Date: 2007-04-16
From: Tanyard Gap

To: Hot Springs
Miles today: 5.9
Weather: scattered clouds

Sunday, April 15, 2007Overnight it rains heavily. Flooded trail plus continued rain today plus accumulated dirty laundry plus shopping plus need to make arrangements for our visit in Hot Springs with Myra and Randy= ?   We decide all these things = a zero! If we have leftover time, we may go to Asheville to see Biltmore. In the morning I take Diamond, Otter and Boo Boo to Iron Mountain Gap this morning. They¢ll hike 19 miles back to Otter¢s car at Chestoa. On the way back to the Super 8, I stop to say hello at Miss Janet¢s. It¢s breakfast time. I¢m invited to join a group of about 12 hikers at the breakfast table. Everyone is asked to tell a funny story about food and their youth. I tell about making and eating mudpies, first sifting the dirt with our Mom¢s flour sifter. Bounce (Beyonce?) tells about eating paste. My story and Bounce¢s are the 2 grossest. I don¢t remember all the others around the table, but the hikers included Rutabaga and Crutch, Silver and Frito, Terrapin Flyer and Murray (whose trail name, Teflon, hasn¢t stuck yet).Back at the Super 8, we sign up for one more night. Weather-permitting we¢ll hike tomorrow from Iron Mountain Gap (Memere and Gray Feathers taking Dorothy and Toto there) to Indian Grave Gap (I¢ll start there).We discover it¢s expensive to visit Biltmore. $42 apiece, just for the admission. We decide to pass. We talk with Myra. Best days for her and Randy to get away this week are Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. We make a reservation for Tuesday April 17 at the Hot Springs Resort and Spa for their newly-opened Officers Bungalow. This has no hot tub, but it has a fully-equipped kitchen. We¢ll make dinner in the bungalow. We can soak in the spa for $10 per hour across the street. Check-in time 2PM, check-out 11AM. That¢ll work fine. We¢ll adjust the hiking schedule to do half days Tuesday and Wednesday. Looking ahead to the piece of trail between Devils Fork and Allen Gap, we try to figure out how to avoid a backpack, which hurts our brittle old backs. Possibly hike from Jones Meadow to Allen Gap on Tuesday and from Allen to Tanyard on Wednesday? Then the 12.5 between Jones Meadow and Devil¢s Fork on Thursday? We need Purple Sherpa, bemoan Memere and Gray Feathers. I¢ll try to play Purple Sherpa, I say. You can¢t, they retort. There¢s only one Purple Sherpa.Hiking schedule is ¢to be determined¢.Monday, April 16, 2007Hot Springs to Tanyard Gap, 5.9 miles. there¢s snow on the ground and reportedly several inches on Unaka Mountain. Again we adjust our plans to the weather.Hellos on the phone to the people at the Hot Springs Resort and Spa, where we plan to host Myra and Randy Tuesday night, and to Purple Rose, who I¢ll be joining in PA to hike a short piece on the AT after Memere, Gray Feathers and I finish up here on Thursday. Zig Zag and Timberdoodle and Myung Hee and Purple Shera and Dixie too. Goodbyes to the Patels, Diamond, Boo Boo (who got wet and freezing on their 19-mile hike yesterday), Otter, Buckles. Goodbye to Dorothy and Toto (who will be zeroing due to the snow). Head out on 352 towards Hot Springs. Just as we¢re crossing Devil¢s Fork Gap, who is hiking across? NOBO Bag Lady from Rochester and NOBO M and M, hiking across the road. They have fun with the stile in 4 inches of wet snow. Wish I had a movie camera to record their assaults on it. They tried to beat last night¢s cold by sleeping 3 people in a 2-person tent. That worked OK but to really warm up and dry out, they¢re shooting for the Super 8 tonight or tomorrow.Along the way to Tanyard Gap we glimpse a high snow-covered peak in the distance. Could this be Max Patch? Can you see Max Patch from here?At Tanyard Gap Memere and Gray Feathers park their car and begin their hike about 10AM. I drive into Hot Springs and park in the municipal lot. Stop in at Elmer¢s. Hello to Sunny! Finally I meet the person I¢ve heard so many good things about. Hello again to Elmer! This trail junkie is back. Addicted to hiking? says Elmer. One of the better addictions, there are lots worse. Elmer¢s will be closed Thursday through Sunday for a private event, but he thinks he can take me, Memere and Gray Feathers on Wednesday for dinner and overnight in Rm 3.Start in high winds, partial sun, about 50 degrees 11:30AM. Beautiful walk along the French Broad River which is full from the rain and runoff of the last 24 hours.The spring burst of growth is much farther along here than at higher elevations. Bluets, vetch, fire pinks and phlox in bloom. Tiny green leaflets on the twigs and branches.At the top of the first rise, the wind picks up even more, howling. To the south all the peaks are still snow-covered, but today¢s strong sun and warmer temps should melt that away.Hello to Gray Feathers and Memere who have met a lot of hikers as they¢ve walked south today, NOBOS Flint (?) and Jubilee from Utah, NOBO Grambo from South Carolina (who asked them how old they were), NOBO Scholar, a young woman with lively sparking brown eyes who started on the day of the vernal equinox, NOBO Blue Sky and his dog Blue and several others hiking out of Hot Springs. They¢ve seen lots of dwarf crested iris. We talk about plans. Will depend on what Myra and Randy want to do. Hello to NOBO Swamp Foot, started March 15, just back from 6 days off the trail.On my left another nice tentsite.Hello to section-hikers Retro and sorry I didn¢t remember your name. Hiking from Erwin to Hot springs, then they¢ll flip. Retro hiked the whole AT a couple of years ago.They were cold last night up on Rich Mountain.Hello to NOBO¢s Blue Meanie and Hiker Chick, slacking today Allen Gap to Hot Springs.Hello to NOBO Ziola from Texas, started March 21. Ziola stops at the little dammed pond, I hike on.Out before 3:00. Meet Memere and Gray Feathers at Paddlers, we find it a shabby overpriced place. The TV is on and we hear to our horror of this morning's massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech, rampaging gunman who shoots himself at the end.Sobered, we stop at the spa to check out the Officers Bungalow and the tubs. Book tub at 5PM, will have dinner at the diner at 6. I leave voicemail message for Myra about these plans.Back to Tanyard Gap where we¢ll spend the night. Picnic supper on a blanket on the grass.Comfy in the Element, comfier than in the motels. Through the sunroof I see the Big Dipper and lots of bright stars, shining as always as if nothing horrible has happened.