Date: 2017-03-28
From: Roaring Fork Shelter, NC

To: Laughing Heart Hostel (Hot Springs, NC)
Miles today: 17.9

Day 21: Roaring Fork Shelter, NC to Hot Springs, NC - 17.9 miles:Within half an hour of wrapping up last night's entry, I heard a familiar jingling of a dog collar, along with the heavy breaths of Odin walking past my tent. A headlamp passed soon after. I eventually motivated myself to get up and confirm it was him and Toepick. I stumbled over in the direction of the shelter, some 30 yards away, to find Toepick standing, looking for level ground to pitch her tent. When Odin saw me he jumped up, placing his paws on my shoulders and nearly knocking me over, his face briefly flashing a bright red in the light of my headlamp. He was rough and tumble with me, having missed me since earlier in the day. I concluded today that although Toepick is his human who he loves and respects, I'm like his frat brother.I lead them back over to my tent and down a small hill to a flat spot I noticed earlier in the evening, and most likely the last flat spot in the area. I sat petting Odin as he slept in a bed of soft leaves, waiting for Toepick to prepare the tent. When she was done, I said g'night to them both and returned to my tent. With earplugs in, I eventually fell into a brief, though deep sleep, waking at some point to the sound of rain bouncing off my rainfly. The rain created a comforting white noise, and I spent the remainder of the overnight hours drifting in and out of sleep as they rain fell harder. Although the bottom of my tent would be covered in mud in the morning due to splash from the rain, I remained dry and comfortable.Up just after 7am, I began the slow process of packing up, eating junk for breakfast, brushing my teeth, and pouring out the previous night's pee-bottle, all from the warm confines of my tent. With nothing left to do, I exited into the cool morning air, packed up my tent, and went to the shelter to kill time before Toepick was ready to leave. Although I always give her plenty of warning before setting off, 30-45 minutes usually, she always finds a way to get us behind schedule. At 8:45am we finally set off into the thick fog hugging the valley floor and surrounding mountains, determined to cover 18 miles into Hot Springs, NC.Today's trek would be the kind that tests your mental toughness. No, it wasn't the coldest day, or the rainiest, or the muddiest, or even the most difficult terrain, but it had just enough of each to make it the least enjoyable day so far. The fog stripped us of any potential views, the mud was slick enough to cause downhills to be slow and steady, the rain was just hard and cold enough to reach your bones, and the terrain was just rugged enough to make me feel every bit of 18 miles on my feet upon completion. At one point in the first couple of miles a tree fell and cracked right on the trail, 20 feet in front of us, five seconds before we would've been standing where it landed. The tree was small enough where it wouldn't have killed us, but it would've most likely taken us to the ground, big "WTF's?" coming from our mouths afterward. It was just that kinda day.We pushed our way up and over both Walnut and Bluff Mountains, the only real climbs for the day, before taking a lunch break. With no desire to eat what was in my food bag, I ended up giving half of what I took out to Odin - pepperoni, beef sticks, and half of my tuna. Any day where there's the possibility of eating regular food, the crap I carry just becomes even more crappier. It was nice to have a furry garbage disposal with me. After lunch, we'd spend the majority of the final 11 miles dropping ~3,000ft towards Hot Springs, an occasional small mountain in between making the process seem futile. At exactly 2:05pm, the sun broke through the clouds, finally drenching everything in its warm light. Most of the fog burned away, except along the summit of Bluff Mountain, now rising high behind us. As the temperature warmed and the uphills continued, the pace dropped to a painstakingly slow speed. With no desire to bust out the miles I knew I was capable of doing, I remained behind Toepick and Odin who, through the returned pain in his right leg, hobbled on three legs for the majority of the day.We finally crested Deer Park Mountain and began winding our way down a ridge when Hot Springs came into view. Tucked in a green valley by a bend in the French Broad River, the trail descends quickly, giving the appearance you're dropping right in on top of the small town. A motorcycle could be heard breaking the still air above, but otherwise the town seemed sleepy from atop the ridge. We winded our way down, the buildings, homes, trees, and everything that makes a town a town, gradually coming into sharper focus. The process was agonizingly slow as Toepick, Odin, and me limped our aching feet downwards. We finally exited the woods at 4:45pm in a small gravel parking lot, right next to home for the night, the Laughing Heart Hostel.We quickly entered, paid our dues, hung our tents on lines to dry, took showers, and adorned "town clothes" from a stockpile. I scored the only things in my size, nurse scrubs, black bottoms and a green top. Comfortability at its finest. We put Odin in a room to sleep while we left, and slowly hobbled our way downtown to the Spring Creek Tavern for dinner. Several other hikers sat at tables on an outside patio overlooking the creek below. A few locals stood fishing before giving up and skipping rocks instead. Toepick and I joined Tank and Peace Walker, a French woman, at a table and enjoyed one another company while we waited for our meals. Unable to decide what would hit the spot, I ordered a water, Coke, and Coors Light to accompany my fried chicken sandwich and fries. Although I felt human again after eating, I was easily nowhere near feeling full.We made our way back towards the hostel, stopping in Dollar General to resupply, although the selection was quite limited. Needing 4-5 days of food for the next stretch, I purchased what few items I could as a non-stove user: cookies, breakfast bars, and crackers. Little variety, but it'll have to get me to Erwin, TN in around ~70 miles from here. Back at the hostel, hikers relaxed and enjoyed their own versions of entertainment: one was eating a pizza while watching a movie on a TV older than me, a second sat relaxing on his bunk, several were chatting, another played with a black cat, and others still were cracking open a 12-pack of beer.As it closes in on 10pm, I'm sitting alone in my room, Odin asleep on the floor nearby, the low hum of the AC in the background. Toepick just came in with our clean laundry, and returned outside to see what the supposed hiker karaoke was all about. She just returned to grab her phone, telling me it was "gettin' lit", whatever that means. The younger generation and their vocabulary. Odin is mid-dream, his feet slightly moving, perhaps as he chases a rabbit or female dog, or is running up and down the AT as has become his life over the past few weeks.Today wraps up 21 days on the trail so far. To toss out a comparison, this past Fall I thru-hiked the Natchez Trace, 460 miles between Nashville, TN and Natchez, MS. I completed it in exactly 21 days. As of tonight, I've completed 273 miles of the AT. This really helps to put in perspective the difference between mileages accomplished when road-walking vs a trail such as the AT.Tomorrow will be a nearo of some sort out of town. With aching feet, I'm in no hurry to leave. I instead will be enjoying breakfast at a local diner, dropping by the library to see if I'm able to upload pictures or not, and then eventually wandering back into the mountains. Tonight, though, I rest easy feeling appreciative as I close in on another 300 miles of a trail as special as this one.