Date: 2005-04-27
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: light rain

9:06 pm ¢ Devils and Dust By now, most of my friends have figured out that I'm a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. Maybe it's the fact I own all but two albums, or the ten concerts I've gone to, or the bootlegs I play constantly, but word has spread. Yesterday then was a rarity. The Boss put out a new album - Devils and Dust - and I didn't buy it on the day of release. We all make sacrifices while hiking. Instead of buying and savoring the new album, I hiked into Hot Springs with Slim, Jeff, and Amy. We all checked into Elmer's Shunnbank Inn (Editor's Note - check it out at http://www.ajc.com/travel/content/0603/11hotspringsnc.html),a pretty famous hostel. It's famous for a reason too. It's a beautiful Victorian house with a well stocked library, a music room, and tons of spacious rooms. Elmer also serves up fantasic meals, but more on that later.I filled most of the afternoon with the usual town stuff like eating, laundry, and some logistical planning. I also went to the outfitters and practically bought them out. I purchased trekking poles, new shoes, lightweight cord for my tarp's guy lines, a spork, a windscreen, and a new pair of hiking socks. It quickly became my most expensive town stop and I hope it holds onto that title.In the late afternoon Slim, Amy, Jude, Low Bridge, and I went to the local hot springs (hence the name of the town, which incidentally, was once merely Warm Springs). We didn't actually get to go into the springs themselves, instead the hot mineral water was pumped into Jacuzzis. Jude, Bridge, and I relaxed for an hour, letting ourselves just melt asway. Despite the cold winds whipping around the outside and the threat of rain, it was bliss.At 8 pm sharp, Elmer served up one of his famous vegetarians meals. We started with broccoli soup followed by a mouth watering salad with a honey dressing. The main course was a bean casserole and we had strawberry shortcake for dessert. I had seconds on all the courses but the last and washed it down with some home brewed peppermint tea. I was completely satisfied by both the food and company. Elmer always starts his dinner with an ice breaking question that everybody has to answer. Last night's was, "if you could be reincarnated as any famous person, who would it be?" I chose Frank Zappa just so I could figure out what makes him tick.After dinner, I continued the gear shuffling by acquiring Low Bridge's old pack cover and ridge rest (which he replaced with a Z rest). I then chilled on the porch for a bit with a guy named Epic before retiring inside where Turbo Joe and Crazy Horse were playing the house guitars. I joined in on a harmonica for a few tunes. I'd never actually played with other musicians and was pretty pleased with the result.Sleep was everything I dreamed it would be and more. I slept my best night's sleep since starting this trip.This morning started with another vegetarian meal - huge bowls of granola, scrambled eggs with curry powder, corn grits, biscuits with gravy and apple butter, and cantaloupe. Once again, it was fantastic. Afterwards, I straightened out my gear and checked out, bidding a temporary farewell to Slim, Jeff and Amy, who opted for a zero day. I also interviewed Elmer for a bit - he seemed fairly interested in the film and wished me luck. I'll probably need it. I have no idea how what I've shot so far can possibly be edited together into a coherent piece.I mailed some stuff home at the PO (shoes, shirt, socks, spare blanket, DV tapes, memory sticks, etc), bought my food for the next week and called home. After a quick lunch of a milkshake and onion rings, I hit the trail. It was a frustrating day. It would be beautiful, then hail, then get really hot, then rain with strong winds, before starting all over again. It made hiking challenging even though the terrain was easy. Luckily it was nice when I hit Mill Ridge and the pond right before it. I lingered for a while in the temporarily perfect weather, soaking in some solitude in a setting worthy of Thoreau.I finally made it to the shelter a bit before six and pitched my tarp on the ridge. I'm using my new trekking poles as the tent poles - they work great for both walking and lodging. After dinner I sewed some Velcro strips onto my "new" ridge rest to which I'll fasten my sleeping quilt. I got two on tonight and I'll do the other two tomorrow. Right now, it's getting late and I'm starting to get tired. I've had a stretch of wonderful days that I hope continue.Finally, two other trail journals to watch: trailjournals.com/sweeperes and another written by Jude Tarris, I think. Just search for Jude and see what comes up. (Editor's note -- http://www.trailjournals.com/JudeTarris/)