Date: 2013-03-28
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Laughing Heart Hostel
Miles today: 13.1

(In which I encounter thru-hiker trail magic and reach Hot Springs)It is a tough night of restless sleep, but at least I am prepared adequately for the cold. I can't wait for warmer weather to return and give me opportunities to use my hammock as a hammock instead of as a weak sleeping pad. This morning I decide to commit to the 13 miles from here to Hot Springs. I seal this commitment by packing away my wet hiking socks and using my dry but otherwise identical camp socks. The most difficult part of this morning is getting my feet into my frozen-solid hiking shoes. Disciple and his dog depart to continue south. In spite of my impending dance weekend, I will probably encounter them again. The dog can't do much beyond 12-mile days, and I have been holding a much greater pace when I don't have a dance to stop for.Roosta is in better spirits and health today, and thinks he will go all the way to Hot Springs instead of stopping at the shelter three miles from town. Before we get moving, Snow Frog surprises us with his appearance. He and many others had apparently found ways to get off the Trail in the poor weather. He had started his day where he left off nearby. Snow Frog departs, and I leave while Roosta is packing up, and begin the day by descending from Walnut Mountain. The descent is slippery but a gentle downhill grade in the snow is not rough. Snow crunching underfoot is a great shock absorber. Steeper downhill bits are trickier, and stairs are particularly rough. Sometimes they are concealed entirely by the snow, and other times packed snow between each step smooths the stairs out to a smooth, steep grade that can send me sliding if I don't brace myself securely with trekking poles.Bluff Mountain is the last big climb before the Trail descends into Hot Springs. It is a long, demanding climb in the snow but there have been more hikers passing through and packing down the snow today than yesterday. While I am still climbing uphill, I pass Slapp and Moxie slackpacking south. Their group had withdrawn from the Trail in the poor weather, and now they are making up the section they missed. Leprechaun's folks are here from Alabama, and are facilitating this slackpacking. In addition, they are doing trail magic at the bottom of Bluff Mountain at Garenflo Gap. News of nearby trail magic is always a great motivator, providing a more immediate next goal than the next shelter or town.Slapp says the top of the mountain is five minutes away. I thought it was nearby, but it is nice to get confirmation without having to ask how much further it is. So far on this trip I have not asked any southbound traffic how much farther it is to anything. It is not a terribly important question, since I already know the overall distance from the last landmark in the guidebook. It will also probably take me a different amount of time to get there. In this case, I cross over the top of Bluff Mountain moments after passing Slapp and Moxie. There is no view and no other indication of the mountaintop, so what felt like the end of the climb to them must have been a different point than where I felt the Trail level out. I begin the long descent toward Garenflo Gap.Garenflo Gap is more than four miles beyond and 2100 feet below Bluff Mountain. This distance passes quickly, as there are three roads to use as reference points on the way down. As I lose elevation, the snow on the Trail also diminishes. By the time I reach the third road crossing, the snow on Trail varies from nonexistent to negligible. Roosta passes me as I take a break on a dry and sunny spot near the third road. Garenflo Gap comes shortly after this road. It does not cross a road there, but approaches a woods road before turning back away from the gap.Garenflo trail magicI see two cars parked by the road, a couple tables with food spread upon them, and plenty of people. There is a sizeable and very hot fire going too, around which most people are crowded. Leprechaun and his folks are here, as well as Dragon, Grrrr, Fly, and freshly-arrived Roosta. Leprechaun is from Alabama and his folks have brought up shrimp and sausage from back home near the Gulf. I begin filling myself with the food and coffee and mingle with the folks here. There is also fresh fruit, which I have found is certainly the most delicious thing to eat while hiking.A car with Maine plates and an Appalachian Trail sticker pulls up nearby. I get an idea to take a group photo next to the license plate to make it look like we have reached Maine, but I don't follow through. The driver introduces himself as Hobbit, an '85 and '10 thru-hiker. He was planning to do trail magic at this spot today until seeing that the folks here already have that covered. He is doing another sort of Appalachian Trail journey this year. With his wife, he has driven to Georgia and is driving back north while following the Trail as closely as possible. He is taking many of the small roads that cross the AT in remote areas, and revisiting the small towns along the way.I spend a while by the fire starting to dry my shoes. I hold them on a stick over the fire, mostly drying the outside and causing steam to swirl out from inside the shoes. My feet stay as close to the fire as I can bear, and steam rises from my socks as well. Roosta leaves to reach town, and shortly afterward I also get moving. Hot Springs is still 6.5 miles away, and I want to reach town tonight. Julian and Kat show up as I am leaving, and I am surprised to see they were behind me with Julian's tremendous pace. The Trail climbs steadily away from Garenflo Gap, gaining about 500 feet before descending into a series of PUDS. At this point the Trail is pretty dry, so I can make good time across these small climbs.Hot SpringsI pass Deer Park Mountain Shelter without stopping and climb Deer Park Mountain, the shortest named mountain so far on the Trail. Hot Springs comes into view as I descend into the valley. The Appalachian Trail runs right down the main street in town and crosses the French Broad River on the highway bridge before returning to the woods. On the edge of town is a hostel that is not on my map, Laughing Heart Hostel. I heard this hostel was related to the questionable last hostel I had stayed at, so I pass it by. The host comes over to me as I am reviewing my map in the trailhead parking lot and makes me aware of a community potluck dinner that is starting shortly on the other end of town. I was contemplating dinner, but this will be it.The Trail crosses this road and descends to the main street behind back yards. It is marked through town with AT symbols on the sidewalk. A local stops to notify me of this potluck dinner on the way. It is in the small community center on the riverfront street. Even in the early hiking season the ratio of locals to hikers is about one for one. I sit with a few current hikers and one past hiker. I am surprised to have caught Blue Moon here. I hear many folks had to get off the mountain in the poor weather. Goat, who I met the other day, came off the Trail with frostbite on his feet. Rocket, walking with Goat and Tracker, fainted from dehydration. Many others came off the mountain without any issues beyond the overwhelming weather.The past hiker is Tigger, one of the hostel's caretakers. Her character is not in any way like the folks at the past hostel, and I decide I will stay there tonight. Elmer's Sunnybank Inn is full, or else I would have stayed there. They came down here in the hostel's shuttle van, so I ride back with them. I do not linger with other folks tonight at the hostel. I get an individual room and spend much of the night writing.Peace,