Date: 2017-03-24
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter, NC

To: Elmer's Sunnybak Inn, Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 13.1

3/24/17 Sunnybank Inn, Hot Springs, NCMiles hiked: 273.4, Miles to go: 1916.4Town Day - woo hoo! We all come out here for our own reasons; but, a part of it for all of us is to get away, on some level, from current society. However, we are all drawn in by the towns. After seven days in the woods, a town visit was long overdue. In town, you don't have to filter water, sleep on the ground, or poop in a hole. Life in town is a brief respite from the rigors of the trail. After being one of the last out of camp yesterday, I actually hauled my butt out of my sleeping bag and was packed up, done with breakfast, and ready to hike by the time the sun came up. We started the day with a big climb right out of the shelter. Although I was the first one out, Whistler caught me halfway up the hill and T-Rex was right behind him. At the top of the climb, I stopped to catch my breath and give Marguerite a quick call. Lumber Jill showed up just as I hung up, so we started hiking together. Lumber Jill is a 5' 4" powerhouse who worked for the Minnesota Conservation Corps before she decided to hike the AT and then go back to school for her Master's Degree. She gets her legs churning with this hybrid walk-run step and it takes a full stride of my 36" inseam legs to keep up with her - barely. However, I was ready to get to town and the miles always go faster when you have someone to talk to, so I tucked into her slipstream and drafted off of her all the way to Hot Springs. We covered the 13.1 miles in less than five hours. As we caught sight of the town in the valley below us, all conversation ceased and we were like two horses who've scented the barn and doubled down to get to town. Hot Springs is a genuine trail town where the AT goes right down Main Street. About 10% of the town is populated by former thru hikers. It appears that most of the town's income derives from the thru hikers. There are several hostels and B&Bs, a good outfitter store, and two restaurants in town that cater to the thru hikers. With the bad weather in the Smokies last week, the thru hikers have sort of piled up into a mini-bubble. So, everyone was scrambling last night to make reservations. I generally try to make reservations ahead; but, I had made plans to go visit family in Durham that fell through at the last minute when I found out that all the car rental companies require an actual physical credit card to make reservations. I am carrying a debit card and I have my credit card loaded in my iPhone to use with ApplePay, so no one would rent me a car. All of a sudden, I also needed a reservation. I knew that Rooster, who was a day ahead of me, was staying at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn. So, I called and had him check with Elmer. Luckily, they had had a cancellation, so I got in. Woo hoo!When we reached town, Lumber Jill and I parted ways because she was staying at another hostel; but, on my way to Elmer's, I caught up with Strider and found out he was staying at the same place. Cool! It took us a bit to find Elmer's because it is a pretty low key place. So, we asked a guy on the street who was an obvious thru hiker (zip-off tech pants and puffy jacket) and he pointed us in the right direction. Elmer's is this really cool Victorian house, built in the 1840s, that has been housing thru hikers since 1948, when Earl Shaffer, the very first thru hiker passed through here. Earl, a WW II vet, undertook the first thru hike to "walk off the war" (I highly recommend his book, Walking with Spring). They have a brass plaque on the door of the room where he stayed proclaiming "Earl slept here". Elmer's assistant Matt, a 2016 thru hiker, greeted us and gave us the introductory tour, accompanied by Pearl the cat, who took her tour guide duties very seriously. Pearl's brother Earl and Jimmy Carter the dog round out the rest of the staff. After the tour, the first order of business was a long, hot shower. Next came a trip to the laundromat to try to beat our stinky, smelly clothes into submission. After that, Strider and I finally got some lunch at the Smoky Mountain Diner across the street. The rest of the afternoon was spent drying out and repairing equipment, checking in at home, and resting our legs. I rounded out the day by having dinner with Rooster at the diner, where we caught up on each other's adventures through the Smokies. Rooster is heading out tomorrow, so it was nice to get a chance to touch base with him. I am now sitting in a rocker on the front porch finishing up my blogging duties to keep you, my faithful readers, up to date. Tomorrow, we are taking a zero day to rest our legs after our tough push through the Smokies and over Max Patch and to resupply. Sunday morning, Strider, Lumber Jill, Winter, Legs, T-Rex, Darwin, Truck, Oz, Machine, Jam, Tiptoe, Half-price, and the rest of our ragtag band will continue our northbound odyssey to Mt Katahdin, looking forward to our next town day in Erwin, TN.