Date: 2009-05-10
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Spring Mountain Shelter
Miles today: 14.2
Weather: overcast clouds

I slept horribly after the bear incident. That might be because I was sleeping 3 people in a 2 man tent. But still, bad night of sleep. I woke up around 6:30 and decided to move back to the hammock to get a solid hour of sleep in. I crawled in the hammock and just closed my eyes when I hear noisy rustling again. Bobby the Bear is back and messing with the trash he got the night before. Bobby hangs around all morning and Raindancer, Raspberry and I decided to get out of the area as fast as possible. We broke camp and left by 8 am. Very early for R&R. The hike down to Hot springs was uneventful and I hiked in with R&R because they talk a lot so no bears will scare us. =)We get down to the road and the first thing we notice are the amazing AT diamonds on the sidewalk. Those are so cool looking. Then I see my mom walking toward us. She had on the cutest t-shirt: it was from the ATC and said MOM with the O being the AT symbol in a circle. It was very cute and made me happy to see. We trekked to the Ingles in Marshall so that I could resupply, R&R could get junk food, and Old Skool Bear Slayer came along for the ride.I tried on every shoe that the outfitter had in Hot Springs and they didn't have any my size that were wide enough in the toes and top of my foot. Because my mom is super awesome and the best mom ever, she had already run directions to the REI in Asheville. So we made the 45 minute drive to Asheville for shoes and to look at packs. I had seriously just come off trail that morning, hadn't showered yet and was pretty much 3 days of trail grunge. I felt disgusting in the store but also kind of badass. Shoes were really easy. I got a pair of merrels (first time getting this brand) that are a whole size bigger than my first pair of shoes. My feet have swollen a whole size! That is just gross. I also spent a long time picking out a new pack. It is very frustrating getting used to a new pack where everything doesn't have a proper home yet, but I know that a pack that fits is much better for me in the long run.We went back to Hot Springs and stayed at the Sunnybank Inn. The place has just the right amount of disgusting liberalism, down home Southern hospitality and Creative vibes. They have organic vegetarian meals for breakfast and dinner and Mom and I chose to dine with them for dinner. It was a 4 course meal topped off with some of the best peppermint tea I've ever had. Stuffed myself to the gills. It was a wonderful dining experience.Mom and I decided we would soak in the hot springs before she returned to Charlotte and I returned to the trail. It was a very relaxing experience and made my feet feel really good. I also did a load of laundry. We ate lunch for the 2nd day at the Smokie Mountain Diner--and saw Savage and Fiddle plus family there for the second day in a row.R&R have been telling me I've needed to decorate my hiking poles and gave my a hologram UNC keychain to start the process. They also gave me a postcard that says I (heart) Carolina with the epic retelling--because of course we have a very embellished version now--of our visit from the bear. The postcard had lots of little tar heels on it, so I bought another card and cut it up to decorate my poles. They are looking really good.Overall the hiking today was tough but manageable. There was a nice bit of hike beside the French Broad River where I saw the biggest snake I've ever seen in the wild. It was maybe 4 feet long, black and the width of my fist. It just slithered across the trail as I hiked past. There was of course lots of climbing today because you always have to climb to get out of town. And I have waay too much food. But it will all be eaten and so tasty when it is.I got an update from Mitch*Walking Home about the group he is traveling with a couple of days ahead of me. They sound like they are having a blast.Also, the 30 mile day seems to be one of the most commented on things. There a lot of factors in that day: I was tired of being wet, I was hiking at a 3 mph rate most of the way. (Note: Entry was cut off at this point)