Date: 2022-04-23
From: Campsite

To: Laughing Heart Hostel
Miles today: 7.9
Weather: overcast clouds

What a good day. I slept well enough under the stars. It was really cool at first to listen to the water running close by and see the stars and a satellite or two slip through the night sky. But then the night things started to be active. I had a couple of mice run over or around me. That made me move just to scare them away. But then at some point in the night I woke up to a big branch breaking in the trees just above us which caused a huge crash as it fell. Something heavy was up in the tree. I turned my headlamp on but I couldn¢t see anything. I just knew the bear was coming into our tiny campsite for sure. But it never did. So I eventually got back to sleep.The sunrise was really nice. I couldn¢t actually see the sun but the sky still turned red along the ridge of the mountains and the sky grew lighter and lighter. It was nice to just lay there and not be in a hurry to leave. Eventually I knew I had to get up and move. If Ronin and I moved fast enough we could be in Hot Springs my mid morning and could get second breakfast. I mean ¢Brunch¢. Brunch seems to be the more civilized way of saying things. The hiker hunger is real. I can eat almost anytime and it doesn¢t matter what it is. A tortilla with peanut butter and cheese with Dorito crumbs poured on top of it. That sounds so good for anytime in the day. I¢ve eaten similar things for second breakfast. Also tuna can go with anything.We made it into Hot Springs around 10am. We got checked in at Laughing Heart Hostel. I got a bed in their bunkhouse. It¢s a single bed that I can feel the springs through but it will be nice compared to the ground. After getting checked in we went down to the diner and got ¢brunch¢. I went for the Double Skillet Breakfast. It¢s tatter tots topped with sausage, onions, green peppers, and a ton of cheese. Then there are two eggs and two home made biscuits on the side. It felt so amazing to know I could eat as much as I could and it was all mine. It weighed around 5 pounds or so. I ate half of it. I was still hungry but I knew my stomach wouldn¢t hold more. So I saved the rest of it for tomorrow morning.After that I got a shower and did laundry for the first time in a week. It felt so nice to wash the grim off. The loaner clothes were gym shorts and a floral cotton shirt. I knew it was a thing but since you can¢t carry cotton on the trail when you get into town you can wear it and it feels so soft. I loved it so much!I looked ahead and I think it will take me about 5 days to get to outside Erwin TN. So I resupplied food at the outfitter here in town. I came into town with very little food left. Which is good. I started carrying so much more food than I actually needed. Which they say you pack your fears and going hungry is something I never want to do. But I¢m getting closer to hitting the mark of just the right amount of food. The outfitter here in town knows hikers are coming. The trail actually goes right through town. There are AT markers on the sidewalk. So the outfitter has a wide spread of food and gear for the thru hikers. The price was high but they have to in order to make the money in this leak hiker season to make it through the down season. It¢s nice to support a small local company and I paid for good food.The crew that I had been at the top of Clingman¢s dome and went into Gatlinburg with showed up this afternoon. So it was cool to see them and hang out. We all went out to the Brewery for dinner tonight. I¢m really liking the group. Igor and I connected on being homeschooled and growing up playing soccer. Oh and the rest of the Pain Train are here. So I got to catch up with them. They are all taking a zero tomorrow. I¢m considering it. I kinda want to go ahead and push on but a lot of this experience is about the people. Looking back I think I will remember the people and memories more than that I pushed big miles. Plus with it being 5 days to Erwin I would rather do it with people I know than to do it one day ahead of them and be forced to meet new people. I want to meet knew people but Im not in a hurry to do it. Tomorrow is also Sunday and getting to go to church and then FaceTime in to see my family will be a nice day.