Day 27, Tuesday, June 15

This will be a big addition so brace yourself…

First up is the Monday pre-day video which I couldn’t load yesterday.

Tennessee is an incredible state - the vibe is very different than Georgia. Lush green mountainsides which both states share but the small towns here are vibrant. In addition, there is a cosmopolitan group of residents that might have to do with the fact that it borders 8 states: Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri and Arkansas.

Chris and I woke up in the middle of Savage Gulf State Natural Area and stepped outside to crisp morning air, sounds of birds and the humming of insects, smell of fresh pine and unidentifiable greenery that surrounded us. After the usual coffee, yogurt parfait and Lucky feed we headed out at 6am together. Because we are in CST, sunrise is 5:55am so we had brilliant morning and even caught site of wild roses on the trail.

Chris turned after a mile and headed back to the RV so he could break down and head towards Irving College where we would meet. His drive on the road was around 30 miles - my shortcut was 14 miles with the last 5 miles being paved. A forester we ran into the day before told us the route was impassable so Chris didn’t even try which turned out to be very smart.

With Lucky at my side, we had smooth sailing until mile 3 where the trail ended and deja vu set in from a few days ago - the next 6 miles would not be easy.

The next section wandered through fields of waist high grass and the realization that the 20 ticks I pulled off of myself a few days ago going after a few off trail miles would be an appetizer for this route. The other fear was I couldn’t see anything lower than my knees and the thought that any number of Tennessee snakes might be lurking below the surface - 5 feet timber rattlesnakes, copperheads and other assorted snakes got my imagination going. Countering these fears was the magnificent beauty of untouched nature - I would be coming through the fields and see deer disperse and then walk upon the matted grass where they were resting during the day. Lucky was in heaven chasing and retreating again and again. The chemo certainly dampened him the day before but in this moment, adrenaline was the deciding factor.

After the fields ended at a gate, I thought i might be out of the proverbial woods but then then the directional icon on my google maps app pointed me toward deep woods. Walking in open fields is a little scary but going into deep woods can be downright terrifying as it is somewhat claustrophobic as everything is closed in, spider webs hang on every tree and there is seemingly no end in any direction. The knowledge that black widows and brown recluse spiders inhabit these woods didn’t help.

Poison ivy, poison hemlock and the black bear population also contributed to the fun which all ended well as I emerged 9 miles after I started relieved, legs scratched up, case of poison ivy and more ticks than I can count. I filmed all of these if interested below.

I met Chris in a town called Irving College which consisted of one intersection that had a gas station and Elementary school. After a quick refuel I was able to secure Lucky an appointment at a Pet Groomer to clean him up and hopefully deal with the new tick population he presumably picked up when I still hadn’t cleared the last colony. Chris ran him to Mcminville for his noon appointment while i began my trek north to the town. Before leaving the gas station I met Josh and Nate fueling up and they were kind enough to school me on the local area….wish I had met them before I left this morning! The mounds I had seen all around were from the Cherokee, there are tons of arrowheads to be found and I heard this again later in the day, mountain lions and black bears do indeed roam the deep woods and a ton of outdoor activities in the area keep everyone busy and happy.

On the outskirts of the small town, I was called from a small house and as I walked towards a woman she asked me if I had a smoke. I explained that wouldn’t do me good running across country! We chatted a bit and she shared with me that the small town has a lot of meth and that she had a heroine problem but has been clean 10 years and now lives with her ma and pa but sadly pa is dying. As I left I thanked her for sharing and told her how proud I was to know someone who was strong enough to kick that.

As I entered another small town named Smyrna I felt Lucky at my feet and realized Lucky wasn’t with me…it was another dog with no collar that happily tailed me exactly like Lucky! He followed for a mile when I called Chris to see if he wants me to bring him back and luckily he couldn’t talk so I tricked the dog into going to another house and slipped out - it was his town and he would know what to do.

Once in Mcminville, i was totally surprised at the beauty and vitality of their Main Street as i wandered into a Juice bar aptly named Juicy for an end of day refreshment. I met a vivacious staff who made a great drink and chatted about the town and the history of their store - you can find the interview with India below - very impressive.

As I was within a mile of our home for the night - Walmart - I also came upon a really cool run store that had recently opened called Mad Cow. The 2 owners Monica and Lawrence greeted me, gave me a tour and topped off my water. They have unique gear and are very active with events - one piqued my interest; the Savage Marathon which takes place exactly where I had come from in March - Hope to return for it one day.

Happy to be in my home away from home again so I can rest up for another day on the long, winding and unpredictable road.

Thank you for the support -

Cheers,

David.