Kevin's AT Thru Hike

Day 39, Sunday, 4/24 – I learned this morning that Phil is getting off trail in a few days. It can be difficult to put your life on hold to thru hike the AT. Phil has a significant other back home, and wants to focus his efforts on the relationship. He’s a good dude, and I wish him the best!

In mid-March, as I was driving down to Georgia to start my adventure, I called my friend Adam. We talked about his adventure in New Zealand when he was younger. He essentially told me that there would be times when the stars align and that things would work out in ways that I wouldn’t be able to predict. Today is a perfect example of that phenomenon.

A few days ago, before Willow got off trail, we were talking about music. It just so happens that Willow and I both share the same favorite band, the String Cheese Incident. It also just so happens that the String Cheese Incident is playing in Asheville this weekend, which is only an hour from Boots Off. It also just so happens that Willow’s Mom, Mary, is in town. Willow and Mary had tickets and were planning on going to tonight’s show. But then, over the past couple days, plans started to formulate for more of us to go into Asheville.

Miraculously, the plans materialized and Willow, Mary, Sprite, Genie, Splitzy, and I all went to Asheville to see the String Cheese Incident today!

Mary and Willow picked us up from Boots Off around 11:00am and we drove to Asheville. Before the show, Sprite, Genie, Splitzy, and I all got sushi. I typically have an insatiable appetite, and gorge when I’m in town. It felt good to stuff myself with healthy food for a change.

After sushi, we got coffee and gelato at restaurants next door to the sushi restaurant. I’ve never been to Asheville before, but I like it. There’s a lot of restaurants and coffee shops, and the city seems walkable.

Sprite’s friend Anthony lives in Asheville and met up with us again. He also got a ticket for tonight’s show when Sprite told him that we were all going. Before the show, we all went to Trader Joe’s to resupply some of the essential items.

Unfortunately, vegetables are too heavy to pack out, so I only really eat them when I’m in town. I try to eat as much vegetables as possible when I’m in town to make up for the days on trail when I don’t eat vegetables. Today, like other town days, involved me aggressively eating a pound of carrots.

After food, coffee, dessert, and resupply, we all went to the concert. For those who don’t know, I have been into the live music scene since high school. I have seen something like 50 String Cheese Incident concerts over the past dozen years. Similar to life on the AT, there is a distinct sub-culture and community surrounding concerts and music festivals. It was surreal to go into Asheville with the AT trail family and go to a Cheese concert.

It was surreal because I have been living AT life for over a month. But then, all the sudden, I felt like I was dropped into another world. I was surrounded by tie dyes and live music, yet I was with my trail family introducing myself to strangers as Double Check. It was bizarre that I had hiked 15 miles yesterday, and that I intend to hike 16+ miles tomorrow. It was bizarre knowing that I was going back to Boots Off to sleep in my hammock after the show. I’ve never experienced such a pronounced combination of sub-cultures.

The band put on a great show. Everyone was dancing and having an awesome time. Fortunately, the venue had a hard stop at 10:00pm. After the show, Mary drove us all back to Boots Off, and I was in bed just before midnight.

I want to end the entry with a big thank you to Mary. Picking us up from Boots Off, driving us to Asheville for the show, then driving us back after the show was incredibly generous. There’s no way the Asheville experience would have been possible without her.

Good bye Willow! Good luck to you and Amos on the PCT!