Date: 2008-05-25
From: Deer Park Mt. Shelter

To: concrete dam and pond
Miles today: 8.4

Today we made it to Hot Springs--3 days ahead of schedule which is so nice. We have made arrangements with the shuttle service to go ahead and hike another 43 miles before the Wed pickup to go to Ashville for the Thursday morning departure for Ken's wedding. Hot Springs was not what I expected, smaller and less commercial. We stopped at the outfitters first, then walked down to the campground for a hot shower. What an adventure! It was like they'd never seen a thru-hiker before, which of course we know is not the case. We talked to the guy in the booth and asked about towels and he was like, "well, you could go talk to Mabel over there at the bath house and she might give you one." Walking over there Doug nearly sprained his ankle in the mowed field beside the road. Watch out for those holes! So we get the towels and walk over to the showers--these consisted of 6 outdoor stalls, doors reaching from about knee to just above my head, back to back with a cement floor, the size of a tiny closet. Each stall had a spout at one end, just pull the rope and vallll la, water pours down. Yeah, we're really livin' in the lap of luxury. Anyway, then we head down to do laundry and re-supply at the Dollar General. What a find! The last couple of resupply places have cost about $80, this one was under $10! Of course I didn't need very much but even so, the prices were so nice for a lot of the same things. We ate lunch sitting out at Peddler's Pub then had ice cream at the sweet shop across the street and got on our way for a few more miles of hiking. After meandering along the creek we headed up the steep slope to the top, ruining our nice clean smell before the day was done. Then Doug looks in the guide book and it says there is a pond, a good distance for the day. We decide to head for that, though I am skeptical that there really is a pond in the woods. Doug has visions of a shimmering pool that he can swim in and I am imagining a dismal algae covered water spot in the woods, teeming with mosquitoes. There really was a pond! With a concrete dam on one side, which we walk across (yikes, that's about 40 feet to the ground if you fall!) to explore the pond. I find a nice campsite up in the among the pines, with 4 dry logs just waiting to be burned. We set up our tents and then Doug, who hasn't had enough hiking yet, says he'll go for a walk up the path through the field, see where it goes. I jokingly say, "Yeah, and bring back the pile of wood at the top" He disappears and a little while later, comes walking down the hill with nothing other than a pile of wood! Seems there was a campsite at the top too, with a pile of split wood just sitting there. So we had a great campfire! The best camping spot yet.And, that's not all! I witnessed an amazing thing that night--mass emergence of cicadas! It started before sunset when I took a few steps away from camp and heard all this rustling in the leaves, looked to see what the heck it was. Saw to my amazement that the noise was coming from cicadas emerging from their holes in the ground and heading for the nearest tree or branch. They were everywhere! All heading for trees. When they reached a tree (or my leg! Augghhhhh) they started climbing up. And up and up and up. They would reach a point and just stop. And then after a bit, their skin just cracked open and out came the adult. Slowly. So white! With beady red eyes, tiny crunched up wings that seemed deformed. Doug returned from his trip to the pond and I convinced him to come look what was happening. We walked around and saw cicadas in all stages, everywhere. There were shed skins all over the ground, and they were dropping from high in the trees. Adults were emerging everywhere, low on the trunk and high on the trunks, on leaves and sticks and rocks, everywhere we looked. It was amazing! I took lots of pictures with Doug's camera, hope they come out okay. By now it's totally dark and there is lots of sound coming from the nearby pond... bull frogs, Bufo Americanis (toads), and the lovely sound of the whipperwill. Augghh, nature's music makers, singing just for me. Then, Doug says, "I guess that's the bad thing about staying by a pond." I SO disagree!!!