Date: 2006-04-07
From: DEER PARK MOUNTAIN SHELTER

To: HOT SPRINGS
Miles today: 3.4
Weather: clear sky

REUNITEDWe opted for snickers bars for breakfast instead of instant oatmeal. We were in a hurry to get to Hot Springs. I wondered aloud if Alena had made it safely from Florida to Greeneville, TN.Before long, we could see the first tiny buildings far below. The town is a little hamlet situated next to the French Broad River, nestled deep into the verdant mountains all around. The thing that impressed me first was all the noise coming from this tiny community. You could hear lawn mowers humming, dogs barking, the rumble of the train whistling through, backing trucks issuing their warning signal and traffic coming from HWY 25/70. Back home, I used to get headaches every day. Maybe it's from all the noise!We followed the AT markers right through the town. Our first priority was to find a room so we could use the phone to call Larry to see if Alena and Bree had arrived. We didn't get far before we started running into hiker after hiker whom we have been traveling a day or two behind since before the Smokies. We saw Sandman, C.W., Headin¢ Out & Tagalong, MOAT all cleaned up, and many, many more. We also met hikers whose names we knew from their register entries: Rat Puke to name one. We asked around if anyone had seen Walkabout and Caboose. We have been corresponding with Caboose's Aunt Cindy through Trailjournals and I was anxious to tell her about it. The general consensus around town was they are staying at the campground past the R.R. tracks. Since that was on the other side of town, we had the chance to stop at every motel or hostel on the way to see if we could get a room with a phone: nope, nada.I was a little disappointed about that. There are plenty of pay phones here but a hiker often has several phone calls to make when they get to town. Plus, we need for Alena and Larry to be in touch with us as we try to get together. Oh well, we decided to stay at Elmer's Sunnybank Inn. I've been wanting to stay at this hostel anyway. It's a Victorian home built in 1875 and is on the registry of national historical places. It is furnished with antiques and has a well stocked library. They serve gourmet vegetarian meals here which is a draw for many hikers.We did finally find Caboose and Walkabout at the campground. They were busy sorting out their mountain of food they bought as their re-supply. It was great seeing them again. We caught up on stories of the last 100 miles or so of hiking. Caboose and I both thought it would be fun if she and I could hike together sometime. Before we left them with their pile of food, they invited us to their campfire later tonight and we took pictures. I took a nice one of the young couple - especially for Caboose's mom and Aunt Cindy. It was getting to be mid-day and we still hadn't made a phone call or had a meal. So we dropped our packs in our upstairs room at Elmer's and before cleaning up, we went straight to the convenience store where there's a pay phone. We bought our lunch of chips and soda and tried to call Larry's cell phone: no answer. Darn! I called my daughter Emily back in Florida next. She was at work so we didn't talk long, but it was good to hear her voice. After that, I decided to try Larry one more time: he answered!It was so exciting to talk to them and know we would see them soon. We agreed to meet at the Dollar General across from Elmer's at 4 o'clock. That gave us just enough time to go to Bluff Mountain Outfitter's to purchase some bear bag cord and a shut off valve for Mudflap's water bladder. We also had to go to the post office and do laundry. We stopped at the post office and guess what? The Easter Bunny, aka the Fouts Family, sent us an "Easter Basket". In it were Peeps, Cadbury Eggs, Jelly Beans, you name it. We will share some with other hikers and granddaughter Bree, but I kinda like those Cadbury Eggs. We have enough dessert to get us to Erwin.We finished our laundry just in time as Alena's silver SUV pulled into the parking lot across the street. We rushed over to meet them as Briauna jumped out of the back seat and ran fast towards us. I scooped her up in my arms and we hugged tight for a long time. Alena claims we look tan and slimmer. I suppose we are somewhat after all that work we've been doing. We gave the kids a quick tour of the Sunnybank Inn, introducing them to other hikers who were around. Then we went to the Smokey Mountain Diner for what would be our first real meal of the day at 5 o'clock.I ordered the Hungry Hiker which is a giant double cheeseburger that comes with oversized fries. I couldn't eat it all: that's what I have Mudflap for. Then someone mentioned ice cream, so we went over to Sweet Imaginations. I ordered a root beer float and finished the whole thing. I was so full it hurt.There wasn't much else for us to do, so we said goodnight early knowing we would spend more time tomorrow. Alena and I scheduled appointments for the Hot Springs and massage tomorrow.Since it wasn't late yet, Mudflap and I went down to the Paddler's Pub. In the more than nine years we have been together, we have never been to any kind of Bar or Pub or lounge or whatever; it's just not our thing. But we want to have the full hiker experience so we gave it a try. We sat at a table with Patches, Shenanigans, Leprechaun, Teddy, and Parkay. Mudflap had three glasses of beer while I had a glass of sweet Yellow Tail wine. It was fun, I guess.When our glasses were empty we walked on over to the campground where Caboose and Walkabout were having a fireside get-together. Heald and his Wonder Dog Annie were there; so were Bofus and Labowski. We were soon joined by the small crowd from the pub. We roasted marshmallows as we watched the night sky light up in the near distance. We knew it was only a matter of time before the storm would be upon us. At 11:30 we said good night and strolled the quarter mile back to Elmer's. Just as we walked up the driveway, the first raindrops fell on us. We entered the old house through the back kitchen door and quietly tiptoed up the squeaky wood staircase to our room. As soon as we shut the door. CRACK-BOOM! went the thunder. Whew, we made it just in time.