Date: 2005-04-08
From: Gatlinburg TN(Hampton Inn) 

To: Gatlinburg TN(Hampton Inn) 
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: light rain

Day 23I know what you all are thinkin¢ Is he ever going to leave Gatlinburg? Hmm..your guess is as good as mine. Can¢t really say. Now that I¢m in the plush Hampton Inn it¢s anybodies call. The front desk staff thinks I¢m here to stay. I woke up today, peeked out the window and saw the mountain covered in clouds. Good enough for me, tomorrow it is. If you do stop over in Gatlinburg on your own A.T. hike may I recommend stopping by the Hampton continental breakfast. Even if you¢re not staying there. Just pretend you¢re a quest and walk in. They have biscuits & gravy, bagels, muffins, toast, cereal, Krispy Cremes and piles of other goodies. Well worth your while. Yesterday I went out with Jake, Chuck, & Trip Which I¢ve run into here and there since Hiawassee. Great bunch of guys, always have fun whenever they are around. They had already had many pitcher of margaritas this morning. So it¢s off for a beer or two at Pucker¢s. A lovely local dive in the basement under one of the stores on the strip. The locals seemed to be getting a little uneasy and with only one way out. That was our cue. Down the street it was time for a rousing game of indoor putt-putt where the old guy¢s triumph over the kids. Thanks mostly to Jake¢s superior play. The go-carts were crazy. Hard to beleive anyone would let us near them. It was like racing around in your living room at 30 mph. Have no idea how fast they were, but it was a blast. I keep forgetting to bring my camera, sorry We made our way to the brewery and met Domino, G, Bruce Spruce his girlfriend, and his mom. There was a lot of noise coming from yonder. Domino was break dancing in the middle of a crowded dance floor. Back to today. I¢m leaving tomorrow under 3 days of sun. I don¢t plan to stop till Erwin, though I may pause in Hot Springs. Gotta get my hike on. I got to town a day earlier than I wanted and until last night it hadn¢t rained at all. I was starting to think I should have kept hiking. That was until I heard it was pouring in the mountains. This makes me happy. Not that I need to justify my lengthy stay or anything. I¢ve spent 3 days and 4 nights here and I¢ll still hike out of the Smokies 3 days earlier than I did in 1999.Today will be a day of nothing or at least very little. Watching Ned Devine on TV right now. Nothing funnier than two old naked men on a motorcycle. Later on I¢ll read a book on my balcony above the little babbling river. This afternoon I went for my daily walk. My last three zero days are not a total loss, after much walking and searching I have obtained my white chocolate mocha. The sun is out here and there, but there are ominous clouds lurking over the mountains. What that means I can¢t really say? Sounds spooky though. The throngs of people are rolling in. Ok my god someone save me. It¢s like a bad Chevy Chase movie.A brightly clothed lady is banging on the room next to me yelling ¢Vinnie are you in there¢ Kids run to the woods, don¢t walk, don¢t look back, just run. I¢m sure they¢ll all be up at Clingmans Dome tomorrow. Luckily 98% of people who visit our great National Parks & Forests never go even a mile in. Most never leave their car and one that do, rarely stumble off the paved pathways. I dare say I miss those days. Anyway the town appears to be hoppin¢ tonight. Sadly no drinky-drinky must hike tomorrow. Finally I¢d like to wish my dad a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Sent him a postcard, but don¢t know that it got there in time. Almost forgot I had breakfast with Jake brake and Lowgear.¢If you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it, hang on, and swing.