Date: 2004-05-20
From: Roaring Fork Shelter

To: Elmer's Sunnybank Inn
Miles today: 14.9
Weather: few clouds

Trail into HotspringsStart: Roaring Fork Shelter @ 0847Finish: Elmer¢s Sunnybank Inn @ 1558Miles: 14.9 Miles.Weather: Sunny, few clouds. High 80¢s, low 90¢s.Breakfast: Mashed Potatoes & Ground Beef, Vanilla CIB, Chocolate chip Poptarts.Lunch: Trailmix, Snickers, chocolate pop tarts.Dinner: Cheeseburger, Onion Rings, water, Killian¢s Red.Trail Conditions: Well maintained. Climbs and descents were at a nice gradient. Muddy in spots.Animals: Hawk, lizard, squirrel, rabbit, flies.People: Gary, Carp, Smack, Mickey & Mallory, Postcard, Tom, Sarah, Wayne, Elmer, Sparky. After a long day a decent night¢s sleep felt truly wonderful. Both Lauren and I were so exhausted. For the first night in more than a week there was no rain and the stars even popped out between the pillows of clouds. The nights are really warming up turning my 40-degree bag into an oven. I will be sending it home shortly and replacing it with my bivy cover and silk bag liner.We wanted to get up early, but to no avail, I crawled out of my bag around 0745. I had a ravenous appetite and was a bit dehydrated. Lauren decided that mashed potatoes sounded good and that ground beef with them couldn¢t be that bad either. So she prepped those and I whipped up my normal CIB and pop tarts. Needless to say breakfast was top notch. Unfortunately, we were both hungry again in about an hour. A hiker¢s appetite is a dangerous thing.The climb up Bluff Mountain was easy going. There was a decent elevation gain, however, the gradient of the trail was not severe at all. I made quick work of the climb and rested on the summit. My heal was feeling much better today and gave me minimal pain. What I think happened was that a pebble got in my shoe, nestled under my heel, and dug in just right during a portion of my walk. Subsequently, it just made that area quite tender. Either way, my foot felt great and spirits were high.It was quite hot, however the shade of the trail and a slight breeze made the walk bearable. We stopped at Garenflo Gap for a break and aired our stuff out in the sun. Not 10 minutes down the trail, Lauren insisted she take a nap and that she was thirsty and hungry. What can you do? Apparently the dice rolled in my favor as she parked her GB right in an anthill! Not more than two minutes later she had ants crawling all over her legs. I sat and rested as she belted out a litany of curses. It was hysterically funny. We pressed on in search of water.We made it to Deer Park Mountain shelter and bombed 48 ounces of water each. Just up the trail were two gravesites from a husband and wife that had passed away-the wife in the 40¢s and husband in the 60¢s. I decided to snap several pictures of the area as it was fascinating¢¦here is where it got creepy. I snapped a photo of the gravesites and in the background was an eerie gray blotch. I decided to take another, and several more blotches appeared. I took numerous photos earlier in the day and had no such problems nor have I ever. Both kind of spooked, I took a picture in a direction opposite the site and there were about a dozen of these images in my photo. Both being somewhat superstitious we scurried down the trail away from the area. About a mile down the trail I took about 10 pictures and none of the gray blotches were there! Lauren and I (as well as all the other hikers we showed) believe we captured something paranormal. It is truly very eerie.The descent into Hotsprings was a real tease. It was long and the whole time you could hear cars on the road and see the rooftops in the town. All I could think about was a shower, water, food, and a bed. I set up shop at Elmer¢s Sunnybank Inn (more to come tomorrow on Elmer¢s) and quickly made myself at home chatting with Mallory and Mickey who I hadn¢t seen since Franklin. Postcard rolled in later after putting down 26 miles. A lady named Sarah, a section hiker, is here. She is between jobs and will return to school to pursue a PhD in history following the hike. Another hiker Tom is also here. All are great people and fun to be with. Mickey & Mallory, Me, SmackHotsprings is a lazy and rural Appalachian town. Remnants of its glory days remain standing in the aging Victorian houses throughout the city. A busy highway skirts the town, while a ten building shopping/restaurant district lines the one main street. I would not want to live here year round, but it is a cute place to visit on my hike.Sarah, Tom, Lauren and I headed out to the Padders Pub for dinner. I called the folks from a pay phone in route there. They were happy to know I was alive. They also advised that Ben was in Hanover, N.H. and is hoping to be done on the AT by June 20!!! I was so excited to hear that. Go Benny!The service at the Padders Pub was okay and the food was average. Prices were quite high too. But the company made the night well worth it. Mallory and Mickey showed up and we all shot the breeze for several hours. Postcard and Carp were drinking it up at the bar with the A.T. legend Baltimore Jack. I had no idea that the unassuming man they were talking with was Baltimore Jack. I had always envisioned some mythical super hero. I didn¢t get to chat with him but he¢ll be in town tomorrow so hopefully we can chat.Sarah, Lauren, Carp, Postcard and I will all be zeroing tomorrow. We are planning on hopefully hiking together to Erwin next week. It would be so much fun to move as a group. At 0830 18 hikers will be feasting on one of Elmer¢s famed breakfasts. I am so excited. It is 0130 and I am pooped. Only 7 hours till chow so it is best that I get some sleep.One Year Reflection