbit fired up the power and put the needle on the turning disk. Soft sounds of blues music came flowing out of the speakers. Everyone was content. Class Room pulled out Yuk, and started strumming along with the music. Matching the melody perfectly.
Copper had become quite attached to Gnobbit. Following her everywhere she went. Gnobbit returned the affection by giving the big dog lots of scratches behind her ears and rubbing her tummy when she rolled over onto her back.
The rain continued to fall, and The Party sat in the cabin and enjoyed the evening. The woods grew dark, and the wind picked up some. Everyone was so happy to not have to be out in that weather. I take each day as it is given. Thought Fic. But leaving this day outside, while I’m inside, safe, warm and dry is nice every once in a while.
After the meal, Paul showed them his extra room. It had two sets of bunk beds placed in an L shape in one corner of the room. It was a large room, with a small dresser up against the wall opposite the beds. “Most of you guys can sleep here. That large couch in the living room is also pretty comfy. Sometimes I just sleep there instead of heading to my cold room. The stove keeps that room pretty toasty on nights like this.” Paul said.
Gnobbit moved to the top bunk of the beds on the right. Throwing her quilt up on the bed. Class Room was below her. Brown Shades across from Class Room and Rodent Whisperer put his stuff on the other top bunk. Fic claimed the couch. He also planned on taking the first watch. Even though everything felt safe. There were still dangerous people out there. Possibly looking for them.
After everyone was content with their bed choice, they all returned to the warm living room and talked about the situation the world had become.
“I have a ham radio down in the basement and I have been trying to find out what has been going on. I haven’t left this mountain since everything went down. More than three weeks. I’m pretty self-sustainable here, but eventually, I will need to find more supplies.” Paul started. “It seems that guy, Richard Flaherty, aka The Boss, has created quite a stir in this country and the world. He is the leader of some para-military group called The Regime. They had infiltrated a lot of areas, including the military and some government. He somehow got his hands on several nuclear bombs and executed a coordinated attack on the United States. Setting off the devices in at least a dozen large cities. Taking out so much infrastructure, that a very large portion of the country is now without electricity, cells service and so many other things, that the country is in chaos. Washington DC is ashes, the president unaccounted for, but presumed dead at this time.” Paul told all that he knew.
“There is a large resistance that had sprung up immediately, made up of people like you and me, who just want things to calm down, but refuse to be subject to that asshole’s Regime. They have been helping me and I have been helping them.”
Fic told Paul the goals of The Party and where each of them was trying to get to. “We will certainly help the Resistance whereever we can. They seem to have the same ideals as us.”
“I’ll give your directions to a guy I have been talking to in Erwin. He may be able to help you out when you skirt that town.” Paul offered. “His name is Charlie.”
“That would be great.” Fic smiled. “Any help we can get is appreciated.”
Soon everyone was yawning. Paul’s beers had been very tasty, and he had kept pulling more out of the fridge and even went down to his basement to restock the refrigerator after a while. Gnobbit and Class Room retired first, quickly followed by Brown Shades. Rodent Whisperer hadn’t drunk any beer. Instead, he drank the iced tea that Paul had offered as an alternative. He drained his glass, with the ice tinkling at the bottom. A luxury that none of The Party had been able to enjoy for some time. Stood, thanked Paul for his hospitality and headed to the last bunk in the bedroom.
Fic and Paul finished their last beers at the same time and Paul took his leave to his small room at the other end of the hall. Fic checked the action of the shotgun, placed it on the floor just below the couch, then lay back on the couch, pulling his bag next to him. It was warm enough inside that he didn’t need to get inside the bag.
He fell asleep to the muffled sounds of the large logs cracking and popping in the wood stove. Copper lay on her bed next to the couch. She would maintain the watch for the night. Warning of anyone approaching this remote cabin in the woods.
The rain had appeared to stop during the night, but it was falling again as the hikers came out of their room, rubbing the night’s grub out of their eyes. Paul had been up for a while and was cooking bacon and eggs in two large cast iron skillets. A delicious smell wafted through the cabin. There was also a large pot of coffee percolating on the stove. Another antique of Paul’s that still functioned perfectly. Everyone feasted.
The Party were all sitting around the long butcher block kitchen table, feeling full and content. “Ya know, a zero day might be perfect for today,” Paul said. “That rain looks like it will be around all day. I have plenty of food here and I even have some to spare, if you need some resupply.”
