Date: 2017-10-08
From: Spring Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: overcast clouds

With the day just minutes old I heard the awaited guest arrive. It was 12:30 am; there was no knock on the door. A great swoosh of wind and pings on the tent heralded his arrival. Nate was here.Do you know how much fun it is to take down and fold up a wet, sodden tent? I look forward to it like a root canal. But with everything else fully packed, and with a brief window of no rain, it was less of a pain than usual, more like having a cavity filled than a root canal.I¢ll admit to a tinge of envy of those who spent the night in the shelter. Sure, they went out in the rain just like me, but packing up with everything dry is a luxury.I was on trail at 7:35 and within a mile Aloha caught me before hiking on, hearing the siren call of town, Hot Springs, 11 miles distant.¢Hickory nuts,¢ aloha said. He woke to find his shoes filled with hickory nuts. The others in the shelter found similar surprises in their shoes. ¢I had at least 40 in mine.¢ He¢d poured them out in a torrent. ¢The weekenders in the shelter (Frodo: The selfish ones with the dog) thought we thru-hikers were playing a joke.¢ Once again, we assumed the culprits were mice.  Storing food away. I¢d never heard of this. I have no internet here in Hot Springs or I would look it up. Anyone else heard of this? Was it someone¢s practical joke?Ever have a houseguest overstay their welcome? Nate had to just step into our trail hallway for me to feel he already had. Nate did sleep in for a bit this morning, but by 10:00, I called out to a figure that was three switchbacks below me, ¢Hello, umbrella!¢ There was Dot, her umbrella up for its intended purpose for the first time. http://www.trailjournals.com/j...  Nate pounded the trees, ¢I¢ll huff and I¢ll puff and I¢ll blow your house down!¢ Dot and I gave the response, umbrellas faced into the wind, us dryshod, ¢Not by the hair of our chinny, chin, chin!¢ Dot didn¢t really say this, but as we made the last short climb and then did the three miles down, down into town, I am sure she ¢ like me ¢ felt a little smug under her umbrella.Elmer¢s Sunnybank Inn was a near-last-minute choice for the four of us. The more traditional hostel here is Laughing Heart, but Dot saw that Elmer¢s offers a vegetarian breakfast and I saw that they¢d ¢been serving thru-hikers since 1948.¢ Was it possible? Did that mean?Elmer¢s is the region¢s 1840 plantation house. Two stories with two large classic staircases, high ceilings. It¢s in wonderful shape. It¢s too nice to be a hiker hostel, but it is. But back to 1948 and hiking history. The answer is ¢Yes!¢ The first AT thru-hiker, Earl Shaffer, slept here on his iconic 1948 thru-hike. Outside MY room is a brass placard that says he slept here. Tonight I will sleep in the same bed. (Frodo: I hope it¢s a different mattress, at least!) http://www.trailjournals.com/j... What dreams will I have? Will I dream of my own bed back home?And as for the lead photo? I have never seen a ¢live bait¢ vending machine before. Tomorrow we¢ll wake up with Nate still in our house. They are now warning about tornadoes. Make wise decisions.  http://www.trailjournals.com/j...