Date: 2005-05-23
From: Walnut Mountain Shelter 

To: Hot Springs - Elmer's Hostel
Miles today: 13.1
Weather: broken clouds

I was woken early by the sound of rain hitting my tent and the powerful rush of wind through the tops of the trees on the ridge where we were camping. Once again I was so very tempted to sleep in, but once again I had places to go and appointments to keep - in this case, Hot Springs and all that civilization entails. I was especially keen to get to the hostel of the famous Elmer Hall. He does these fabulous vegetarian dinners that all my friends rave about in their journals, and really good dinner- time conversation to go with it. Unfortunately, you have to be there by 3PM to sign up for dinner, or eat somewhere else. So I rolled out and got packed up. Today's hike was another joyful event. My knee felt better than ever, and nothing else hurts. In the 270 miles since Springer, I have not had a single blister - a new world's record for me! I've been wearing a heavy duty knee brace since I restarted my hike, and decided it was time to try a lighter-weight brace and see if it was enough. It was! Even with 13 miles of almost all downhill hiking. A good thing, since my heavy one is falling apart. The weather started out totally foggy, with a light rain that soon tapered off to just a fine mist, and then stopped altogether. The trail scene is really beautiful under those conditions, with the brilliant greens of the foliage contrasting with the dark brown earth of the trail, and with winds blowing patches of fog across the hillside. I chased up a white tail deer, who returned the favor by scaring me to death by crashing through the woods just as I was deep in thought - only my second deer since Springer.I made incredibly good time, due both to the long downhill sections of smooth and well graded trail, and my desire not to be late for dinner. I actually averaged 2 miles an hour for the entire 13 miles, and arrived at Hot Springs at 2:15. I checked in to Elmer's but was disappointed to learn that dinner would not be served as there were not enough guests and they require a certain minimum number. Bummer! To compensate, I went across the road to the Mountain Diner and ordered the vegetable plate - you don't get much in the way of veggies or salad on the trail, but it just wasn't the same. After a shower, I got laundry done and called home. It's always good to hear what's been going on and to talk with my best friend. I missed the outfitters, but was able to get some alcohol from Kindman who's taking a zero tomorrow. I also missed the post office, so he's going to mail some things home for me as well. Meanwhile, I'm finally getting caught up with my journal, which is good, and tomorrow will leave out for Erwin, Tennessee. It's 69 miles, and will take me 4-6 days to get there depending on all the usual factors. My first day out will either be 11 miles or 20, depending in part on how early a start I get. We'll see. I'll let the trail and my knee decide how far to go each day. Today's hike is dedicated to my good friend and fellow hiker, Phoenix, who is out here somewhere north of Erwin and one of the few from M company I may yet catch up with. Hope to see ya soon, Bro!Stay tuned, Longhaul Sent via PocketMail Email Anywhere