Date: 2011-04-19
From: Deer Park Mountain Shelter

To: Alpine Court Motel in Hot Spring NC
Miles today: 3.2

Joining me at the shelter last night were Doublecheck, Portrait, Cropduster (named by hikers having to walk right behind him and discovering he is very gaseous), and an after-dark arrival. It was cool and still all night, superb for sleeping and listening to owls.Hiking this short-hike day is dedicated to niece Dawn and husband Matt. Seems appropriate since today is all about FOOD: the Salyers know food. I was up at 6:30 a.m. and had the three miles into Hot Springs done before 8. Here's a breakdown of what is fairly typical for me in a trail town, this time in the dinky 5-block long community of Hot Springs NC.8 a.m.: First stop of the day is Smoky Mountains Diner, filled with hikers most of whom I recognize, for a pancake and bacon breakfast washed down with orange juice and coffee. I enjoyed the meal with Doublecheck, a man my age, from whom I learned about his ten years in the U.S. Coast Guard as a corpsman. I'm quite full in my tummy. Yes!9 a.m.: Arrive at Alpine Court Motel to get signed up for a room. I'm told I'll have one, though rooms have to be cleaned first. Excellent! So I leave my pack and trekking poles there and venture out on a gorgeous 55 degree and sunny morning.9:30 a.m. Off to the post office I go. I have a map to mail home (the one for the Great Smokies) and two boxes to pick up. The first is from Lyn consisting of resupply items to get me to Erwin TN. (Lyn, you're awesome to handle these box logistics for me! Thanks!) The second is from Krista and has a note from her and another Joel, and includes three Snickers Bars. WAHOO! Krista knows the way to my heart.10 a.m.: Having dropped the packages with my pack at the motel, I go to Dollar General for some resupply items and -- of course -- additional food for my time in Hot Springs. Can anyone say "popcorn and orange juice with a ball game on TV tonight"?10:30 a.m.: Back at the motel, I get registered and into room #5. $47. A bargain! First thing is a hot shower (the first of three I'll have in the 24 hours in my room) to wash off the sweaty crud. Feels great!11 a.m.: Now it's time for the sweaty crud on my clothes. The laundromat is two blocks away. $1.50 for wash. $1.50 for dry. $.75 for soap. I'll be in clean clothes now, at least for 15 minutes before the hiking tomorrow puts me into another sweat (it'll be 2,000' climbing out of this river valley back onto the ridge). In order to wash all my clothes, I'm wearing only raingear. Don't ask about how much underwear I have on...11:30 a.m.: Having moved my clean but wet clothes over to a dryer, I go next door to Creekside Bar and Grill for FOOD (still wearing the same outfit -- what they don't know won't hurt them...). I was stuffed full with breakfast at 9 a.m., but I'm ravenous again. A house salad and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich on rye (Eeesh! $15!!!) should take care of that. So a seat on the patio watching a vigorous small river rushing by makes a nice wrap-up to the morning.12:30 p.m.: Stuffed to the brim, I'm back at the laundromat to fold my now clean and dry clothes. Ah, bliss! Back out into the lovely sunny day to cross the street to visit the outfitters. Eight years ago I bought a pair of quick dry underwear shorts (skivvies) and have used them hiking ever since. But back then I weighed 200 pounds, and I'm now on a greased pole sliding toward 150. Time to replace them... A replacement pair of hiking socks is also needed and purchased. Just before checking out... OH MY! There's a freezer stocked with pints of Ben and Jerry's ice cream!!! I quickly buy a chocolate and toffee pint, take a plastic spoon, and make a bee line for my hotel room to eat it up. Guess I wasn't so stuffed to the brim as I thought thirty minutes ago...1:30 p.m.: Now I really am stuffed... (yeah, right, someone will say...) so I head for the public library next door from the motel to do emails and upload my journal. These public libraries are awesome the way they make internet connections available to any and every one free of charge. Thanks a zillion, friends in Hot Springs!3:00 p.m.: One thing I've been unable to eat so far is fresh fruit. So it's over to the only place in this little town that has some: a small market. A couple of bananas and a couple of apples should suffice. I can get my veggies in the salads at lunch and dinner.3:30 p.m.: All my town chores are finally done and I can relax. At 5:30 my motel neighbor Next Year (remember, the Chicago Cub fan...) and I will be going back to Smoky Mountains Diner for dinner. Yes, FOOD!! That should set me up nicely for a quiet evening in my room watching a ball game (there's baseball and NBA playoff games to choose from) while eating popcorn and washing it down with O.J. So now you have an idea of a quiet day in town. It's very easy here because everything is so close together. In a community like Erwin coming up, things are far more scattered and will take a lot of walking and time to get everything done. But a 'quiet' day for a hiker when you have no transportation except your feet can still mean walking a few miles. At least there's no pack on the back and tree roots and rocks to negotiate.We're under the threat of severe thunderstorms tomorrow during the daytime. Could be an interesting hike. Stay tuned!