AT Day 10

I still wake up early, despite attempting to sleep in. I eat a piece of pizza-yum! for breakfast and get dressed, heading over to the computers to check my email, see who else is around and up. It ends up that the older man we'd met yesterday invites us to breakfast at a buffet in town (Shoney's). Yum yum, more exciting! We're zeroing today, so food is the focus and resupply.

Silver eats more than I do, but i'm not surprised.. my hiker appetite hasn't truly kicked in. Had pancakes and eggs and sausage and bacon and some fruit and a whole second plate after the first.

It's quite a bit of fun, chatting with both of them. They're both ex-military so they get along really well.

We both check the internet when we get back and hear the desk-host person talking to someone at the trailhead-Isabelle and Natalie!

I don't see them come in, but I see Reverend sitting outside his room a little while later, as well as the two girls. They've gotten trail names-Bou & Fro for Boucherie/Boulangerie and Fromagerie. They're also called the picnic sisters, since they love stopping to eat lunch in a pretty spot. (which makes sense to me!)

At some point, a whole bunch of us stand around in a circle in the parking lot-not that there are any cars coming in-and chat, as only hikers who don't know each other very well can do. Another guy with a dog wanders by and (who i will come to know as) Ghost stands off to the side, quiet-which was very normal behavior for him.

Silver and I go for a walk since I've promised him chocolate as an apology for bugging him/walking in his footsteps. No such luck in finding the chocolate shop.

Along the way to resupply, the picnic sisters, Silver and I all stop at a candy store that has just opened and says they have a free candy stick for hikers. Super exciting! I save mine, intending to have it later on.

The lady takes a picture to send to all of us later on. (When I see it, I'm rather horrified. We all look horrible) Silver gets some ice cream confection of peanut butter and other things.. It looks divine.

I walk back after getting groceries, giving Reverend the stuff he asked for and stowing the rest in my room and watching tv while i re-pack it all.  I call home and call some of my friends and then its time for dinner!

Branch and Appleseed never showed up-so we don't know where they are, but they've probably moved on and not come to town.

So, dinner was myself, silver, bou & fro, shakes & reverend and the man whose name I cannot remember. Our waitress was a former thru-hiker who moved to Franklin to help out with the trail, which I thought was neat. Lori from the Appalachian trail conference was eating dinner a table away, which we all thought very interesting. Reverend asked her about his nude picture that had been taken out of a register-she seemed rather flustered about it. (He covered his private area with an AT metal sign thingy)

The whole time was a lot of fun. I went to sleep early that night and slept well again.