Date: 2005-04-17
From: Groundhog Creek shelter

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 26.2
Weather: broken clouds

Man, what a great day. I could just keep walking forever. I was one of the last hikers to leave the shelter. I caught up to Slaphappy after an hour or so and hiked with her up to Max Patch. We crossed a creek and someone had left a Dr. Pepper in it for hikers. Three other hikers ahead of me had walked by and thought it trail trash, but The Wandering Bull knew better! I put it in my pocket and kept on going. When I caught up with Ironfoot ahead, I offered him half cuz I could tell he was bummed he had mistaken it for trash. Slaphappy wants to learn Spanish so I was telling her a couple things like how not to accidentaly say "I'm horny" when you want to say "I'm hot". Max Patch is unbelievably wonderful on this crisp, clear day. I could see for miles around. I couldn't see Katahdin though. I split up from the group after Max Patch, starting up ahead of the rest. I didn't see or pass many hikers for the rest of the day. I was listening to my Latin American revolutionary music for most of the day. My heart's really in Latin America, I can't wait to go back. When I finish my trip, I hope to work for an NGO called Peace Brigades International in Colombia, doing human rights observation work. I'm getting excited about it already. And my heart is also firmly planted on the AT right now.The trees at the lower elevations are starting to bloom but at the higher elevations, they're still bare. I walked through a field of wildflowers that smelled wonderful this afternoon. One Thing was right, the hike after Max Patch the 20 miles into Hot Springs wasn't bad at all.My shoes are rapidly deteriorating. I hope they last me until Erwin, there's very little between my bare feet and the ground. Getting into Hot Springs, I passed this guy who looked like a local and I asked him what was open. He said, "Everything's closed, it all closes at 6:00 on Sundays. Welcome to small town America." Yeah, this dude really knew his "small town America", all the restaurants were open! Before getting something to eat, I hit the hiker box at Cody's Hiker Hostel. Score! I can't believe I found three candy bars in there plus 2 different varieties of trail mix. I collected at least 5000 calories. There were cookies, instant oatmeal, and drink mix too.I wasn't sure where to go for dinner but Smoky Mountain Diner was cheapest and the people seemed friendly. I was definitely not dissapointed. I ordered the Hungry Hiker burger, which was two beef patties totalling 12 ounces plus fries. It was great! The waitress came over and asked if I wanted some peach cobbler. I asked her how much it would be and she gave me a quizzical look and then said, "So ya want some or not?" Sweet, she brought me a huge bowl of it for free. I left a generous tip. After dinner, I walked down the street thinking of where to stealth camp. I met Lobo and his hiking partner. Lobo's a sobo hiker and his mother is from the town of Zaruma, Ecuador. This is funny because I've been to Zaruma and it is quite a small town. Swamp Thing came by and started talking to us about AIDS in South Africa. Very troubling. He's from South Africa and has been living in Florida for some years.The Florida Trail prepared me well for stealth camping in towns. I found me a good spot!