Date: 2015-03-22
From: Cosby Knob Shelter

To: Groundhog Creek Shelter
Miles today: 17.6
Weather: scattered clouds

I left the shelter at 8.30am. Despite how full it was, there was almost no snoring. But I have a lot of problems sleeping. I wake up every 2 hours without fail, and roll over. My hips and backside are too bony to lay on for too long. The blister on my right heel was also painful enough that I couldn't rest it on the floor. Today was mostly downhill for the first half of the day. I saw some deer running away from the trail. Then later, I saw some more (or the same) pair of deer grazing just in the side of the trail. I took some photos and tried not too scare them too much.There was also only a little bit of sun today, and it was humid. But still much better than rain. I ran into a lot of day hikers, and I probably looked a real state in comparison. I have definitely been smelling myself recently and it has been disgusting. Every part of me is filthy, though I can proudly note that my feet are cleaner than most people here. I'm very careful with my feet, since I'm so scared of my blisters getting infected. But my hands are constantly grubby. I know for sure that my face and hair are pretty gross. I'm really looking forward to a real shower at last in Hot Springs (2 days!!)I went down to Davenport shelter and met an Italian section hiker. The shelter there is a bit unique because it has a chainlink fence across the front. After that, I ran into a Ridgerunner and a ranger who asked to see my permit just as I was about to leave the Smokies. Brightside and Laughtrack caught up with me there. At the very end of the Smokies, someone had left some trail magic. It was a bag full of large healthy and expensive trail mixes. Every time I see trail magic, I'm reminded of the amazing generosity of the trail angels who provide them (often completely anonymously, without any expectation of thanks). I took one and pretty much poured it into my mouth. I ate all 600+ calories of it in about 5 mins.From there, we headed towards Standing Bear Farm/hostel. Along the way, I managed to slide down the trail and got mud all up my left leg. Not long after, we all got a bit lost because we reached the I-40 road and couldn't see any white blazes. We found our way in the end, but it was really unnecessarily confusing there for a while.After that, I experienced the worst pain I have felt throughout this entire trip. Some sort of bug, probably a horsefly, landed on my left arm and bit me. The bite was stinging and extremely painful. I immediately started crying and didn't stop for about 10 minutes. It was so bad that I couldn't even move my arms to use my trekking poles. I knew that Brightside and Laughtrack were up ahead, and the hostel wasn't much further. So I practically stormed forward, with my poles clenched in my left fist and a tissue in my right. I met the others at the road for the hostel, and we walked there together as I explained what had happened. By the time we got there, the pain had subsided a bit. I checked to make sure it hadn't left a stinger, and the bite looked tiny for the amount of pain it had caused. Whilst there, we had lunch and did a short resupply. Brightside's drop boxes still hadn't arrived- she was due 2. This is the inherent problem with drop boxes and bounce boxes. You can never know if the parcel will actually arrive in time. If it doesn't, then you actually end up spending double the amount and have the additional problem of trying to re-route the absent package. Standing Bear Farm is an extremely laid back and friendly hostel, but also very rustic. Instead of a toilet, they also have an actual privy. It has a very old timey feel to it, and is mostly made of wood. The laundry is one of those hand roller machines. The resupply was actually very decent in terms of choice, but the prices were just about the same as all the hostels. From there, it was all uphill for miles. It wasn't too steep, but it felt a lot like being back in Georgia. I still feel so slow out here though. It feels like everyone else has stronger and faster legs than me at the moment. I wish I had my trail legs already. Eventually I reached the shelter at 4.30. It's a small shelter, but it's just us (me, Brightside, Laughtrack, Rhode Island Express and two older men). We can all fit inside though. It's a nice chilled atmosphere, with Voltron (a 2012 Nobo veteran) telling us stories and giving advice. Frodo started another fire since it's finally dry enough to get a real one going. It was a nice evening. A note about this shelter though- the privy here is hilariously small. When you're in there, most of your body is visible above the walls and the shelter, so you can wave hello to everyone outside. The range of privies here on the AT is enormous. Tomorrow we're supposed to be doing 23 miles. My blisters did well today, though the arm pain was by far a more pressing pain. The camp shoes have been a fantastic decision though, I would definitely recommend them. Mine are white and pink, super cheap and lightweight, and I love them already. Also tomorrow, we're going to pass Max Patch, which is where FreshGround said he would next be. I really hope we get to see him, it would definitely make the 23 mile day much easier!