Date: 2005-03-24
From: Carter Gap Shelter

To: Franklin, NC
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: clear sky

Sixteen today, sixteen and into town, town¢¦yes. Wake early, and head out on the trail in pretty much no time. I had planned to be ahead of everyone for most of the day, since I didn¢t have to pack up a tent, and I was ahead for quite some time, until I hit a strange thing on the trail, a red bandana and a sign that says ¢Trail Magic¢. Oh hell yes, trail magic.Right off the path is a HUGE awning, an RV and a a guy named Barry, and his friends Fisherman Fred and Gatorade. Barry and his wife Terri, used to run the Rainbow Springs campground, which is now being developed so rich people can feel like they¢re living near nature. Anyway, Barry treats us to some aweomse trail magic in the form of some make-your-own burritos cooked over an awesome sawblade griddle and cold cola. The trail magic was a rejuvinator. After a while I ended up hiking with James and Freeze Dried toward the road, then after a little more while ended up hiking with just Freeze Dried as James was flying ahead on his way toward town and college basketball on TV. When we pass Rock Gap shelter, we run into some old friends, Snowman and icicle. Everyone enjoys a shoe break, and then FD and I take off toward the road, where we finally encounter James waiting for a ride. Five minutes after we arrive, Amanda shows up, so it¢s a hitchin¢ time. We throw the thumbs out and¢¦well, hitchhiking along NC 64 is not so easy. We try different people, different strategies¢¦no luck. After quite some time, Icicle get¢s ahold of a motel in town called ¢The haven¢ on her cell phone, and they have a shuttle. Fifteen minutes later a short bus shows up with a ¢Free Hiker Shuttle¢ license plate on the front. We all pile in and speed down the highway toward the Haven Budget Inn.I¢m going to call the rest of this entry ¢A tale of two hikers¢, to get an idea of how two different hikers can have two different experiences in nearly the same place, read Longhaul¢s entry on this same subject.So the haven budget inn¢¦yeah, not so great. The free shuttle was about the only good thing we encountered. When we got to the room, which was last furnished some time in the late 70¢s, save for the dish network satellite receiver, the first thing we thought of was a nice warm shower. Well, there appeared to be no hot water. So we complained, the guy threw a switch or two and told us to try again in 5 minutes. 10 minutes later and still no hot water we complain again. This time he tells us that we can use another unit, the ¢efficiency¢ which has a shower. OK, now I¢ve seen some disgusting showers in my life, but this thing might take the cake. I get in the bathroom with my towel, pull back the shower curtain and see the floor, this is when I know I¢ll be showering with my waldies on, since the floor reminds me of what it might look like when athelete¢s foot goes to heaven. Then I try to grab the towel from the wall, and the whole towel rack pulls out of the wall. Then, for the actual shower, well, the showerhead is attached to a pipe which comes right out of the wall and moves back and forth when the water pressure changes. I stutter through the shower and then head back to the room, disappointed. After dinner at a tolerable AYCE and back in the room, we find out that we have hot water, and apparently so does everyone else. In fact, we find out every time anyone else uses the hot water, or the cold water, because the pipes make noise, this makes it oh so easy to sleep when every five minutes it sounds like your bedmate lights a welding torch. Oh, I think we¢ll be crashing somewhere else on our zero tomorrow.