Date: 2009-05-04
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Pond from NowhereKeeping our word to get back on the Trail, Liz, Stone Skipper, Calamity and I headed back for the trail, after a final run to the post office and outfitter. Stocked up for a 5-6 day hike to Erwin, TN, we were carrying much more food then normal, adding a lot more weight to our packs. Although we stayed three days in Hot Springs to get out of the rain, the forecast called for more continuous rain for the foreseeable future. So we got back on the trail through the center of town and across the bridge to the far side of the French Broad River, where we passed a dozen prime camping sites along the banks of the river and kicked ourselves for not checking them out earlier and taking advantage of some free stealth camping over the past few days. (We knew we still would've preferred a bed over camping). The trail followed the river for about a mile when it started a series of switchbacks up the mountain on the other side of Hot SPrings - occasionally opening up to a clear postcard view of the river and town. On the way up, we met Fatmandu, a retired Australian who said Einstein reminded him of home. FatMandu pointed to the clouds and predicted a heavy rain. Within the hour, the clouds proved him to be true. Although it never turned into thunderstorms, it rained steady for the rest of the day - sometimes quite heavy. It was useless to even try and keep dry so except for our pack covers, we went without rain gear, resigning ourselves to being wet. Most rain gear is not breathable so even though you might keep rain off our your clothes, you end up drenched with sweat anyway, so we decided it would be preferable to be drenched with rain. Of course, the rain was cold but the body generates enough heat while hiking that the cold pellets of rain are almost refreshing. Almost. But as soon as you stop, even for a moment, the chill sets in fast - so we keep the rain gear handy for those occasions. Shortly after the climb down Lover's Leap and through Pump Gap, we came upon an earthen dam and small fishing pond that seemed somehow out of place in those mountains. On the banks of the pond we found 10x10 using some line and trekking pole to fish. We paused, along with a pause in the rain, to have lunch and let Einstein take a swim. After leaving the pond, the trail climbed to a dirt road that went through a beautiful meadow and offered a breathtaking view of the valley below and mountains beyond. As we passed through the meadow and across the I-70 overpass at Tanyard Gap, the rain started up again. After climbing over Rich Mountain, we reached the shelter at Spring Mountain where we pitched our tent among some section hikers out for the week. They had a 12 year old lab that Einstein wanted to play with but both were so tired they quickly collapsed and slept soundly as we ate dinner. Unfortunately, the privy at the shelter was disgusting. It was completely full, literally full to the brim, so we all steered clear of it. We were grateful to find they had already started a fire before we arrived - so we quickly sat down on a log to get warm and dry off a little. 10x10 and Gnarly soon showed up to the shelter and after a short dash into the shelter to hideout another round of rain, we rebuilt the fire and and spent the remainder of the evening discussing Kurt Vonnegut, Jr, sustainable agriculture, mass movements, oil depletion, and a host of other interesting topics, until late in the night.