Date: 2016-03-22
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter 

To: Sunnybank Inn, Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: clear sky

Brrrr. Last night was probably the coldest I've spent in my life. I love my sleeping bag a lot, but last night was the first time it truly wasn't warm enough. I was wearing two shirts, a down jacket, raincoat, hat, leggings, shorts, rain pants and two pairs of socks, and still I was shivering. It took me forever to even get to sleep, let alone stay asleep. I found the only way I stayed warm enough was to lay on my front, a very unnatural sleeping position for me; I woke up with my clothing bag (which I use as a pillow) covered in drool. Fortunately I made it through the night without having to boil water and keep a warm bottle in my sleeping bag or do jumping jacks. These were the thoughts I was having while I struggled to fall asleep. Ken was packing up and Brit hadn't even moved yet. With all my clothes on, I was more impervious to the chilly morning than I had been before, so I wasn't particularly cold eating breakfast and packing up. Trying to bite into my clif bar was a challenge, though. It was like a peanut butter popsicle. Bolt headed out just before me. I left with my raincoat on and took it off and put it on probably about five times over the course of the next hour as the terrain changed and the sun came out. There was only one real climb all day, and it was early, and not very challenging. As Bolt and I descended away from bluff mountain, the snow around us slowly gave way to pine needles and leaves again. I hit one major personal milestone today right about at Garenflo Gap: this has officially become my longest-mileage backpacking trip ever! Just as I passed the gap, I exceeded the 275 miles that I travelled last summer on Vermont's Long Trail, and in a day and a half less of hiking, I might add. I thought quite a bit about my Long Trail hike after passing Garenflo. The Long Trail is tougher than the AT has been so far, no doubt; the trails are cut so much more sharply and the maintenance is so much inferior on the LT. The Long Trail also seemed to take a lot longer than I've spent so far on the AT. I think with each day's hike being such a larger percentage of the trail, every day is imbued with more meaning. There was barely any middle ground between me still filled with wonder and amazement trying to figure it all out and me being nearly completed with the trail. Each day on the AT is barely a dent in the 2200 mile total, and the days seemed to have passed quicker. So much of my Long Trail hike was spent alone. I love having other people around me, ahead of me to catch up to, behind me to see when I take a zero, to talk things over and make jokes, tell stories and just see familiar faces. Everyone says it, but seriously. The people are making this trail experience so much richer for me. Tomorrow I'll hit 20 days, the length of time I actually took to complete the Long Trail. The terrain down here has been significantly easier, but I've also been feeling like I have more in the tank at the end of each day out here than on the Long Trail. I leave camp at 8, arrive at 5, and still feel like a human being. I'm thinking that my mileage is going to keep being consistently between 18-20 for the next week of so and may begin to exceed that once I hit Virginia. That would put me on track to complete the trail in just over 4 months. We'll see. I bounced over a few ups and downs and stopped briefly at Deer Park Mountain Gap before beginning the final descent into Hot Springs. The trail had the town in view for quite some time before reaching it. The valley of the French Broad River, which is only about wide enough for a railroad and highway, widens here into green pastures between two hulking mountain ridges. The town is tiny, laid out entirely along one street, Bridge Street, on which the AT passes. I paused where the first trail hits the town where a bulletin board featured an adorable note from an elementary school child about what to bring on an AT hike. He suggested fleece pants and "maybe even a picture of your family if you are going to be gone for a while." I stepped out on to the sidewalk and made my way towards town and the Sunnybank Inn where I planned to spend the night. Astoundingly, the first person I saw was Andrew, whom I haven't seen since literally Day 1. Chickenfoot, as he's now been dubbed, is doing the AT like no one else; he's taken five zero days to my two and is still in the same place. He cruises over the mountains but just loves hanging out in town. I was amazed to see him. He must have been right behind or ahead of me essentially my whole hike without our ever crossing paths. Without a sign or anything, it took me a minute to find the Sunnybank Inn, but soon I laid my things outside the door of an old Victorian-looking house and stepped inside as the sign bade me. I was met by Greg, a former thru hiker, who showed me around. The house was built in the mid-1800s and is wonderfully labyrinthine and ornate, with original fixtures and lots of cluttered art. It was built back when Hot Springs was a resort town where people would come to relax or to take health benefits from the "waters." My room (which I have to myself) has a queen bed and a ton of space, as well as a private bathroom. I was not expecting this for 20 bucks. It's an extremely cool house. Judge popped out just as I was settling in, and I said hello. I took a quick rinse in the "50-year old shower as opposed to the 100-year old shower," as Greg put it, and then headed to the tavern for lunch. There I met Clean Skittle, who had just polished off the AT hiker burger, which I promptly ordered. