Date: 2013-03-22
To: View Entry
Miles today: 0.0

Got into Hot Springs, NC about 4:30 PM on the 3/21. Checked into the Laughing Heart Hostel. Chuck, the guy that runs it, invited all the hikers to a community dinner. He drove us down to the community building and we got to eat some very good home cooking. The local people were very friendly and wanted to know everything about the hikers. Everyone in this town is very, very friendly. The AT runs through the middle of town, right down Main St.I re-supplied this morning, now my clothes are washing while I'm doing this.I made it through Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 5 days. Ther were hikers every where. Weekend hikers, section hikers and thru hikers. I started into the park with a 2 hour climb up a mountain. Half way up I was stopped by a park ranger to check my backcountry pass. I got checked twice in the first 2 days. The rangers were very nice and professional about it. Sampson, from Mississippi, wasn't so fortunate. He didn't know that you had to have a backcountry pass. He got stopped and had contact his wife to go on line to get one. The very next day, the rangers found him sleeping in his tent along the trail. Strike two. When you are in the park you have to stay in a shelter, unless it is full, then you can use a tent at the shelter site.He also had his food bag in his tent with hime. Strike three. You have to hang your food from a bear cable at the shelter. Needless to say the rangers were not to pleased with him. But they let him go when he told them that 3 weeks ago he didn't know what a thru hiker was. If you knew Sampson, you would know he is telling the truth.All the shelters in GSMNP are made of stone and have a fire place in side, They are very nice.When I made it Clingman's Dome I met a group of hikers form the Dartmouth Outing Club. The club is a very old organization at Dartmouth College in Vermont. The AT goes right through Dartmouth Campus, and I think they said it goes right through their (the outing club) bouilding. They were on spring break and hiking through the Smokies.I was hiking down from Clingman's Dome with Baker, and I told him that I was very hungry and and when we got to the parking lot at Newfound Gap that I was going to set up my stove and cook lunch. Baker said that this was a weekend and maybe there will be a little trail magic going on. He called it right. When we got to the parking lot, there was Sandman69, and Moonwatcher chowing down. Mark and Wendy had their tailgate down and were serving up sandwiches, pop, oranges, apples, and cookies. In a few minutes Larry Boy showed up. Trail Magic is when something great happens when you don't expect it. These people know how much something simple, like a sandwich or a hamburger means to the hikers. They great people and we can't thank them enough. The day I left GSMNP I never saw another hiker. I made a beeline for Daveneport Gap and the Standing Bear Hostel. This is a very layed back place run by Rocket and Marie. If you are allergic to cats don't stop, because they are a lot of them. Everything is on the honor system. Their supply shed has everything you need to re-supply and they don't rip you off. You get whatever you want to eat while you are there and or supplies and mark it down on an envelope. When you leave you put the money in the envelope and drop it in a box. Great place. If you are hiking in that area, make sure you stop in.So far I've come 273.9 miles. I bought enough supplies to get me to Erwin, Tenn. After that I'll probably re-supply evry 5 or 6 days. Thats just the way the towns are falling on the trail.I'm now about 193 miles form Damascus, VA. That is where I want to switch to another pair of hiking boots if this pair makes it. This morning I put water seal/leather conditioner on them because the leather is drying out. While I was doing that I noticed that the sole are seperating from the bottom of the shoe. I found a tube of Shoe Goo in the Hikers Box at the hostel and I'll try glue the soles together.Hiker Boxes are usually found at Hostels or small post offices. If you have something you don't want or need you throw it in the the Hikers Box. If there is something in there you want, you take it.I'm having a little trouble putting the tags on some of the pictures. The hiker beside the sign post is Sandman 69. The picture of the trails shows how it can get when thousands of people walk through.I may not be able to log on for a while because I don't know where I can get Wi-Fi or 4G sevice. Sometimes up in the mountains I can get 4G very well. If so I'll try to update. I will try to upload more pics later today. Until then.Happy TrailsPunkin PieSomewhere on the AT