Date: 2007-04-15
From: Green Corner Road

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 33.4
Weather: moderate rain

My day started in a daze of sleeping pills, because I spent the night in the same room as some very loud snorers! Lala and I figured on doing a 20-mile day to Walnut Mountain Shelter, and were expecting it to rain all day.It did start raining almost immediately after we left the hostel, so we didn't stop for a snack until we reached the first shelter, where Lala and I ran into Gator Gump, Ghetto Blaster, Ron, and Kelly. It was there that Lala and I half-jokingly decided that we would hike all the way to Hot Springs today.A few mils after that, we were slowed down by some trail magic hosted by an angel named Apple in the biggest Mountain Hardwear tent I have ever seen. He gave us hot chocolate and warned us that the temperature was dropping rapidly and it was about to start snowing.We left and as we started hiking uphill in the direction of Max Patch, the wind picked up even more and the rain turned to snow. I got ahead of Lala and ended up going over the summit of Max Patch alone. The book tells me this spot "offers panormaic views of the Smokies to the South" but I could barely see my hands in front of me, let alone the white blazes that were to lead me over the top. I've never been outside in such strong cold winds, and my hands and face were numb in minutes. I got briefly disoriented (which was lucky--several people got truly lost up there) and scared, but I managed to find the trail again and stumble into the relative protection of the trees again.Shortly after that ordeal, I came to another shelter, where I encountered two other hikers, and waited for Lala. We considered staying there and waiting out the storm, but the wind blew straight into the shelter, and we were too cold and wet to stand still, so we pushed on with the intention of staying at the next shelter, 6 miles further up trail.We armed up some, and the snow began to accumulate, and it really was quite beautiful. If it hadn't been for the wind, it might have been a very nice day of hiking. We both wished we had our cameras out to take pictures, but it was too cold to stop and get them out, and my hands never recovered from freezing atop Max Patch, and I wouldn't have been able to operate a camera anyhow. It was a long 6 miles to the next shelter, and hiking uphill through 6 inches of snow (and drifts up to 2 feet) is exhausting. That shelter was cold and rickety, and two section-hikers had holed up inside with their tent. We ate a bit, and pushed on, knowing now that we couldn't stop until we got to town. Lala had to buckle me back into my pack because my fingers were worthless. After leaving the shelter, we climbed another mile or two uphill in the snow, and then finally we began to go back downhill. It seemed that no matter which direction the trail was going at any given time, the wind was always blowing directly into our faces. Lala's beard was coated in snow and ice, which also would have made a good picture if we'd had cameras handy! I ran most of the next 8 miles, because it was easier downhill in the snow than walking. Besides, the snow cushioned the ground, so for once our feet didn't hurt (although they were soaking wet and freezing). My wet pants froze solid, as did my rain jacket, which became a hard shell that banged against my head as I ran. We didn't drink much water all day, and found ourselves eating a lot of snow towards the end, which probably only served to make us colder.At long last, we stumbled into Hot Springs after 10 p.m., and immediately took a wrong turn and got lost. After a bit of wandering around aimlessly, we found ourselves in the downtown area in front of a cafe that had closed for the evening but still had people inside, looking warm and happy. We stared through the window miserably long enough for the owner to come running and offer us a room in the inn upstairs, which we accepted without question. We'd have paid any amount of money for that room just then, and it was a bit more than we'd hoped, although she gave us a discount.The first thing I did was to take a shower, although it took me a long time to get undressed because my hands were swollen to half again their normal size and didn't work at all. In the shower it took 10 minutes standing in the hot water before my skin even felt warm to the touch. In the meantime, Lala had gone next door the the pub, where they re-opened the restaurant for us to cook us up some veggie burgers. I am exhausted, but at least I am finally warm.