Zeros suck

When we ran into our shuttle drivers, Donald and Tyler, at the Hole in the Wall, the happening spot for breakfast in Blairsville, we asked for their input on how to spend our zeros. They recommended touring some waterfalls. We managed to squeeze in one trip to a magnificent waterfall during our busy weekend. We also packed the time with two Bruins games, dinner at the five star restaurant, Copper Door, in Hayesville, and another visit with Scotty Roo -barbecue at Wild Hog and resupply at Ingles.

Positives about the Seasons Inn motel:

• Clean bathtub (seemed clean anyway) and plentiful hot water
• Walking distance to the Hole in the Wall for coffee and breakfast
• Spacious room – handy for airing out gear and getting organized
• Laundry onsite for $3/load

Four or five times more people hike by the vicinity of Blairsville as thru-hikers than there are residents of this tiny town. From the moment I soaked the Leukotape off my feet in my first bath, the quicksand of Blairsville held me firmly. Ordinarily, after growing up in a small Vermont village, I don’t feel such a pull to root into a place like Blairsville. Yet the sedentary life seduced me during these two zeros. I can see how hikers succumb to towns and don’t get back to the trail.

I’m grateful to my dad and K2 for encouraging the broader perspective that got me relaunched.

Well, you are there now so you just have to do it well – even if it is more difficult than you thought it would be. I know you can and I love you. – Dad via text