Hitchhikers

It's the time of year when you start to see Appalachian Trail thru hikers in Franklin. The AT runs about 8-9 miles from downtown Franklin and they usually stop in here to resupply and get something to eat, etc. After work we were headed to Lowe's with the minivan (without the seats in) and saw a group of hikers trying to thumb a ride back to the trail. We decided that since we had the room of the van without it's seats we give the three college aged guys that hadn't showered yet in April (it's the 9th) and their dog a ride up to Winding Stair, which is where the AT crosses US 64.

They were at that wonderful age where it doesn't occur to you that you can't or shouldn't do something without thinking it through. They didn't know how long it might take them. They didn't know where they would get the money for supplies later on. They figured they come off the trail and work an odd job for a couple of days if needed. They didn't seem to know much about where they were: they weren't sure where they were planning to stay the next few nights. Oh, and they didn't have all the yuppie gear you'd expect. They were in blue jeans (anathema among hikers) and cotton shirts. But, they had a big stick and cool black lab.

As we dropped them off all I could think about was Alexander Supertramp.