Date: 2007-05-12
From: Hot Springs, NC

To: Little Laurel Shelter
Miles today: 19.6
Weather: scattered clouds

Sleep at the Sunnybank Inn last night was not what I had hoped for. Even though I had a room to myself with a large and comfortable bed, I tossed and turned a lot and woke up at 4:30, finding it difficut to get back to sleep. I guess I am getting use to sleeping on the ground with just a thin foam pad as a matress!Breakfast call at the inn was at 8:15. They serve breakfast family style and the staff joins you for breakfast. They serve a vegetarian menu for all meals. Huge pancakes were served with strawberries and cantaloupe. A large bowl of granola was also available, and juice and coffee. It was a fine breakfast! The staff initiated conversation by asking each guest to give an introduction and say something about themselves. I really enjoyed the food and conversation and my brief stay at the inn. I coud have easily stayed longer...but I have miles to go before I rest!I packed up and left the inn at about 9:30 but did not actually leave Hot Springs until about 11:30am due to business I needed to take care of at the post office and local outfitter. As I mentioned previously, the trail runs down the main st. of Hot Springs so it was very easy to get my chores done and get on the trail without running all over the place.The trail followed the bridge over the French Broad River at the edge of Hot Springs (note: Maple St. 6th graders - I don't know too much about this river. can you research and tell me about it?). As usual, the climb out of a town is always tough, since the pack is always heavier with a full food bag and water. I was a little concerned about the late start since Huck (left about 1.5 hrs ahead of me) and I planned to hike about 20 miles today, but knew I could be flexible about the mileage and possibly stop earlier.After about the first 1/2 hour I had climbed to some overlooks which gave me a great view of Hot Springs and the river. It looked like rain was coming so I put on my pack cover. There were a few sprinkles but that was all that developed. There were no real noteworthy events or features about today's hike today, other than a few sections of forest I passed through. At some points, I noticed that the forest opened up with the trees being very thinned out which allowed the sunlight to easily penetrate and reach the forest floor. Because of this, there was an abundant growth of ferns, plants, wildflowers and shrubs. After a closer look at the ground, I noticed the remains of charred logs and branches. Apparently this area once had a fire and now this section of forest is recovering.I eventually reached the first shelter (11.5 miles) at around 3:30 and decided to make dinner, and then see if I wanted to go further. I had a satisfying dinner of a Lipton rice side dish with a package of Raman noodles added. After that I felt rejuvenated and decided to push on to the shelter. I hiked on and finally reached the shelter at about 8:45pm, just as it was getting dark. The last few miles reaching a destination always seem to be so long, and this was no exception. I felt like I was just thrashing it out to get there! I will need to re-evaluate my daily mileage goals or try to start leaving earlier in the day.A long hard day on the AT.