Date: 2003-04-09
From: Hot Springs NC 

To: Hot Springs NC 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 27   Avg Miles\Day 10.0Weather: Cold light rain in the morning...cool overcast in the afternoon. High temp. low 50'sNice zero day. Got up and had a nice breakfast at the Smokie Mtn. Diner...bacon & eggs sausage gravy & biscuits O.J. coffee and strawberry/rhuebarb pie. At the next table was Dag, Mag and Border Riever. We chatted some and they took off for the foggy, cold, rainy mountains.   Cool Foot then joined me for some more trail talk. Cool Foot is a "by the book" light backpacker. He was waiting for the post office to open to get his "bounce box." He carries only minimal provisions and bounces items ahead such as extra toothpaste and sun screen.   After breakfast I went to the Outfitter where I bought 3+ days supplies and used their free internet service for 1/2 hour. Bought a couple of Mountain House dinners (freeze dried), food, etc. When I checked my guest book I saw where Mule's Mom would be at the Paddlers Pub at noon. At this point, nobody had seen Mule & Driver come into town. I met up with Radio Shack outside the laundromat where he and Goldberry were doing their wash.   We were going to meet at the Smokie Mountain Diner for lunch, but decided to try and meet Driver's wife (Mule's Mom) at the pub since we weren't sure when Mule & Driver would show. We sat down and ordered, then around 12:30 in walks Driver and his wife, Karen.   Driver had gotten a ride into town while Mule was on his way; walking in with a group of other hikers... Neely, Tunnel Vision, Noah, Charlie and another hiker whose name I didn't get. Karen had driven down from N.Y. with a friend. Driver is something else.   He gets the whole group seated together and procedes to buy everyone beer and lunch. This guy is such a nice person. It has been a priviledge to know him and Mule. We all had a great time and meeting Driver and Mule will be one of the great memories of my Trail experience! Karen is cool too! Being without running water for weeks on end didn't seem to phase her a bit. Mule was having trouble with his shin on the downhills; enough that they only hiked 7 miles or so the day we did 18. He is planning to take at least tomorrow as a zero and maybe more after that.   Karen is talking about visiting a nearby garden type attraction tomorrow. Most everyone who comes to town visits the hot spring baths. I never got around to it today, so if I leave in the morning I will have missed that attraction. I am ready to hike again.If I can put in several 18 mile days, I can be at Miss Janet's Hostel in Irwin TN next Sunday. I have a mail drop there.After lunch I called my Dad to wish him a happy 81st birthday and we had a nice chat. Got to talk to Mom too and everything seems going well with them.Walked around town and bought a few more food items. At 6 p.m. we all met at SMD for dinner. Everyone seems to be in town. In addition to the above hikers we had Just Do It, YoYo, Zero and Pig Pen. There were several others...I wish I could remember everyone's name.   Also, friends of Driver and Karen who don't live to far away joined them for dinner. Real nice people who have been following our journals. They are talking about a heavy snow in the mountains tomorrow....could this be a "double zero?"Thought for the Day: When you've hiked with great people like Mule & Driver, you start to realize how much more there is to the hike, than the hike itself.