Date: 2018-11-26
From: Laughing Heart Hostel, Hot Springs, NC

To: Roaring Fork Shelter, NC
Miles today: 17.5

Sleep was good to me last night. I was up early and headed to the Smoky Mountain Diner. It was a spring-like day. I ordered a Southwest Omelet. It was different from other southwest omelets I've had. This one was full of corn and beans. Still on the wall was a picture of Cape Gaspe, Quebec, where I hiked to in 2012 and signed by Nimblewill Nomad. Two guys sitting on opposite sides of the restaurant talked loudly about bears. I think they were trying to scare me. "Yup, its a regular bear preserve up there on the mountain," one said. I went back to the hostel to pack. Then I headed to the outfitter and post office. It now was cold and windy. As I rounded a corner a blast of wind hit and thousands of leaves came up the street at me. I had to protect my eyes. It was amazing. It was like the movie The Birds except instead of birds it was leaves. I recovered from the leaf trauma and went to Bluff Mountain Outfitters. I purchased AquaMira. Then I picked up a package at the post office sent by Heartrock. It was full of food and treats. My final stop was at Dollar General for food. I needed six days worth to get through the Smoky Mountains. Back at the hostel I packed up and was on the trail at 10:30. It was windy and looked like rain or snow. The trail was well graded all day. I kept a watch on the clouds as the trail climbed to Bluff Mountain. I crested the mountain at 4:50. I remember back in April 2012 as Sterling, Metro North, and a few others got up early at the Walnut Mountain Shelter to push into Hot Springs for breakfast (which we didn't make it in time). At Bluff Mountain the sun had just come over the horizon. It was bright orange. One of the guys was standing on a boulder as I got there. I took a picture of him. It was just his silhouette against the sun. I thought it was cool someone stopped and was taking in the beautiful sunrise. Today it was windy and cold on Bluff Mountain. A fog hung around the summit and all the trees and bushes were frosted white. I went by the Walnut Mountain Shelter in the dark just before 6 p.m. I had just turned my headlamp on. I did not plan to stay there because it was a small old shelter plus the guidebook said the neighborhood bears are not afraid of hikers. My goal was a campsite 1.5 miles farther. After the shelter the trail went through some fields. It was flurrying and it would continue all night. I missed the campsite. The book said it was next to a creek and an old road. I saw the creek but not the road. Thinking I needed needed to go a bit farther I continued. Then I realized I did go too far. I turned around then headed back. Then I turned around again and decided to continue to Roaring Fork Shelter in about 3 miles. The trail climbed and crossed some streams. At one stream three uneven logs crossed over. All were icy from the flurries, even the railing. It was slow going across. I saw two eyes to my left, I thought. It looked like a big owl. Then I realized It was two lights from a facility on top of the ridge. After I crossed another slippery bridge I thought I had a mile to go yet. But a short distance later were two signs pointing to the shelter. I was so happy. It was 8:15. Inside the shelter I put my tent up to stay warm. No one was there. I can hear the wind pushing through the forest. Sometimes it blows the tarp covering the open side of the shelter violently. Glad I came the extra miles making tomorrow easier. Now in for a cold night.