Date: 2017-05-16
From: Max Patch Bald

To: Hot Springs, NC
Miles today: 20.2
Weather: clear sky

Today was a town day, but we had to walk 20 miles to get there.  Terri and I left at 6 AM in hopes of arriving in Hot Springs, NC in time to get some real food and maybe do a few errands.  Our goal was to hike two miles per hour, which would get us there at 4 or, allowing for uphills, 5.  We hiked continuously with almost no breaks. We ate all our snacks and lunch while walking.  Terri's right knee is injured. She can use it so long as she has started and has momentum, but each time she stops it's extremely painful for her to start again.At the tops of mountains we slowed down to check for cell service, and once we found we had service.  Terri, who has Verizon, was able to call her husband.  My AT&T only allowed me to send some emails of my journal and a few texts.  It didn't remain long enough for me to get answers to my texts.  I'm starting to feel quite isolated.  My only direct communication with the outside world is writing this journal, which obviously is a bit one-sided.  I often go two or three days without cell service except for the occasional signal at the top of a mountain.  Then I hit the send button.   Once in a while I get service long enough to have a 5-minute call with my sister Diane.   It's all quite frustrating.  I enjoyed the first five hours of the hike very much.  We got on the trail at the top of Max Patch Bald just as the sun was rising and took a moment to enjoy that.  Then the trail took us down into rhododendron forests and across many streams.  The bird sounds at that time of day are loud and make the forest seem very peaceful.  Terri has a good eye for seeing birds and creatures, and before long we got a close look at a rufous-sided towhee.  Later while filling our water bottles at a spring we saw a small gray bird delicately sipping water from the same stream.  Terri thought the bird might be a vireo; I had no idea what it was.  I've forgotten to mention that for the last several days we've been hearing the veery's song.  I have no idea what that bird looks like, but I remember the song because of how pretty it is.  One of the frustrating things about having no cell service is being unable to look things up. I continue to see flowers that I don't know, but today I didn't even take pictures because we were in such a rush.  We got to town at 5 and headed straight for the diner, which is on the Main Street of Hot Springs on the AT.  I ordered and ate most of a huge dinner of pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, green beans, and a huge glass of milk.  Very satisfying.  The only thing missing was a cold beer, but by the time we reached the tavern we worried we'd be unable to muster the energy to get to the campground if we stopped.  We're staying tonight at a nice campground, so now I'm showered and clean.  Being clean is one of the parts of ordinary life I really miss out here. I wish I had enough energy to walk back to the laundromat: the clothes for the laundry are stinky and started to mildew.  Tomorrow we have a shorter day (16.3 miles), so we're going to proceed at a more leisurely pace, stop and soak our feet in cold streams if we come across any.  I'll also stop and take more pictures.  The last part of today's hike we went through a lovely thicket of mountain laurel in bloom.  I hope to see more tomorrow.  Dear Readers, please forgive me for not responding to your notes in the guest book.  As I said, my cell phone service out here is abysmal or nonexistent.