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. It was three huge patties each covered in bacon and cheese. I got through about half and decided to wrap the rest up. I had been defeated. Next, I headed to the Post Office, where I hoped a care package sent by Debbie Hallbach, my girlfriend's mother, would be waiting for me. Once again, general delivery did not fail me, and I was soon ripping into the package. I'm so glad I opened it before I went shopping: she sent me enough snacks and chocolate for the next week, including peanut butter M&Ms, for which I have a soft spot! Seriously, Debbie, I can't thank you enough! It was so wonderful to have this present waiting for me, it was like Christmas! I went to the Dollar General and then to the local outfitter to do the rest of my shopping. Everything is on the same two blocks, including Sunnybank and the tavern. The outfitter has just about everything a hiker could possibly want, and they also happened to have a set of Black Diamond pole tips, just like the ones I had just had shipped to my home in Connecticut for free from a warranty claim. I was expecting a much higher price, but these tips only cost 11 bucks! I figured I might as well just replace them now for that cheap. I also picked up a pair of Dirty Girl Gaiters that I've been waiting to buy here, as well as some more Aquamira drops. I also did my laundry. Also across the street. Seriously. This town is tiny and has exactly what I needed. In the laundromat I found Slug, who lent me a dollar for quarters. He was about to head up to Sunnybank and see if they had any rooms left, which I'm sure they did. The man at the outfitter said he would help me remove the current tips of my poles that have been wearing down for weeks now, but I didn't note that the outfitter closed at 5, and I was too late when I returned with my poles. I looked on the internet and found that the trick seems to be to put the tips in boiling water to loosen the adhesive. I was surprised that there was no cast-and-die screwing involved. A project for later.I returned to the tavern and had a beer with Judge, who explained to me that Curve, Rabbit and Kings Arthur and Scum took a zero at Davenport Gap Shelter to wait out the snowstorm, and so are only today passing Standing Bear. I can't imagine how dreary a zero there must have been: it's a smaller shelter without the awning of all the others in the Smokies, and it has a chainlink fence across the front, a legacy from when all Smokies shelters had them. I hung around for quite a while there, facetimed Ali, switched my laundry.... Eventually Slug showed up and Judge left to check out the live music at the OTHER restaurant in town. I know. Slug and I talked for quite a while and soon other folks showed up; Bolt, Brit and Clean Skittle are all staying up at Laughing Heart Lodge. Still feeling full from lunch, I ordered a big house salad and relished all the fresh veggies. I nearly forgot my laundry and ran over to the laundromat. Judge came back and another two hikers I've seen but not met - Quick and AK - joined us. Slug once again expressed his distaste for the "Boy Scouts," whom we are pretty sure aren't Boy Scouts. We all had beers and caught up and joked around until about 9:30, when I left. I headed back to the Inn and decided it was time to boil my poles. Elmer, the guy who owns the place, wouldn't let me use any of his pots for the purpose, but I found one in the hiker box that would do just fine. I soaked the tips in the water til it came to a boil, grabbed some paper towels and POP! Both tips slid right off. I was a bit discouraged to see that I had not only been eating into the tip of the pole, but also into the lower shaft of the pole itself; it meant that the bond with the new tips wouldn't be as strong as it could be if they weren't sheared off. But I popped the new tips on and pressed them down into the ground as hard as I could. They aren't quite as deeply on there as the previous ones, but I think they'll get the job done. And hey, if they come off, it's only ten bucks for a new set. With that, I retired to my room for the night, where I packed up my food bag and my laundry and got ready for bed! Most of the folks I was with are zeroing here tomorrow, but I'll grab the breakfast here (which has a big thumbs up from judge) and then head out, and make it as many miles as I feel like. I'll try to make it 70 miles to Erwin, the next resupply, in four days. Should be very doable. Gnight!