The fires within the Cohutta Wilderness have damaged over 10 thousand acres of land to date and the smoke from these wildfires can be seen and smelt south of Atlanta!
We are in the worst drought that I have ever experienced in my life! The last rain that Slipper and I have encountered was when we were hiking through the Hundred Mile Wilderness in Maine, and this was during the first few weeks of August. We are in November!
I received a phone text this morning from Highland Dave (a Hiker that we met and hiked with along the Appalachian Trail for several days), who told me that he was now living in Murphy, North Carolina.
Living only a few cities away from Murphy, NC in the North Georgia Mountains, we decided to meet this afternoon for lunch… a SMOKED LUNCH (having to drive through the wildfire smoke of the Cohutta Wilderness.
Like me, Highland Dave has put on a few pounds since his hike, so we meet at Brothers Restaurant in Murphy, NC to add just a few more pounds.
It was great to see and speak with another Hiker who understands and revels in a conversation about tent camping, water filtering, junk food eating, climbing rocks, fording streams, and taking care of blistered feet.
We talked a lot more than we ate… not because of the SMOKED LUNCH, but because for the first time in a long time, someone wasn’t looking at the conversationalist like a deer looking into headlights!
Like on the trail… we understood one another and were captivated by the conversation.
It was great to see my friend again! As for the SMOKED LUNCH, we pray for rain! As for the conversations with a fellow Hiker, we talked so fast and laughed so loud that time seemed to slip away.
When family and friends don’t seem to understand your hiking experiences, talk to a fellow Hiker… over a SMOKED LUNCH.
