Date: 2003-04-24
From: Davenport Gap - Hot Springs

To: Davenport Gap - Hot Springs
Miles today: 36.0
Weather: overcast clouds

Davenport Gap - Hot Springs, NC36 miles (271.1 total miles)Despite the less than modern facilities, we has a fun time staying at Mountain Moma's. After a long stretch through the Smokies, the food tasted good. We sat on our cabin porch late into the evening. We watched the earthworms come out at night, feel around until they found something they liked (usually a leaf), then retreat with it into their holes. I wondered if that's what happens under my tent each night? We waited for the broken down laundry machine to finally finish our clothes. What a diverse and random group of people had been assembled here on the porch of a country store in North Carolina. We talked about our lives, and how we expected our hiking journeys to end. We exchanged email addresses, and for the first time, we even exchanged real names. It was then that I realized that these people weren't just my friends - this was my trail family. We got a ride back to the trailhead on the morning of day 22 (Thanks, Hammock Hanger!) It was cold and dreary. We did about 2 downhill miles, and crossed under Interstate 40. From there it was a seemlessly unending uphill. Coming out of town is always hard mentally, but physically it usually involves a lot of climbing as well. Lunch at the shelter was cut short, as it was too cold to sit around eating.We hiked a few more miles, until we met a southbounder at about 4:30. She advised us to bundle up, as we were less than a mile from Max Patch. Of course everyone put on their warmest gear except me, who felt like braving whatever the day had in store. We climbed to a point above treeline, and kept climbing. Max Patch was invigorating! We hit the top of a huge, high altitude open field to a great view. It was icy cold outside, and the wind was howling. I felt energized! I am sure that on a warm sunny day Max Patch is a beautiful place. But on that day, it was just plain fun!We came down from Max Patch with renewed energy. We looked for campsites, but couldn't find anything we really liked. Finally at about 7:00 we got to the next shelter, which was packed full. It was at that point that we realized we had walked 21.2 miles. It was the longest day yet for all of us! We walked down to the creek to look at the data book and decide what to do for the night. Then we heard a couple call to us from across the creek that they had plenty of space near them. They were a couple of section hikers named Ma and Pa. They have done the whole trail, mostly with their kids, who are now grown up. They came out specifically for a week in April so they could meet all of us thru-hikers. They gave us great stories about the trail, and we gave them all the gossip from this year's class of hikers. For dinner I opened a pouch of chicken, and spread it on a tortilla with some cheese, and drank a bottle of Tang. It was the best trail meal I made since losing my stove.I woke up on day 23 to find that Ma and Pa had started us a camp fire. It was a chilly morning, but blue sky was above. After our long day, we got a late start. We planned on doing a short day. Less than half a mile onto the trail, we found Find Me's mom at the road crossing. Find Me is a 19 year old girl walking 5000 miles for charity. Her mom is following nearby in a van, supporting her with whatever she needs. We run into Find Me's mom a lot, and she enjoys mingling with the hikers. Today she had brought us all cookies and drinks. I thanked her, and carried my treats to the top of Bluff Mountain, where there was a beautiful crop of rocks sitting among the trees. I sat down, ate my snacks, and enjoyed a perfect spring morning.We stopped for lunch at a road crossing and realized we were just too close to town to stop early. Even though we had done so many miles before, we all felt great. We decided to stay at the campground in town. It was only $5, and worth it for the hot shower. We continued on, with the call of town pushing us faster. I came around the corner to see the town of Hot Springs below, and felt a new level of excitment. I practically ran down the switchbacks to get there.Hot Springs is one of the few trail towns that is right on the trail. We got to town, and walked on the sidewalk through the one main road. It is such a small town, and it thrives off the hikers, so everyone was very friendly to us. People driving by waved to us. We stopped at the local outfitters to look around. They have a scale, and we had fun seeing how much weight we have lost so far. Pat and I lost the most with 15 pounds. We cleaned up at the campground, and went out for pizza. We celebrated walking 36 miles in only a day and a half! My group of hikers convinced me to stay another full night in town. My first zero day - could I handle it? We wanted to stay at Elmer's, a favorite hostel among the hikers.The roosters at the campground woke us up on the morning of day 24. We had breakfast at the diner, got our mail packages, bought souveniers, and did other general chores. It was an overcast day in Hot Springs, but the town was buzzing with familiar faces.It has been another wonderful couple days on the AT. My feet have toughened up, and I look and feel in great shape. My face has a healthy tan. My next stop in Erwin, TN. It's about 60 miles, or probably 4 days. I haven't heard a weather forecast, but it doesn't really matter. Whatever the weather, I will be out walking.