It took about two minutes for everyone to agree that it was time for a day without hiking. Or more precisely hiking zero miles. Hence the name zero day. They had all been hiking every day for about three weeks straight. Their bodies were getting stronger each day, but the wear and tear was still taking its toll. Even though delaying the trek would put them a little behind in their quest to get home, they needed to keep their bodies capable of hiking those remaining miles.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning the rest of their clothes, repairing their gear and adding some food that Paul offered them for their food bags. They listened to music the whole day. Sampling the eclectic collection that Paul had gathered from old record stores, yard sales and flea markets. Every once and a while, Class Room would play a song or two. Her voice was like silk, and she was very talented. Gnobbit even performed her first song. One Class Room had taught her when they sat together the last few days and Class Room did her thing, teaching the pupil. The music, both from the old turntable and from Yuk, soothed all the hikers’ souls. Even Paul had a content smile as he listened to the hikers sing their songs.
Paul came up to Fic as he was cleaning the shotgun. He held out his hand. There were five shells in his hand. “I don’t have a lot of ammo to spare, but you can have these. It is a mishmash of shot sizes, but all 12 gauge.” Paul offered.
Fic took the shells, putting three of them in the magazine and the other two in the belt pouch of his pack. They now had seven shells, much better than the two they had when they discovered this Rivendell of a sanctuary, with an old Elven lord taking care of them. “I really appreciate this, Paul,” Fic said. We have a long way to go and who knows what dangers await us. Having some fire power makes me feel a lot better. We won’t forget your hospitality and kindness.”
The rest of the day was spent relaxing and eating and relaxing some more. Everyone took a nap during the day. It was glorious and decadent.
After another fine dinner and a few more beers the hikers were relaxing around the wood stove. Paul brought out an old VCR player and a stack of movies on VHS. They watch Caddyshack. Laughing at the old, tired jokes of Chevy Chase and Bill Murray.
As darkness fell, and the movie ended, the hikers of The Party once again retired to their perspective bunks and spent another night, safe, warm and dry.
It was nice to take this break, but already Fic could feel an antsiness that wanted him to keep walking. Back to his family up north. Back home.
Morning found the rain gone. Fic was tightening the straps on his pack. Everything was ready to go. He was ready to go. The rest of the Party was all packed up too. It was time to get back on trail. After another large breakfast, they took their leave of Paul. Gnobbit had started calling him Elrond in honor of the leader of that mystical redoubt in the mountains from the Lord of The Rings Trilogy. Paul seemed to like it. “Bye, Elrond. We are forever in your debt.” She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on his bearded cheek. He blushed a little and gave her a hug.
Elrond said to Fic. “I contacted Charlie yesterday. He said to meet him at dusk in two days at the old Uncle Johnny’s Hostel. It’s right next to the trail as you come down from the ridge. He’ll be waiting at the back of the property where there is a pavilion for hammocks.”
“Roger that.” Replied Fic.
The others each said their goodbye to the humble mountain man. Thanking him for his hospitality and hoping to return one day when this is all over and hang out some more.
They walked back to the trail and continued north. Elrond and Copper stood on the road where he had walked them back to the trail, watching them disappear back into the woods. Copper let out a farewell bark as they stared up a rise and turned a corner in the trail. Fading into the still dripping forest.
Unlike the past two days, this day was spectacular. The sun was shining with only a few perfect fair weather clouds floating towards the east like large sailing ships in the sky.
The day’s hike was the usual challenge. The biggest challenge of the day was heading over Bald Mountain. The wind at the top was whipping across the bald, stealing the heat from the hikers. They continued on and arrived at the shelter about five hundred feet below the top. Fic wanted to get back on track, so he encouraged everyone to hike another long day after their lazy, decadent, zero. Everyone was feeling good, and they completed the twenty-five miles with no problems. He also wanted to make sure they made their rendezvous with this Charlie guy, that Paul had arranged for them.
The shelter was long and had two levels. The Party picked their spaces and set up their beds. Brown Shades walked off, circling the shelter to find some useful trees. He was set up quickly and back at the table for dinner.
The fire in the pit in front of the shelter was comforting after enduring the winds of the bald. Another long day walking north was done.
The Wood Thrush announced his agenda of the day as the forest lightened with the approaching dawn. Fic sat up in the shelter and looked out into the morning. They had to get to Erwin tonight at dusk. It was around seventeen miles to Erwin. They needed to time their arrival with darkness. They wanted to be able to meet Charlie at the hostel.
