Collin on the AT Trail Day 30

Collin and his trail buddies spent Days 29 and 30 in Erwin, Tennessee, which is 342.9 miles into the Appalachian Trail, with 1846.3 miles to go until the end in Maine. They weren't planning on spending more than one night in Erwin, but they all became deathly ill Friday night.

When you walk into a town or a city after a few days on the Appalachian Trail, the thing you're looking forward to most, besides a shower is a nice meal! After days of ramen, instant mashed potatoes, rice for dinner, you want to sit down and have a healthy, hearty meal. They thought they did that Friday night, having chicken and biscuits in Erwin. However, within 2 hours of dinner, all of them were deathly ill, with a severe case of food poisoning. Luckily, they were in a hotel. Unfortunately, there were five of them, all deathly ill in one room. If you have ever had food poisoning, you can just imagine.

Sunday morning, they sound a little better. They are going back on the trail. Hopefully they have hydrated. I'm sure they're going to go a little slower for the next day or two. We sent Collin a care package, he's picking it up today.

It's hard to believe Collin's been on the trail for 30 days! My wife and I are so proud of him! He's grown so much, and not just his beard :) He'll have stories to tell forever! As we have told him, keep walking until you don't want to walk anymore, then come home! We'll have a soft bed and clean sheets waiting for you, and I promise the chicken we make will be cooked and germ free.