The Rest of the story

Maris you stole my line girl! 

So we get into Gatlinburg around 9pm. I quickly check in at the Budget Inn, cheap but fine with me, Christian owned. Vu's a nice guy but I quickly dodge and run. Crank the heater in my room, throw on dry clothes and run like I stole something to a Texas Roadhouse we passed on the way in. Like a six inch hose I virtually inhale a steak, mashatatoes, bread, brocolli, salt, pepper, napkin and 2 beers. The place is loaded with big TV's and I am utterly speechless (I was alone anyway) but felt like I was an alien from another planet watching the news channel. There was this ridiculous protesting business going on in Baltimore and Philly. It really is powerful to unplug for a solid month then watch how crazy humans behave and are lead.

Enough o dat, I take my first zero day on Friday, laundry, second hot bath in like 12 hours, the kind where u leave the hot water trickling in and create like a whirlpool around you to keep it all even and hot u know?

Now normally one would reasonably expect to pay about $25 to shuttle back to Clingmans on Sat. Hitchiking, not gonna happen. Lo and behold, the hotel owner tells me there's a trail angel coming with a truck at 930am, FREEEEEEEE!!!! I'm like WHAAATTT??? He's like yeah, I'm like heck yeah!

That's Mark (and me on the left). For the last I think 9 yrs he and his wife and their friend Todd all Christians, do this off the chart trail magic. But that's not all. They not only shuttled almost 20 of us but get this: on the way to Clingmans they stop at Newfound Gap which is a tourist spot about 9 miles North of Clingmans on the AT.

Ya still with me, it gets even crackier! Mark lets everybody out and asks whose heading to Clingmans? Me and about 6-8 others. Mark says "why don't you slack  pack from there to here and we will have lunch for you when you get here" WHAAAATTTT!!!! Slack pack is like water and power bar, 9 miles without a pack is like 2-3 hours. Sure enough he brings us to the place I lost more marbles than I can afford, it's a 10 of a weather day:

I can see for miles and miles I can see for  miles and miles and miles and....somebody should right a song about that. But I'm still not done yet. On the way from A-B Mark tells his story. In 2002 his son was 18 and wanted to thru hike the AT with dad before heading off to college. How cool is that already. They start out. By northern Tennessee Mark contracts giardiasis, a common and debilitating ailment many get from the water. Within a few days Mark knows he will have to drop out for treatment as he's getting weaker by the day. His son goes on, reluctantly. In a couple days Mark rounds a corner to see his son waiting for him. "I'm not going without you dad". Touching yeah I know, get THIS THOUGH: two months later Marks son is diagnosed with a stage 4, inoperable tumor on his brain stem with a 10% chance of survival. WHICH HE DID!!!! They put some kind of tube in to transport spinal fluid which was being cut off, irradiated the tumor and in 2005 they thruhiked the trail together! Son's fine training to be a trauma nurse already known as the calm cool collected one. The husband and wife, from mid March through mid May on Friday and Saturday provide trail magic as their ministry of thanks. 

By the time I get back from Clingmans, soda, chips, freshly made ham n cheese w lettuce and fruit. 

Remember my original intent was to pass Clingmans and tent by shelter 2 miles away, no "trauma", no sunset, no zero day, no snorting a steak, no Mark, no magic no lesson.

And now you know, "the rest of the story". It's cool that Marissa remembered that line it's sad to think so many now don't and won't. What a man and what a vocation. If it's been a while or never been, check out this most prophetic peace Paul Harvey did 30 years ago, 30!

It could've been done 30 days ago:

http://youtu.be/H3Az0okaHig