Date: 2012-12-06
From: Spring Mountain Shelter 

To: Hot Springs - Elmer's Sunnybank Inn 
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

(In which I make it to Hot Springs and stay at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn) -Currently sitting in one of the very nice bedrooms in the inn-This morning, unlike any other in past month, I decided not to put my pack cover on. I normally keep it on to ward off the rain and the bullets (it's bright yellow). It's worked well for both so far. Well, it rained this morning (though no bullets). The pack cover will continue to go on every morning.Despite the rain, I was in a good mood. Town always puts you in a good mood.I made it to Hot Springs at 9 am and strolled down the main drag of what I think is the prettiest trail town I've been in yet. All the buildings are well kept, the businesses seem to doing well and everything fits into a compact but comfortable 0.5 mile. I'm guessing that most of their economy comes from visitors of their famous hot mineral water, but as a thru-hiker town favorite, I'm sure the hiking community helps supplement it. It has everything the stinky, tired hiker needs: laundry, a post office, a library, an outfitter, lots of food (a great diner), and a great place to stay - the Sunnybank. The list of town chores I had put together earlier covered both sides of an 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper, so I got to work early. Step one, food. The Smoky Mountain Diner has great hiker food and if you ever find yourself in Hot Springs and hungry, go for the Skillet Breakfast. It's the kind of meal you might see on some cross between the show Epic Food Time and Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Glorious! Step two, find the Sunnybank Inn. It's not an easy task unless you have a map or ask around in town. Elmer's place has no sign, and the only way you can tell that hikers are welcome is a 4 inch AT sticker near the mailbox at the driveway. A small note on the front door directs visitors to the kitchen door around the side of the house and a note on the kitchen door says to come right in. I walked in on Elmer and a guest eating breakfast. They seemed happy to see me and Elmer showed me around. The house was built in 1875 (Italianate/Victorian), but its been meticulously well kept. Elmer hiked the trail in 1976 and he has been offering hikers an amazing rate to stay here since he bought this place in 1978. During the busy months the inn is staffed by former thru-hikers. Right now it's just Elmer. One of the best parts of being a late-start sobo is that I don't have to compete with other hikers for rooms in a place like this - I have this whole gem of a place to myself.Most of the day was spent checking things off the list, with the biggest chunk of time spent on the computer at the library. Most of the effort was spent working out the logistics of getting from Springer Mountain back to New York. Eventually I picked dates and times for rental cars and flights and I'm crossing my fingers that I choose wisely. Apparently engineering and the logistics of long distance hiking have a few things in common... lots of seat-of-your-pants decisions and four letter words. Hoping for the best.The phone rang about an hour ago and Elmer told me my buddy Dante just hiked 32 miles today and made it to Hot Springs. Looks like I might have some company in the Smokys... and some afternoon fires. Wohoo!Tomorrow I'm hoping for an early start so that the 26 mile day I'm planning ends early. We'll see how that plan goes - town starts are rarely early starts.Today's post was brought to you by Elmer's Sunnybank Inn, because an inn that thrives without any kind of exterior sign is an inn worth staying at.