Date: 2005-04-14
From: Hot Springs NC 

To: Spring Mountain Shelter (tent) 
Miles today: 11.0
Weather: clear sky

Day 29 What a difference a day makes. Sunshine everywhere, what a beautiful day. Off to the Smoky Mountain Diner for breakfast again. We then pack up and get ready to head out. I stop by the outfitter to do some last minute shopping. I bought a new shirt yesterday and bought some shorts today. My new pack has been chaffing me pretty bad. Yesterday I picked up a shutoff valve for my Platypus. The last purchase was a 1lb hammock just incase I find that perfect place to lounge the guy at the store though I should go for the double which weighed 20oz. He said, ¢never give up hope¢ 4oz is 4 oz and that beat out hope any day. Besides I could still find a small woodsy chic. The single hammock is pretty big. I chuckled hee-hee. On the way out of town I stopped to pick up a roast beef sub and coke for tonight¢s dinner. I almost forgot last night Blue eye heard some commotion on the porch. He got up to check it out. It was a huge raccoon tearing apart the hiker box. He chased him away, but the fight was far from over. There was a knock on the door and the raccoon dragged Blue eye back out for round two. Back to humm¢¦today. I left around noon, that¢s right no zero day. I be evolving. An absolutely beautiful day. Hard to believe it rained for 2 straight days. I hiked with Colorado for a bit, but I was slow today. Pack was full of food and water. The trail out of town went up as usual. There were a couple good views of the French Broad River and the town of Hot Springs. Lovers leap rock being one of them. The trail is nice once you¢re up there. You come across a little dam/pond and a small road walk. I didn¢t stop by the fire tower this time. I got to Spring Mtn Shelter where Capt Chaos is standing guard. August, Redhat, Lyrical & Marshmellow would all stay. Blue eye and myself moved a little up the trail and tented. By a little I mean we could still see it. Blue has not one but two food bag. My god he eats well, I have so much to learn. We traded cookies Bullfoon I had his snack pack pudding before I left Hot Springs. His Mom and girlfriend are doing his drops and they are hooking him up. Crazy dinners, different everyday. I told him I¢m going to start calling him buffet or kitchen. Food bag hanging was a work of art. 30lbs about 25ft in the air. We went down to the shelter to mingle. I¢m thinking of changing Capt. Chaos name to pickle because that¢s what he looks like when he runs around in his sleeping bag. It has little armholes and a place for his feet. Marshmellow (Colorado¢s girlfriend) had, now you wont believe this: marsh mellows! Always great around the fire. Redhat who stayed with us in town is part of March Company. She went to the bar yesterday with us and had a beer with hot wings. She¢s insisting she¢s the oldest on the trail right now, but you never know by way she hikes. Chaos wanted me to snuggle¢¦ok I¢m scared. Toolman and V3 showed up and are now camping by us. Colorado decided to night hike and took off to do another 8 miles. Draggin¢s girlfriend Julie came down to see him. He¢ll be in Hot Springs until Saturday. Hope he catches up. I told him when I get to Cheshire Mass by where he lives I¢m going to set my hammock up in his yard and wait. We have 5 owls going crazy around us right now, could be hundreds. Oh almost forgot¢¦hopefully in Damascus I¢ll be switching to my digital camera.