Date: 2015-04-28
From: NOC

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 136.4

Currently Sitting here at the Hiker Ministry in Hot Springs, NC. I arrived yesterday around 4PM and Stayed the night at Laughing Heart Hostel. Tom, Tie and Baltimore Jack were great hosts and I'm feeling encouraged and well rested, ready to start making some mileage on the trail. Jack whipped up some killer salad, chili, rice and corn bread for dinner last night. -Trail name controversy- after about a week of being called Bluto, I find out that the character on Popeye who is continuously attempting to mooch hamburgers is named Wimpy, not Bluto. A few people have started calling me Wimpy which has become a nickname for my nickname out here in the wild. I still call myself Bluto. To the point where it almost feels as natural as Andrew (my real name).-I've been hiking at a pretty consistent pace these last 4-5 days so I've been able to see some folks again and again which is nice. Seeing familiar faces is encouraging out here.-Next town to resupply should be Erwin, TX. 4ish days (65 miles) out. Damascus is another 200 miles! I've got 9 days to make it as close as possible before my Dad meets up with me for a few weeks on the trail. Day 10 continued... I was taking a zero at NOC but ended up getting too anxious sitting around and decided to head out around 3:45. I ended up at mile 144, Sassafrass Gap Shelter, which was a nice place to pitch a tent. I dropped my guide from my pocket and did about a mile of backtrack trailrunning that day. Nice little workout. Day 11- Fontana Hilton. 165.8. Hot shower. First time sleeping in a shelter. Got a shuttle into Fontana Lodge where I picked up a great food drop from my mom. On the way back to the shelter, I scored some hot dogs that were being thrown out from the convenience store broiler! Food resupply is great for my belly, back for the back. Day 12- Mollies Ridge Shelter. Mile 176.8. The ascent into the Smokey Mountains was a challenge after the 22 miles I hiked the day before. Crossing Fontana Dam was fantastic. I had 3 whitetail deer as hiking partners for about half a mile. Day 13- Double Spring Gap Shelter. Mile 196.0. Really nice 19 mile hike. Hiked with the White Wolf some. He's always upbeat and enjoyable to be around. The shelter was freezing and made it really tough to get moving in the morning. I was tempted to hitch into Gatlinburg and take the day off in a warm hotel room. However, I embraced the mantra "get comfortable with being uncomfortable" and hiked on. It ended up being a really nice hike albeit cold and muddy. There's comfort in the solace of the trail and warmth in the company I find in the evening. I received some trail magic in the form of cookies and chocolate down at clingman's dome. Day 14- Icewater Spring Shelter. Mile 209.5. There was a really great crowd at the shelter that night. Lots of laughs were had and there was more Poi in the shelter from Monkey Business. I've been seeing a lot of people that I met at that shelter in the last few days of hiking. Again, it's nice to see familiar faces on the trail. Day 15- Cosby Knob Shelter. Mile 230.1. Tent camped by the full shelter. I tented next to Paul and Tessa (Wind and Lorax). Lorax reads reads to Wind most nights so I figure if I follow them to Maine, I'll have vicariously read the entire Game of Thrones Series. Charlies Bunyan was an amazing side trail view. I've got some pictures on the photo page. Day 16- Standing bear hostel! Mile 240.8. Lumpy gives a great nickel tour of the Standing bear farm, which is a hikers paradise. Washboard for clothes washing and a cool river to rest your feet in. I ate 3 cheeseburgers. No regrets. Day 17- Walnut Mt Shelter- Mile 260.8. 21 mile day! The views from Max Patch were phenomenal. The trail magic directly before the climb to Max Patch was a day maker. Scout and Gadget (2014 thru hikers), had set up a table with hot dogs, soda, beers, fruit, baked good, and more! At the shelter a few hours later, I ate some spicy pad thai (beef ramen, PB, and Texas Pete's hot sauce). You've really gotta get creative with meals out here. Eating the same thing over and over gets a bit old. I tented by Wind and Lorax again, who I've ironically dubbed The Early Birds since they're usually the last to leave camp. Day 18- I chatted with Chef, Monkey Business and Wind the next morning so I got quite the late start. The hike down into Hot Springs was really nice. I stopped for a long lunch of PB and crackers and almost fell asleep in the shade. I find that stopping and taking my pack off for more than 5-10 minutes makes it really difficult to get going again. Day 19- Planning on hanging in town for a few more hours, doing some resupply, and camping about 5 miles North on the trail.