Hiking up Three Ridges Mountain we meet a group of “Trail Maintainers” who are sharing lunch atop a rock outcropping that is just before the summit.
Patrick (the guy in the Feature Photo) informs us that this particular day is a Maintenance Day for their section of the trail… and then he invites us to a big dinner (FREE DINNER) at a close by campground. My old saying is: If it’s FREE… then it’s for ME!
We accept the invitation and are told that we will be picked up at Reeds Gap in a few hours.
We have lunch at the closest shelter and then hike toward Reeds Gap (where we wait for 2.5 hours in the cold pouring rain to be picked up by “Joe”… another Trail Maintainer).
Trust me when I tell you that this MAGNIFICENT MOUNTAIN MAGIC is worth every minute of waiting… every drop of rain… and every low temperature of cold!
The meal is both savory and satisfying : Chicken and Rice Casserole, Cooked Vegetables, Fresh Salad and Home Made Desserts (not to mention that the visiting Thru-Hikers are invited to go through the serving line first).
We are invited to stay the night at the campground and then be shuttled back to Reeds Gap in the morning to continue our thru-hike. Again… we gladly accept the offer.
We set up our tent in a flat grassy area (in the midst of several cars… tents… and a few campers), we take a HOT shower at the Bath House, we eat and enjoy conversations with eager-to-learn hiking enthusiasts… and then back to the tent (just before Hiker Midnight) to get a good night sleep.
While we have enjoyed timely and terrific Trail Magic while on this journey… this was the most MAGNIFICENT MOUNTAIN MAGIC we have experienced thus far.
