A “Quick” Stop in Durham and the Rest of the BRP

I am going to Durham to see Margit. I’ve known Margit for quite a few years, I met her at the children’s camp where I usually work as a counselor. She drives her grandchildren up and then works in the kitchen during camp. Unfortunately, she has decided she is getting too old and won’t be coming back next,understandable I suppose most people would have stopped 10 years earlier. Still,it won’t be the same without her.

My one night stay quickly turned to 3 as we talked and laughed about the strangeness of American holidays like Halloween. Talking with people that have so much life experience is always amazing, there were stories about rabbit hunts in Austria or moving to the USA with small children and so much more. The time we didn’t spend talking I spent writing, editing pictures and working on a website to put all this on.I even managed to squeeze in an oil change and put Ride On in my tires to balance them and help in the case of a puncture.

Margit had to leave to drive up to Ohio for her granddaughter’s birthday and offered to let me stay until she returned but I decided to leave the next morning. It was time I was on the road again and enjoy the mountains for a couple days before it gets too cold.

I made it back to the mountains a bit below the VA, NC border and was pleasantly surprised by the color of the leaves, at least at certain elevations the muddy brown was replaced with vibrant yellows and reds.

It is good to be back in the mountains, I follow the Blue Ridge Parkway south and find a place to camp in Pisgah National Forest just before Asheville. I pay the $2.50 fora spot and get setup before dark even with daylight savings. I try my camp stove out for the first time (I chose a wood burning so I don’t need to carry fuel). I managed to only burn a small hole in the picnic table, turns out it drops coals out the bottom, good to know. I eat my flavorless ramanesk noodles and spend the rest of the night hanging out at the neighbor’s campfire.

It rains a bit that night, I stay dry, but it slows down the pack out and its 10:30 before I leave. I take some beautiful country roads back to the parkway.

Another absolutely gorgeous day in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I found a very pretty camp spot next to a river, and then it rained all night. I stay dry,but my hammock gets a bit wet on the ends, I will have to dry it out when I get to my Airbnb tonight.

Another perfect day in the mountains brings me to the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway and only half an hour from my Hostel in Bryson City.