Date: 2014-04-25
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: overcast clouds

The wind was howling all night, and some light rain fell, but it sounded like a hurricane from inside my tent. I was awake at 6am, but didn't feel much like getting going just yet. I knew I'd be in Hot Springs today, so I wanted to get an early start and get the 13.1 miles over with ASAP. At 6:30, I could hear Mailman unzipping his tent, so I figured I may as well get going too. I was out of the tent at 7am, and packed up and ready to roll by 7:30. I ate a pack of Pop-Tarts for breakfast, and was hiking by 7:45. We went downhill for a mile, then began a long ascent to the summit of Bluff Mountain. Lately I've been having trouble going downhill. I can climb mountains without a problem, but going downhill puts a lot of stress on my feet and knees. I use my trekking poles to brake myself as I descend mountains, and it takes some of the stress off my joints. 9.9 miles into the day, I met up with Wild Turkey, Mailman, Shamrock, and Dustin at Deer Park Mountain Shelter, where we drank some water and ate a snack. We were 3.2 miles from Hot Springs, and more importantly, real food! The trail descended steeply into town, and the buildings that looked tiny several hours ago from the high mountain ridges now appeared much larger as I got closer to town and further down the mountain. Soon, the AT crossed Main Street and followed the sidewalk right through town! I saw Charcoal as soon as I got into town, and she told me about her 33 mile day into town. Crazy! I then saw Wild Turkey, Lopsang, Shamrock, Mailman, and Dustin eating at Smoky Mountain Diner, so I joined them. I had a burger and fries, which was really good compared to my usual lunch - a Powerbar. We sat around the table for quite a long time, as our hiking was done for the day. At this time, I walked across the street to Elmer's Sunnybank Inn to inquire about a room, but they were full. A friend from Atlanta mailed me a package at Elmer's, so I picked it up and carried it the box back to the Diner, where everyone was still hanging out. I opened the box and was greeted with a funny note. As I went through the box, I found Powerbars, Ramen noodles, tuna fish packets, and a bag of gummy bears that I ate right there on the spot. He also included a rubber chicken (inside joke), that is now tied to the back of my pack for all to see. Everyone had a good laugh at the chicken after I told them the story about it. Thanks for the trail magic Tyler! It was much appreciated! The next order of business was to secure a room and a shower. I have no phone reception in Hot Springs, as AT&T has been basically useless for the past 100 or so miles). Luckily, Shamrock had Verizon, and thus had service, and he was able to call places. Every hotel, hostel, and cabin was already full, so we went to the Hot Springs Resort & Campground and paid $24 for a 4 person spot. Dustin, Shamrock, Mailman, and I each paid $6 to pitch our tents and take a cold shower.Camping is one of the things I refuse to pay for, but I had to make an exception today, which I am not pleased with. So many hikers are in town because it poured rain all morning, so a lot of people that would have hiked out decided to stay another day. Dustin, Shamrock, and I had dinner at Spring Creek Tavern, where I had a killer Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. They also had Sweetwater on tap, so I had a Sweetwater 420 and made Shamrock try a Sweetwater Blue. Ahh, a little taste of Atlanta on the trail! We saw a lot of familiar faces at the tavern, so it was good catching up with everyone. After dinner at the Spring Creek Tavern, we went next door to Still Mountain Pub and listened to live music for about an hour before heading back to the campground for the night. It feels good to be in Hot Springs, because this is the first real "trail town" that the AT passes through. The AT goes right down the sidewalk through town, so the town has no choice but to cater to AT hikers. I'm thinking of taking a zero day tomorrow to rest my body.