Date: 2015-04-20
From: Roaring Forks Shelter

To: Laughing Heart Hostel
Miles today: 18.0
Weather: scattered clouds

I was up early and much to my aggravation, that I had somehow forgotten my hat at the Standing Bear Hostel. I had thought that it was in my pack, but it wasn't. I had cheese flavored grits and coffee for breakfast and was on the trail by 6:15 and into a clear sky morning. It had rained very hard during the night, pounding the roof of the shelter like a drum. I put my rain pants on but wore my t shirt thinking it would be dry and sunny. About an hour into my hike it was beautiful and Sunny but out of nowhere, I heard thunder blast, not far behind me and felt warning drops. Turning around I saw a black, glowering and angry sky, flashing lightning profusely. I just had time to drop my pack, put my shirt inside and put my rain coat on before the sky opened up with a great deluge. It rained and thundered with lightening less than 2 miles away for about 20 minutes before it passed by. Soon the sky was blue and sunny again as if nothing had happened. After it was clear that the storm was over I took a break and changed back into my cloths as the rain suit is to hot to hike in unless it is cool outside. I climbed Walnut Mountain, stopping briefly at the ancient looking shelter and then it was down and up to Bluff Mountain with a lot of streams along the way, which meant many crossings. At one point the trail, which was as slippery as ice, Cruising along, I was walking one second and the next second I was sitting down. I can't tell if I slipped and fell, or was abducted by aliens and placed back on my hind side to prevent injury! I made it to the Deer Mountain shelter, which was a log style shelter with a overhang for a porch that looked as old as the trail, at 12:30 after crossing two bridges. I looked at the time and decided to press on to Hotsprings that day. I saw the gravesite right on the left after passing the shelter and was touched by the scene and composed a haiku to the couple buried there right off of the trail. Then it was a lot of ups and downs that were pretty tough before the long decent into town. I was so exhausted after my 18 mile day, the longest hike with a pack so far. I walked into the Laughing Heart Hostel and grabbed a bed for 2 nights. I originally intended to stop back at Elmer's Sunnybrook Inn, but stopped here instead as I was to tired to go on. I showered for a long time in as hot water as I could tolerate, did my laundry and walked to the Spring Creek Tavern where I feasted on Beer battered, deep fried muchrooms, a bacon cheeseburger with a side salad and 2 mystery beers. (Random cans and bottles of beer on sale) which were great! I saw many familiar faces including Momma Moab and her dog, Waldo, Coed, and many others. I had a sore on my toe so I was wearing my sandals to air it out. I went back to the hostel and just beat the rain by a little bit. I sat outside after the rain with some hikers talking about the Non-magic brownies baked by Tom Kennedy at the hostel for the day 4/20 at 4:20! Plenty of hikers were celebrating the day with many "safety meetings" to make sure things were super safe to mark the occasion. lOl! I joined in, announcing that as a non-member, non-sponsored representative of OSHA that I would be sponsoring a safety meeting of my own! I was in bed after 8:00 and slept very well.