Date: 2004-04-17
From: Hot Springs Campground

To: Mill Ridge
Miles today: 5.4

9:50 PM Mill RidgeLast night, I was in a campground with the French Broad River roaring continuously on one side and the freight trains periodically tooting and clanging on the other side. Tonight I am across the gorge from a bachelor party camped on Mill Ridge with their trucks, SUV¢s, barbecue smoker, dog, radio and beer! I have no one to blame for a noisy campsite but myself. I wanted to keep going until I reached the pond. I had heard about the pond from a woman with a dog, who met me coming back toward Hot Springs. The site is obviously accessible by road, otherwise there would not be a 25 ft high concrete dam across a steep gorge. The top of the ridge is a spectacular campsite. Its no wonder the guys from Asheville want to come out for a party. I went over to see who my neighbors are. They are nice fellows. Most live in Asheville. I don¢t think I can complain of the noise of their talking. The frogs are infinitely louder and more incessant. I slept OK last night, even with the whitewater sounds and the train. The frogs and the campers shouldn¢t keep me awake.I wanted to hike a fair distance today, because there is a good chance that Drew will come hike with me on Monday. I left a message with Nikki that I will look for him at Allen Gap. That means I need to be pretty near Allen Gap on Sunday night. That is a little less than 10 miles from where I am camped tonight. I should be able to do that with no trouble if I start early enough in the morning. I didn¢t get way from Hot Springs until 3:30 this afternoon. There was so much to do today ¢ do the laundry, go to the post office, attend the Trailfest, take a walking tour of Hot Springs, especially Elmer¢s place, the Sunnybank Inn. It was fun for me to see the contrast between the two large Victorian Inns in the town. Magnolia Inn ¢ very elegant and expensive ($195 / night) and Sunnybrook- a shabby, friendly hostel. I am not sure I would want to stay in either place, but I felt more attracted to Elmer¢s place.It was very hot today. I wore my shorts all day. In the early morning, I was glad I had my rain chaps, but I took them off during breakfast. I got hot running back and forth to the laundry from the diner a block away and across the street. I changed my clean T-shirt from my long underwear shirt and fleece pullover in the Bluff Mountain Outfitters dressing room. It was good to see Chef Paul again. He clearly enjoyed seeing me. He took my camera to get a picture of me at the Trailfest. He was talking with Pirate and Mr. Green Jeans when he asked for the camera, so I had my picture taken with a couple of old thru-hikers. I bought a view from Max Patch, since I didn¢t get a view myself when I was there. I really liked the photo. The focal point of an old twisted tree is wonderful. I ate Thai food at Chef Paul¢s recommendation. I got a small Pad Thai for $3.00. It was excellent. I was so satisfied at lunch that I didn¢t feel guilty about the candy bars, fruit and cream cheese on Crackers for my snacks and supper. I didn¢t feel like cooking cous cous. It was too hot.I got back to the campground to pack up my tent around 1:00 PM. I laid out the damp laundry to finish drying while I got everything organized. Then I decided I needed to take pictures of the river from the campground. Before I knew it, an hour had passed. I wrote a post card to Shirley Porter. After I was all packed up, I asked them in the camp store about a place to mail it. I was told the only place was the post office in the town. I thought about walking back into town, but I didn¢t want to do it in the broiling hot sun, with a full pack. A friendly bicyclist near the telephone offered to post it for me when I expressed my conflict. In the course of our conversation, in which he waxed eloquent about the beauties of the trail I was to be walking the next few days, I was offered most of a bottle of fruit punch Gatorade, because it wouldn¢t all fit in the bottle that his son was preparing for a bike ride from Hot Springs to Del Rio, TN. I certainly enjoyed that gift on a hot day, as I set off up the steep sunny cliffs over the French Broad River. The flowers were gorgeous ¢ bluets, fire pinks, violets ¢ purple, yellow and white, rue anemones and stellaria. I saw spectacular bunches of dwarf crested iris blooming, I felt as if God was presenting me with multiple bouquets of flowers. I don¢t think I will ever get tired of seeing the flowers.Speaking of tired, it is past my bedtime. We will see if I am tired enough to sleep with a party and frog sounds.