#110 Laurel Creek to Brushy Mtn Outpost / N. Scenic Hwy - Day 49: ATMM 584.9 – ATMM 591.8

It’s one of those perfect steady rains that cause you to want to just sit quietly and meditate.

The trail turns into a gravel road just before Bushy Mountain Outpost. We rest our packs on the picnic tables beneath the large metal canopy then spread wet tents and boots over the retainer wall and half the parking area.

I walk inside and see Anya and Goose devouring hamburgers and fries at a small two-person table inside the store. There’s a big man behind the counter taking orders. Behind him are a few cooks. A paper map is hanging on a wall with a cup of push pins below it. The idea is for you to place a pin in your town on the map. The Appalachian Trial draws people from everywhere. The map is well covered.   

The owners of the store really know their clientele. Big backpacker food and backpacking re-supply items cover a row of two-sided shelving that run down the middle of the store. The food they cook in the kitchen is big, heavy, greasy, and inexpensive. I order a big burger and a pile of fries, then sit at the tables next to Anya and Goose.

The whole scene takes me back my younger days, when old country stores had that wooden screen door with a spring attached, so when the door shut itself it would make that “plap-plap” sound. The only thing this place was missing was the “plap-plaping” door.