Date: 2005-09-20
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 14.8
Weather: few clouds

I hit the road at my usual hour, 8:30, in hopes of getting to Hot Springs around 2 and spending a slow afternoon doing my town chores, and maybe even dipping in the springs themselves. The miles breezed by. I carried lots of water, and didn't stop at all. The terrain was pretty, but there was nothing distinctive except for the new appearance of stinging nettles, which proved to be only a minor nuisance, and more insects, which didn't bother me as long as I didn't stop. I didn't see any people or large animals, and the trail made a long, gentle descent into downtown. Unlike the other trail towns I've visited so far, Hot Springs is literally right on the trail. When I reached the bottom of the last hill, I went through a parking lot, skirted someone's backyard, and followed the AT medallions in the sidewalk right down the main street. There I met an older couple with backpacks on, heading southbound to finish the last 280 miles of their 30-year-long AT hike. They advised me to stay at the Sunnybank Inn, just a block away. The Sunnybank Inn is also known as "Elmer's," after its proprietor, and it's a trail institution. I didn't trust the hype uuntil I saw it for myself. Elmer's is a 19th-century mansion right in the middle of town, furnished with antiques throughout, and complete with a music room, reading room, and an extensive library of books on the local area, the AT, and Elmer's other favorite topics. I got a huge triple room at the front of the house, overlooking the yard. I had to miss out on Elmer's legendary dinner banquets, because he didn't cook that night, so I ate at the Smoky Mountain Diner across the street instead. I had a pulled pork platter with corn bread, cole slaw, and turnip greens, plus cheesecake for dessert. Everyone else in town seemed to be there, so I people-watched. A couple of ladies living in a mobile home out the back windows were sitting out on their screened-in porch, enjoying the evening air. (Why don't people do that in Austin?) A large 3-or 4-generation family ate across the room from me, the local EMTs stopped in, and a couple next to me deliberated about whether to buy a new truck. A couple of people seemed to be circulating around, talking to just about everyone. While I was eating my cheesecake, an old man in a Korean War hat came over and started talking to me. His dialect was North Carolinian, but to me it sounded like a King-of-the-Hill Boomhauer flow. All I got out of his first sentence was, "Blah blah hurricane there blah blah Texas blah blah." Eventually, I decipered that a hurricane was headed for Galveston, and the man wandered off. Before bed at Elmer's, I gathered a selection of AT books and flipped through them. I learned of personal journeys on the trail, browed historical photos, and crammed as much plant knowledge as I could from field guides. In "The Southern Appalachians," I think I found one of Bill Bryson's sources for "A Walk in the Woods."   The material on the American chestnut was eerily similar. Rather late (9pm is late in hiker time), another hiker rolled in. He was hiking northbound at about my pace. He too had met some of the same other hikers. I'll be leaving Hot Springs before him, but maybe I'll see him down the trail. There are so few of us northbounders going long distance at this time of year, it was especially nice to encounter him. I thought about hot-tubbing in the hot springs under the stars, but the hot weather, high prices, and idea of swimsuit rental deterred me. Maybe next time, when I return to Hot Springs so I can have one of Elmer's famous dinners.