Date: 2016-04-05
From: Brown Gap

To: Lemon Gap
Miles today: 8.9

We hated to leave Bryson City, we really enjoyed the Nantahala Brewery there, the Filling Station (great cubano sandwich) and the ice cream shop. I¢ve included a photo of the beer list at the Nantahala We met Don, an internist from TN who has hiked a lot, we set up mail contact later and he has some info on shuttle services in the Smoky Mountain area that may come in handy later.After finishing our hike yesterday and driving to Hot Springs, NC, we checked into the Creekside Courts in the middle of town. (See yesterday's blog for an explanation of skipping the Smoky Mountains) Not a modern motel, but clean, has what we need, the price is right and it¢s right behind the Spring Creek Tavern that has good food and good beers. After cleanup, we had a pleasant conversation at the tavern with Bumpy, a lawyer from NC. He just started hiking at I-40 and came in to watch NC play Villanova in the NCAA finals. We stayed longer than planned and left around half-time. We found out later that NC came up short at the end. Sorry Bumpy.We woke up early as usual this AM to much colder temps and headed down the road at 5:30 to the Smoky Mountain Diner. They don¢t open until 6:30, but they let us in for a good cup of hot coffee and we came back later after our hike for lunch. Dan, our shuttle driver from Bluff Mountain Outfitters was right on time, he opened up the store (a co-owner) and then he drove to Lemon Gap and we followed him in our car. It¢s really a pleasure working with the shuttle services that are listed in the AT Guide (by AWOL). The drivers are very good, they know their areas like the back of their hand, they know the condition of the roads, where to park and they can provide options to help you plan. Plus they can tell you a lot about the region you¢re traveling through.The highlight of our hike today was Max Patch summit. This is an unusual feature and everyone seems to have their own story about it. We¢ve hiked it 3 times now, twice NoBo and once SoBo, so we¢re becoming familiar with it¢s approaches. The bald sits atop a very large, open hilltop and it¢s a climb to the bald from either direction on the trail. It seems almost a mile across from one edge to the other. Our first hike across was bitterly cold, there was snow on top and a nasty wind. It was clear and the long-range views were great, but too cold to stop for a picture. Last year, less wind but very thick fog and we had a hard time seeing from one blaze to the next - no views. Today was warmer than the first year, hovering close to freezing, but the wind was fierce and the windchill on the open bald made it seem much colder. I had to pull on mittens for a second layer, yet I was still able to squeeze off a couple of pics. There was a light mist in the air, and it was freezing on the grass at the edge of the trail. We could see much farther than last year, but the clouds were hanging low on the surrounding mountains. When we reached the edge at the other side of the bald, we found that our water tubes had frozen shut - so it was freezing.The remainder of the (short) hike was mostly downhill through rhodo groves and below the ridge lines, and the sun started popping through, so it got warmer. The trail was clear and we made good time back to Lemon Gap. Along the way we spotted more flowers along the trail, including the first trilliums that we¢ve seen this year. I¢ve included a shot of a red trillium that is just beginning to blossom. The weather has been unseasonably warm and that may be a problem if it snows as predicted this weekend. As we were taking off our shoes and climbing into the car, a group of young ladies in a couple of cars pulled into the parking area behind us. We learned that they were volunteers helping maintain the trail. Their task today was pulling up invasive plant species along the trail. We encountered this before in PA where a group was pulling up a species of mustard plant. Keeping the trail in shape takes a lot.Back in Hot Springs, we stopped first at the Smoky Mountain Diner for lunch. This has to be one of the high points in this whole area. Princess has a ¢piled-high¢ club sandwich and I had the homemade meatloaf. If you ever find yourself in Hot Springs, NC, do not fail to eat at the diner. Everything is great. PLUS: they had our summit postcard picture posted on the wall. The last 2 years we¢ve seen Biscuit (a hiker), who we learned is also the owner. We really like her.