Day 15, Simms Mountain Trail to Cave Spring

Tengo Hambre and I were only carrying a few essentials in our packs – rain gear, food, snacks, and water – when we left Hearn Inn this morning at 7:30. We were able to leave the rest of our gear in our rooms because we were slackpacking today.

The arrangements we made yesterday with the inn's manager, Callie, worked as planned. Her husband Donnie picked us up and drove us to a trailhead north of Cave Spring. Donnie works as a firefighter in the Atlanta area, and we were fortunate that today was one of his off-duty days.

He told us he was also off work tomorrow and could bring us back to the same trailhead. We gladly accepted the offer. The amount he charged for the ride was reasonable.

The trailhead Donnie took us to was just a flat spot at the side of a narrow county road. Simms Mountain Trail connects to the Pinhoti here. It is a former railroad bed, and we will walk on it tomorrow when we resume our hike north.

For today, we were walking south back to Cave Spring. Right as Donnie dropped us off at 8 a.m., rain began to fall.

We only walked 2.7 miles before making our first stop. This was as planned because we knew Evans Parts and Deli was on the way. It was a business that offered more than its name implied. It was a gas station, a convenience store, an auto parts store, and a diner. We were mostly interested in the diner part of the business.

We had intended to stop here for breakfast, but it was also a welcomed opportunity to get out of the rain. I bought a breakfast sandwich and a few snacks.

After finishing our breakfast, Tengo and I continued with our day-long road walk. The Pinhoti's route turned at Evans Parts and Deli to follow State Route 20. This was a busy, two-lane highway. Many of the vehicles passing us were large trucks loaded with logs on the way to a nearby paper mill.

After walking 1.4 miles on that highway, the Pinhoti turned south on State Route 1, a four-lane road with a wide, grass median.

The rain and the hard pavement continued to make the walk unenjoyable, but here, the roadway had a wide shoulder. We could walk just far enough from the large logging trucks speeding past us to keep from being sprayed by water from the wet highway.

The trail followed Highway 1 for 5.8 miles before making another turn. I stayed focused on that turn so we wouldn't miss it. The route was rarely marked and it would have been easy to overlook this turn.

By the time we reached the turn, the rain had stopped falling. I paused there to remove my rain gear.

The next road section was 4.6 miles long and ended near another gas station. Tengo and I arrived there at about 2 p.m. Although we carried food with us, we bought hot pizza for lunch.

There were no tables inside or out, so we had to sit on a curb outside the gas station to eat. Thankfully, the weather continued to clear gradually.

The last leg of the day's hike was 5.2 miles on a narrow road that took us back into Cave Spring. The pavement was dry by now, though the sky remained cloudy.

As before, there was rarely a trail blaze or sign to help us navigate this section. We must have become tired and didn't check our location on FarOut because Tengo and I walked past a turn. At least we caught the error after only walking about a quarter of a mile.

The sun began to shine around 3:30 p.m., and the rest of the day was warm.

My back was hurting now. I'm sure walking on hard pavement didn't help, but I think the pain came from how I wore my pack. It has never given me problems, yet today I was carrying less-than-normal weight. My pack didn't ride on my shoulders and hips the way it usually did.

A dog began to angrily bark at us a mile or so before we got back to Cave Spring. I tossed a Milk Bone treat to it, and the barking stopped.

Soon after we reached town, we smelled smokey aromas coming from a barbecue restaurant. It was open tonight, and we agreed we should go there after we finished our hike back to Hearn Inn.

The final portion of our route took us past the Georgia School for the Deaf. The school started in 1846 as part of Hearn Manual Labor School, later renamed Hearn Academy.

The school continued to operate after the academy closed in 1925 and is the only residential school for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the state.

A large classroom building for Hearn Academy stood near the inn. It is used now for community functions and family events. The academy started in 1838 as a Baptist Church school to teach boys farming and other skills. It was renamed for Lott O. Hearn in 1846 when 12 of his slaves were sold after his death to create an endowment for the school.

After our dinner at the barbecue restaurant, Tengo walked to Cave Spring's only grocery store so he could resupply for the next few days. I didn't need to buy anything because we dropped off a box of food for me during our drive to the southern terminus on Day 1.

Soon after we got back to Hearn Inn, Calle and Donnie stopped by so we could pay for our two-night stay. The inn was one of the nicest places I've stayed on any hike. The only accommodations I can think of that were as lovely was the bed and breakfast where Tengo, Stick, and I stayed in Caratunk, Maine while hiking the AT. That place was also filled with beautiful antiques.

The greatest benefit of staying at the Hearn Inn was the second night of our stay came after a difficult and unpleasant section of the Pinhoti. The 20 miles we walked today on asphalt were painful.

I have only guessed why Georgia's portion of the Pinhoti has been much different so far than Alabama's. I hoped I wouldn't have to repeat another day like today, but I know I will. I've already looked ahead on the map and discovered more long sections of road walking.

Knowing this, all I can do is hope Georgia will make up for the suffering by also providing some enjoyable sections of trail.