D 12

Day 12 4/3

• Miles Traveled: 3.8 (Nero: close to zero miles)
  
• Shelter: Budget Inn in Franklin NC
• High Point: FOOD
• Low Point: Neros aren't nearly long enough (hince the name)

We hiked with a group of 8, headlamps blazing into the night at 6am headed from Rock Gap shelter the 3.8 miles over the mountain to the next shuttle pick up point. This was all in effort not to feel guilty of a zero mile day. The trek was different. It was crazy trekking mountains in the dark. It's like tunnel vision. You are completely focused on where your headlamp is pointing and putting one foot in front of the other. We went through fog and rain on this trip so we were really happy when a shuttle pulled up as we descended the last steps of the mountain. (Magic, as it wasn't supposed to arrive for another 1.5 hours)

We headed into Franklin, checked into the inn and headed to breakfast (it was only 9am) until our rooms were ready. Breakfast was delicious. I had a Dever omelette and Russ had a whole plate of food. Checked into our room, walked a 1.5 mile round trip to resupply and headed out to the outfitter for insoles and then to food. 

We stopped at Outdoor 76 to get me some insoles and meet a friend. 😊🐶 My current superfeet insoles were giving me blisters because the heel cup was smaller than the actual insole. Dumb. Anyways, the new SOLE insoles fit great, I got to love on a chocolate lab and we got a discount in the process. 

After we headed to the Lazy Hiker Brewery. Being Monday, there wasn't much open but we checked the internets and found great reviews of the food truck outside the brewery. I had the best, biggest shrimp Po boy of my life. 

We ate, we drank, and we made good friends.