Miles: 343.8 | The push into Erwin is fueled by pure need — hunger, exhaustion, and the promise of town. Twelve miles never felt so long as I stumble in lightheaded, cranky, and barely holding it together, my pack still fighting me with a hip belt that just won’t fit. Plans shift from Uncle Johnny’s to a shared hotel room, complete with a generous ride in the back of a pickup and the luxury of real showers. After a missed shuttle turns into free trail magic, the night delivers exactly what I’ve been craving: enchiladas, a margarita, giant glasses of water, and a Walmart resupply. Clean skin, a hot tub soak, and the relief of being off trail settle my nervous system — a much-needed reset before whatever comes next.
We stopped into Uncle Johnny’s as we passed and bought a few things. I decided to try eating Mountain House meals for this week to see if it helped me feel better and if I could actually eat a whole dinner. They were expensive but I hoped it would be worth it. I tried on a couple of Osprey packs they had there to see if the hip belt would work before I ordered one. They all had hip belts that were too big and were not interchangeable.
We hiked the 12 miles into town as quickly as we could. I felt very lightheaded, exhausted, and HUNGRY. I was cranky.
I had originally planned to stay at Uncle Johnny’s Hostel but Maverick had already reserved a room for himself at the local hotel and offered to share with me. My pack was still causing me problems. The hip belt was too big.
We walked toward the hotel after we bought our meals and some Gatorade. A man in a truck pulled up beside us on the road and offered to drive us the rest of the half mile to the hotel! We gladly accepted and got in the bed of the truck. When we got to the hotel we unpacked our packs and aired out our gear. We showered and put all our dirty clothes into one sleeping bag liner so that we could do laundry the next day.
Uncle Johnny’s had told us they would pick us up on their 5pm shuttle. They forgot about us. We called to remind them and they ended up giving us a ride for free to the Walmart plaza!
We went to the Tex-Mex restaurant there and I got my margarita and some enchiladas! They also gave us GIANT glasses of water. After dinner we went to Walmart and got the rest of our resupply food, vitamins, and some toiletries.
I showered again when I got back to the hotel. I took my time this go around and scrubbed the mud out of my toes, shaved my legs and armpits, and washed my face. I felt so much better. We used their hot tub before bed.