Date: 2012-05-01
From: Hot Springs North Carolina

To: Hemlock Hollow Farm
Miles today: 16.7

I wandered back fine through town, down the main street and crossed the bridge over the French Broad River.  The town even left a street light at the point where you need to hop the guard rail and go 40 feet down a steep hill to pick the trail back up.  Smooth sailing.  I had to walk about a half mile beneath the dark canopy of maple, oak, beech, and poplar.  The trail is pretty smooth and I had walked it three other times earlier that day but things are different in the dark.  There were plenty of new roots, big boulders, and hills that I didn't recall.  I tried to use the sound cues off of the sets of rapids just a few feet away and the ambient light reflecting off of the river to guide me home.  I played lightly to warn any animals coming down for a drink that I was cruising through (read tripping over stuff) and that they should watch out.  Or else.. I may fall on them.  An ounce of prevention, folks.  I got to my hammock, just ten feet from the river bank and changed out of my fancy town outfit (a shirt with sleeves and long pants) and put on my hiking clothes to be ready in the morning.  Time for bed.  However, somebody was smoking something on up the way and the breeze lofted that aroma my way which gave me an unsettled feeling.  It's not the substance I had a problem with, I just didn't think anyone was that close to me.  I checked my camp over with a headlamp to no avail.  Midway through the very warm night, I heard my trekking poles go clack.  I sat up, clicked on my headlamp and didn't see anything that could have caused that to happen.  But I did notice a thick line of ants in the dried leaves headed right for my pack and they were carrying crumbs on their way back.  I got up to investigate but it turns out they were carrying off someone else's past crumbs as my food was untouched.  I moved my pack into a tree and went back to sleep.  That's just how some nights go.  I woke up at 8am to pack up and grab breakfast at the diner in town.  It was a solid twenty minutes of walking to get there but it was nice and flat, plus I enjoy being the only set of eyes to see a place.  Early in the morning is a good time for this.  I walked down the middle of their main street with my trekking poles clicking away on the rough, grey asphalt.  This road eventually meets up with a busier stretch of highway and I worked my way over toward the diner side.  I set my pack outside and leaned my poles in the corner.  It's funny how quickly you start trusting people with everything you have.  Your things are generally exensive but simultaneously worthless and largely burdensome yet completely necessary for survival.  My pack was the only one there.  I went inside and saw a mob of hikers.  No bags outside meant that they had all gotten motel rooms.  I had forgotten that many if them were going to zero today to float the river, enjoy the hot springs, and eventually have a big cookout.  My plans were very different.  I sat down at a table with Brooke, John, and Chicken Feathers.  I wasn't getting any love from the servers and was in too big of a hurry to see how it played out.  I let the friendlier-looking server know that I was outside and hungry.  The had food available in delicious combinations and I knew just what to do with it.  I invited Bumblebee and Saturday to join us outside on the back porch and the six of us got comfy at the round table.  I ordered three eggs, a side of bacon and a side of sausage, an order of french toast, and a bagel with cream cheese plus a grapefruit juice and a coffee.  I tore through breakfast barely tasting any of it.  I headed out and turned south to pick up the half mile or so I missed when I walked into town on the wrong road.  I picked up the blazes (embossed into the sidewalk) and backtracked through town again.  I saw Houdini on the way out and decided to check email one more time at the open wifi hotspot he had found the night before.  My phone was still pretty low on battery so I stopped in for an iced chai at a little coffee shop and charged up some.  The town was burning up when I left at 11:30.  It was approaching triple digits on the sidewalk and I trudged toward the river in my melting shoes.  The shade along the river was a nice change and I felt suddenly awakened by the environment: a big powerful river gushing past, birds singing cheerful songs, leaves twinkling in the light.  The climb was unrelenting but I was thankful for the shade and slight breeze.  I noticed immediately that on this side of the river, the non-flying animals were completely different.  The waves of crickets and grasshoppers were replaced by shrews, moles, and frogs.  I saw snakes and lizards too that I hadn't seen until now.  There was a lot going on over on this side and I stopped to take lots of photos.  My goal for the day was a lookout tower I was hoping to camp in but it was too ambitious for my late departure.  With the light starting to fade, I decided to head to this little hostel for the night and get a shower.  It was a long day  and I had essentially two days of funk on me.  Around four or five days you stop noticing but I could do something about it tonight and chose to walk an additional 0.7miles off of the trail to get to the hostel.  It was pretty nice and I met Johnny Walker (Black) and Hot Shot out on the big porch overlooking the river.  So many things in this little valley remind me of long summer days spent on my Grandparent's farm in Colorado.  I cooked a spot of dinner out on the porch and then heated up water for some peppermint tea.  I am amazed at the difference in boil times for the porch railing vs. the ground.  I suppose thermo is your friend once in awhile.  Lights out before 10:00pm with the alarm set for 6:24am.  Goodnight.