Our Final Night on the AZT

May 12, 2023

Mile 771.8-784.9 (13.1 miles)

(Ride around trail & road closure)

I woke up early around 6:30 and couldn’t fall back asleep so I posted some pictures while waiting for Henry to wake up. We walked down to the store for breakfast and I got my last resupply (Henry has enough food leftover that he didn’t need to buy any).

My final resupply

Then we packed everything up and road tripped 3 hours with Eagle and Voodoo while they drove us around the trail and road closure. Our conversations flowed around ghosts, aliens, and drugs. We stopped at a gas station and I bought two ice cream sandwiches and devoured them. They seem to be my weakness on this trail.

Roadtrip time

Before we knew it, we were at the parking lot to be dropped off. We hugged them goodbye and headed off. The trail feels so quiet compared to the noisy campground we just came from and the huge amount of tourists we saw in the park.

I’m going to miss this silence but another part of me misses the East Coast night sounds of the forest coming alive- of peepers and a breeze rustling through the trees and coyotes howling. We’ve set up camp in a less than optimal spot. Had to really ration water for the first time the whole trail because we camped early. I can’t believe this is our last night out here. I’m going to miss it but I’m also excited for the rest of our adventures this summer.

Henry and I snuggled up together and he kissed my shoulder, “I can’t believe this is it.”