Date: 2011-04-13
From: Asheville, NC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 21.1
Weather: broken clouds

Laura and I woke up at 5:30am this morning and we were on our way to Max Patch soon after. My mom was giving us a ride before she had to go to work which worked out well instead of having to leave a car at our start and finish points for the day. We left the parking lot where my mom dropped us off at around 7:30am and hiked the steep but short climb to the summit of Max Patch. It was the earliest I have ever been on the summit and it looked awesome! Fog was lifting from the valleys below and clouds were clearing for a beautiful day. Laura was freezing cold as it was only 30 degrees with a steady wind. I told her shorts would be fine so I'm glad she brought a small jacket. I was amazed by the view and she just wanted to get off the bald and into the woods so there was no wind. We arrived at the first shelter in no time which is around two miles from the summit of Max Patch. Blue Stick was there and I was sad to hear that today would be his last day on the trail. He is 67 and said he had enough and was going to get his wife to pick him up in Hot Springs. There were a few other people including two guys around my age whom asked where in Asheville I was from when I told them I lived closed by. When I said Weaverville one of the younger guys stood up and said "no way!" "are you Chris Nadeau?" I replied yes and he said "holy sh*t, I'm Scott Litton." I was amazed as just the night before we had talked about him at diner and I said I would like to meet him and talk about his hike. We talked for a while, exchanged numbers, and we were back on our way. The first six miles of our hike were a gradual down hill so I knew it would let Laura work her way into a long days hike. We stopped to take a break at Lemon Gap when Blue Stick met back up with us and told me the news about a man named Model T passing away on the trail a few nights ago. I believe that shook Blue Stick up a little bit as he was 67 and the man whom passed away way 69. It amazed me that the man was just a few days behind me and couldn't believe it happened. RIP Model T! Laura and I continued and soon started our first uphill of the day. It was a short but steadily increased in steepness as we progressed. We took a break and it was the only point of the day where she thought she wouldn't make it. It was still cold so she could feel every breath she was taking and we starting to feel the last seven miles like anyone would who hasn't been hiking daily for the past month. I told her I'll slow our pace down, and to let me know whenever she wants to take a break. She replied "just keep walking to the next shelter" as she was getting very hungry. We arrived at the next shelter which had no roof as it had been blown off a few weeks ago. She ate a good sized lunch and it gave her a lot of energy which I could tell from her tone of voice and her attitude towards moving on. We went downhill for two or so miles and then started to climb Bluff Mountain which was our biggest climb of the day. We took one break a mile or so after starting, and then she pushed all the way to the top surprising the both of us as she was doing so well! We looked for a place at the top to stop and enjoy the views but couldn't find a good one so pushed on till we found a nice log to rest on. She was enjoying the trail at this point and felt sore, but wasn't in pain. It made me feel great to hear her talk about how she felt being on the trail with me. I told her it meant a lot to me that she came out with me and hiked; a long hike at that. We hiked the next 11 miles to the last shelter before Hot Springs where she started to feel weak and very sore. She needed food and had not eating in hours. We stopped and before I knew it I was up slapping a wasp off my arm where it had stung me. I didn't care much and was focused on eating. The last three miles killed the both of us as they were rolling steep hills and we were both becoming very hungry. We left the shelter around 4:30pm and had 3.2 miles left till Hot Springs. When we had a mile or so left, we could see Hot Springs from the ridge we were on. I don't think she had been more happy that day. She flew down the mountain and was so glad to be done such a long day. She could barely walk, was very sore, and couldn't wait to be home. I also felt sore and couldn't imagine how she felt after a 21 mile day and not hiking at all before today. I was very proud of her to say the least and reminded her of that all day long. I enjoyed her company on the trail today and she knows that. I didn't beg or force her to come. She simply said a few days ago "I'm going with you. If I'm going to support you on your hike, I want to see what the trail is like." That was a great thing to hear and know. We both were in the bed by 9pm and couldn't be more satisfied with how the day went. Thank you Laura for an amazing day on the trail.