Date: 2013-04-19
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Camping beyond Tanyard Gap
Miles today: 10.3
Weather: light rain

Today was a huge mixture of things. The first order of business after packing up was to hike the 3.2 miles down to Hot Springs, which I did in record time. On the way, I found a really good-looking hiking stick. Since one of my shelter- mates had been looking for a better one, I left it leaning against a tree just up from the town. I hope he found it (I didn't see him again today).The first thing to do was to get a big breakfast at Smoky Mtn Diner. I went to Elmer's hostel to see if there was a possible space for me tonight. No. Next came a visit to the outfitter, to get a sheet of Tyvek for a ground cloth (& listen to a complaint about the environmental policies of DuPont, who makes it). I hadn't been able to get a light-weight folding saw at Nantahala, but I was able to get one in Hot Springs. It only weighs about a half pound & does a wonderful job of cutting anything up to about five inches in diameter. Now i'm in business for trail maintenance. Of course, the Trail around here has sen remarkably free of blow-downs! There were a LOT of hikers in town, many of whom congregated at Hikers Ridge Ministries, which offers free showers & computer use. I got a lot of visiting done as well as updating my Trail Journals.I & another hiker with the same backpack had had a strap break off (stitching came loose). He had called Granite Gear, which had promised him a new pack at Hot Springs. I had tied mine in a way that looked like it would work --besides, I had patches sewn on mine that I didn't want to have to redo. As I was packed up & ready to leave town, he called me over to a trailer behind the outfitter store. There was a Granite Gear rep with a load of replacement parts & a heavy-duty sewing machine. He not only sewed mine up (after I emptied it!), he also exchanged my waist-belt & helped with some other adjustments.Leaving town, I went up the cliffs called "Lover's Leap", talking with Susan most of the time on the phone. I passed a few places that could have been campsites early on, but there was still plenty of daylight, so I kept going. Then I passed a series of places too close to roads. Once I got past the US 25/70 overpass, I began looking in earnest. A bit up from the highway, I found one that looked possible, tho not quite oriented properly for the wind. With my tarp tent open at both ends, I prefer to have wind come from the side. So I went on another half mile, thinking I might even get to the campsite at the top of Rich mountain, tho it would be dark by then. Suddenly, I saw a bear across a little valley ahead. It saw or heard me and took off in the other direction-- the direction I was heading. That site I had seen previously began to seem much more desirable; so I headed back. You who know me know I don't like to reverse course like that, but it seemed best in this situation. Since I crossed 4 little streams coming back, & bears seem to define their territory by drainages, I feel safe enough. The tyvek is so noisy it might help scare critters away. So I'm finishing the day with lots of extra clothes on to see how I do on a particularly cold night. My little thermometer says 45 now, but there's a bit of wind-chill too!