The day’s hike was uneventful, and they found themselves losing elevation again as they approached the Nolichucky River. As the trail wrapped around a ridge, a view opened up to the northwest. You could see the streets of the town off about three miles or so. They wouldn’t have to walk through the center of town, like they did in Hot Springs, but the town was still close, and they could see some lights in windows of the houses in the distance.
Dusk had settled on the area when The Party came down to another road. There had been about twenty switchbacks on the way down the mountain. A waxing gibbous moon hung in the sky behind them. Providing some guiding light, but not a lot.
The trail turned left onto the road and headed towards a bridge that spanned the river. Straight ahead was Uncle Johnny’s Hostel.
They approached the cluster of buildings and passed into the shadow of the covered porch. They followed a pea gravel path around the side of the main building and saw several small buildings beyond in a yard like area. At the back of the yard, a shadowy pavilion stood in silence.
The Party moved to the pavilion and gathered into a circle. Looking around silently in the darkening yard.
“Hello.” Said a voice in the shadows. “You guys are right on time. I’m guessing you are the ones known as The Party.” The man finished, walking out of the shadow of the corner.
“I’m Charlie.” He said. “Cleveland Charlie.”
Cleveland Charlie was a big man. His girth was great and his stature on the tall side. He wore a ball cap with an emblem of an Indian. The mascot of the Cleveland Indians. His face was full. A little on the chubby side and he wore wire-rim glasses. There was a scruff of beard on his face, but it was sparse as if it was still deciding if it was a beard or just several days’ growth. “Follow me.” He said softly.
Charlie walked across the yard towards the road. They passed through an opening in the fence, and he turned left, walking along the split-rail fence. Keeping in the shadows.
At the end of the small gravel parking lot they were skirting, there was a patch of grass, then a very small cabin. Charlie led The Party to the brown, dilapidated structure. He unlocked the green door and stepped inside, motioning for them to follow.
When everyone was in the dark cabin, Charlie shut the door and struck his lighter. He found a small candle on a table next to a window which was shuttered and curtained. He lit the candle and returned it to the table. As the flame of the candle started drinking the melted wax, its flame grew larger, dimly revealing the decor of the tiny cabin. There was a twin bed at the far end, also under a darkened window. A couch and easy chair were arranged in the remaining space and next to the table was a kitchen sink and a small refrigerator and stove.
The group dropped their packs and spread out on the various sitting arrangements. Rodent Whisperer sitting cross-legged on the floor. Charlie opened a cabinet and pulled out a half gallon bottle of Old Crow. He grabbed a handful of small solo cups and poured seven measures of whiskey. He passed it around to the sitting hikers. Everyone took one except Rodent Whisperer. He shook his head and said, “No Thanks.”
Charlie turned around the one chair at the kitchen table facing it towards his guests and sat down. “Paul estimated your arrival accurately. I had only been waiting for about fifteen minutes. I’m Cleveland Charlie and I’m here to help you on your trek. The Resistance is growing, and we can use all the help we can get.”
“The Cleveland Charlie?” Fic asked. “The nine-time repeat offender of the AT?” Fic was a little awestruck as he checked the old man out, a smile coming to his face.
“Ten now.” Corrected Charlie. “I did one more after donating that pack to Mountain Crossings, but that was the last one. My knees finally told me enough is enough, so I found a different way to serve the trail. I now help hikers along the way with advice and such. I know a lot about the trail.”
“Does that pack look familiar?” Fic asked pointing to the pack he had been wearing since Mountain Crossings way back in Georgia.
“Why, that is old Phobos.” Charlie replied. “I thought it looked familiar. What happened to your old pack?” A quizzical look changed his expression.
“It was the wrong color.” Fic said a little evasively. “I needed something that would blend in a little better and would be durable and yours had proven results. I actually saved it, because while we were there, sleeping in the hostel, some of those fake army guys came and torched the building. It would have burned with all the other scattered gear and broken shelves.”
“Ah, the fake army guys. Those are Flaherty’s men. Most of them are real army, just gone rogue and are supporting and fighting for The Boss. They are making our job a lot harder to do.” Charlie explained.
“So, you said that your pack was old Phobos. Is that a name for your pack?” Fic asked.
