Pack up at the hostel with the intent of leaving town. A mail drop from Bozeman is still not in so I wait with Dan and Live at the Hikers Ridge Ministries. Queen Diva is the trail angel in charge of this wonderful institution. She bakes cookies for and takes pictures of hikers coming through and is all around just a good human being. We would watch her facebook page later on through the hike to see how many hikers were coming through.
Its getting later and later on in the afternoon. My mail drop still hasn't come in. Word of the community dinner reaches our ears. Sunbear, Packrat, Dan, live, and I decide to stick around to eat and then night-hike out of town to avoid lodging costs on one more night in town. What a great idea.
Many friends show up for the community dinner. At 7:30 the sun starts to fade and five thru-hikers head up the mountain. This is my first night hike, and the first of many great night hikes. It starts off with a beautiful sunset over beauty spot.
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| Sunset over Hot Springs, NC |
I hadn't met Packrat until today, but he shares wild stories from his previous through hikes including my personal favorite about the time he was taking a vow of silence and got pulled over by the cops for crossing the Bear Mountain Bridge too many times. He also talks about frequently pulling off trial to explore for caves. Dan renames him sling blade for his accent and appearance and every time we pass a cave together we call out for Packrat. He is a good kid, I imagine he is consistently misunderstood. I don't quite understand him...
A moment that will stay with my for the rest of my life takes place as we are resting on a bench by a small pond. The frogs are out, but all else is silent. Delirious but full invested in the spirit of the hike, Dan whips out "Freaks come out at night" an 80s rap song by Whodini. This song perfectly captures this moment, and would become the theme of many night hikes to come.
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