“Yes.” Charlie said laughing. “I used to name all my packs. I named that one Phobos after the Greek god Ares’ son. It means fear. There is a saying out here on the trail, when we are trying to find the best way to lighten our load, that ‘you carry your fears.’ This usually leads to you carrying too much ‘just in case.’ Since I was carrying that pack, the name felt right. It reminded me to think about what I put in there. The only piece of gear that weighs nothing is the stuff you leave behind. I would ask myself; do I need this or does my fear want it? If I couldn’t answer the first question with a yes, it stayed behind.”
They spent the next hour telling their stories and hearing Charlie’s own tale. The Resistance had started a day after the bombs dropped and had been growing fast. The people didn’t want this kind of leadership and they were going to fight it as long as they could.
“I have some food to spare. MREs, we stole from the Flarmy as we are calling Flaherty’s rogue soldiers. I’m sorry that I don’t have much more.” Charlie pulled out a box from under the table. “Take what you need, leave what you don’t.”
The group started looking through the box. Taking a few items and adding them to their food bags.
Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out two shells. Twelve gauge slugs. He handed them to Fic. “For your 870”
Fic took the shells and put them in his pocket. “Thanks,” he said. “We need all we can get. This is our only firearm for now.”
“I was wondering if you guys want to help out the Resistance?” Charlie continued with a rise in his voice. “We have been using the trail, just like you guys, to move information up and down the trail. Spreading the word, moving supplies where the Flarmy can’t see them. We got ourselves our own Ho-Chi-Minh trail here in Tennessee. Our courier hasn’t returned from a trip north and we need to send an important message up to the Greasy Creek Hostel about twenty-four miles north along the trail. If you wouldn’t mind delivering it. I’m sure they would appreciate it and also help you along like I’m doing. They are one of the Resistance’s safe houses.”
“It would be a pleasure to do our part.” Replied Fic. It would be good to have a side-quest to think about. That way the long distance that still remained between him and his family, his primary quest, wouldn’t keep nagging him each step he took north.
“Luckily, the bridge over the Nolichucky River isn’t blockaded like down in Hot Springs, so you just need to cross it and re-enter the woods. I’ll walk with you a bit. It’s a little over four miles to a nice shelter up the ridge. With the moon, you should be able to make your way there without too much problem.”
Everyone readied their packs and after Charlie checked outside, they exited the small building and walked back towards the Hostel and then the bridge. Their packs were pretty full now, with all the help they had been getting lately. Fic knew the food wouldn’t last long, but it was good to know they wouldn’t have to worry about being hungry for a few days at least.
The dark river was moving swiftly below the bridge as The Party crossed it quickly. Trying to physically will themselves to be invisible to any watching eyes. After crossing the bridge, the trail dove once again into a tree-covered path. Hiding their presence. After following the trail along the river for a couple hundred meters, the trail turned and crossed a set of railroad tracks.
“This is as far as I go.” Charlie said. “You guys be careful and godspeed to you.” He fist bumped each of the hikers in turn. Bopping Fic last. “I can tell that you seem to be the leader of this troop. I’m guessing you have some kind of leadership skills from… your job?” Charlie’s questioning look and raised eyebrows clearly wanted for Fic to fill in that blank where the pause was.
“I’m active duty Army.” Fic admitted. “I was on a training mission with my men when all of this went down. If there are rogue army betraying their oath and country, I didn’t know about it beforehand. This all took us by surprise, and I lost my men. Some from being killed by the Flarmy as you call them and some by locals, thinking we were Flarmy and using the tried-and-true method of shooting first and asking questions later. I didn’t stick around to answer their questions, but it lost me the rest of my men. We were scattered without a rendezvous plan.” Fic told his story that he had left out earlier. “I try to keep that part of me on the down low. I’m just trying to get home to my family now. The army is secondary until I complete that mission. Especially if I am not in on the rogue army’s plans.”
“It’s all good.” Replied Charlie. “We all have something that we need to keep on the down low. God knows, I sure do.”
The Party all nodded at Charlie, turned and walked up the trail on the other side of the tracks. It continued along the river but gained elevation steady as it once again climbed up to the top of the ridge.
The moon was approaching the western mountain when they arrived at the shelter. Everyone was tired from another long day, so they all just spread out in the shelter and went to sleep. Fic lay there on his sleeping pad, his eyes growing heavy, thinking about Lori and the kids. How were they doing? Were they having any problems? Were they still thinking about me, hoping that I would be home soon? As sleep took him, his dreams tried to answer some of those questions.