Start: Spring Mountain Shelter (AT mi 285.9). Stop: Hot Springs, NC (AT mi 274.9). Today’s miles: 11 miles. Total AT mileage: 1918.2 miles.
All throughout the night, chestnuts fell from the trees above and pelted my tent. Before I put the earplugs in, it would make me jump every time one made contact. Once the earplugs were in, I slept so good.. I actually got up at 7 and got going by 8. Everyone else was still asleep, except for one of the sectioners in the shelter, who waved bye to me as I passed him.
The terrain was mostly easy going, a few small climbs but overall downhill all the way to Hot Springs, North Carolina. The trail had some pretty views, visible barely through the thick trees. There were a couple of spots to get a good view, including “Lovers Leap” and switch backs down the mountain until eventually walking along the French Broad River. The river was stunning and wider than I expected.
When I got to the road before climbing up a set of stone stairs to the bridge, a cat darted out to me and practically forced me to pet it, pick it up, and scratch its belly. I mean, I’ve never been a cat person a day in my life-but it is really starting to happen without my consent. Apparently being single in your 30s just attracts cats, regardless of your personal preference for them. They are starting to grow on me.. lord help me!
I walked through town and stopped in at an outfitter to resupply. I got my goodies and then met back up with Lizard across the street at a restaurant.. I ordered so much food and came no where near able to eat it all. Lizard struggled to finish hers too. We shared some appetizers, which didn’t make it easy for our entrees. We had jalapeño poppers, cheese sticks (homemade with meat in them), and tater tots with my hot fingers and her burger. And a beer or two, of course.
After lunch we walked over to the Hot Springs Resort and Spa. I booked a mineral spring soak in a hot tub at the spa, so we checked in and got taken back to our “spa location.” It was along the river and really serene. Our hour soak seemed to fly by, my muscles the happiest they’ve been-well, since the bachelorette weekend in the jacuzzi.. haha. It was fantastic! I was a prune by the time the guy knocked and told us our time was up. We got out and found some picnic tables to sit at and dry off-the resort doesn’t offer towels, and naturally we don’t carry one, due to the weight.
We dried out before getting our clothes back on, and then walking back to the little downtown area and going to the brewery, Big Pillow. They had live music starting soon! We got our beers and at some point got more food-tacos this time. Then enjoyed the singing and apparently stand up.. one guy got up there and started telling Halloween jokes.. him laughing at himself was far more funny than the actual jokes. It was a good time.
At 7:30, Sunshine from Happy Gnomad’s Hiker Hostel came and picked us up. We wound through the mountains for 15 minutes before getting there, to this perfect hiker haven. I got a private room, unpacked and showered, happy to be warm and dry in a cozy bed. I’m quite content here. Alright, it’s bedtime. Sweet dreams, y’all.
Start: Max Patch Road (AT mi 254.7). Stop: Hot Springs, NC (AT mi 274.9). Today’s miles: 20.6 miles. Total AT mileage: 1938.8 miles.
I slept wonderfully at Happy Gnomads, once I put my earplugs in. The mattress is soft and like dipping into a cloud. Getting out of that cloud completely sucked.. I didn’t get up when I was supposed to, causing Lizard and I to be a little late for our scheduled shuttle. Luckily, Jumangi didn’t mind. He drove us to Max Patch Road laughing and talking the whole way. He has such a good natured demeanor, I can’t picture him ever being angry.
We started northbound from the road crossing and had a mile to go before getting to the top of Max Patch, a gorgeous, grassy summit with nothing but 360 views of the mountains surrounding us. On the way up that mile climb, I got service and called mom to tell her happy birthday. I hate not being there on her day, but she didn’t seem to mind and was happy to hear from me.
On that summit with the views all around, one side had clouds covering but the sun was shining through them, the other side was obviously rain.. and it looked to be dumping buckets. Before we even got off the grassy patch, the sprinkles started to pelt us. Both of us quickly dropped our day packs and got out our rain jackets. A few days ago, the weather called for rain today, which was why I asked Lizard if she wanted to slack pack with me.. then it cleared up, saying no rain-clearly, it was raining now. And it was cold!
We trucked downhill into the tree canopy and kept hiking and talking and making the best of it. At some point, I started chatting and turned to realize Lizard wasn’t there when she didn’t respond. I stood a minute, then deciding she probably paused to use the bathroom or something, I kept going. Overall it was mostly downhill, but there were a few climbs thrown in, and when they appeared they were steep.
I ate my lunch on a rock at a campsite half way up one of those climbs, hoping Lizard would catch up to me before I finished. But when she didn’t, I guessed she stopped to eat around the same time I did. Our paces are so similar. I kept my jacket on most of the day, thanks to the random downpours catching me off guard. The rain did make the leaves color seem to shimmer like they were covered in glitter. It’s easy to see the beauty all around in nature, even when that nature is making things difficult.
Rain coming our way
I got to town around 4:30 and walked right to the brewery we ate at last night. I got a beer and an order of chips with cheese dip plus a burrito the size of my arm. The lady at the counter also offered me 2 beef empanadas, said they were extra and if I denied them they’d get thrown away.. not happening ma’am. I ate those and almost all of the chips and cheese dip before my burrito was even ready. I had downed my beer and was getting my second one when Lizard walked through. She ordered her food and beer, and we caught up on the day while she ate. Today’s climbs were tough for her, too.
We got picked up by Sunshine around 6:30. I quickly showered the second I got inside the house, hoping for better hot water today. Last night a guy that got there before us apparently filled up the big soaking tub in the other bathroom just before I showered, so the water was lukewarm. Today’s shower: scalding hot just like I wanted it to be! I let it heat up every inch of me before getting out.
Lizard and I put our clothes in to wash and then I laid out on my bed to work on this.. and then I got sucked into the comments section on Instagram.. about nursing no less-I was in tears laughing! When I remembered the laundry, I went out to the living area and saw that Lizard had already swapped it over to dry, and she was on the couch. She said one of the other people in the bunk room was coughing a lot so she felt safer sleeping out here.
I wished my bed wasn’t a full size and that I could have offered to let her share mine. Sharing a bed is always uncomfortable for me-like I’m afraid to breathe or move a muscle because I don’t want to disturb the other person.. so I can’t really relax. Hopefully she sleeps better there than she would in the bunk room. I hope I sleep good tonight too. As I’m typing this, my right hip and low back is aching some. Maybe this cloud is a little too soft after all. Oh well. I pray it’s nothing and it goes away by morning. There’s always something aching while hiking the AT apparently.
Start: Max Patch Road (AT mi 254.7). Stop: Davenport Gap Shelter (AT mi 238). Today’s miles: 16.7 miles. Total AT mileage: 1955.1 miles.
I got out of bed easier this morning compared to yesterday, but I still didn’t want to. I wonder how long this trip would take if I took a zero every morning I didn’t want to wake up.. haha. Yeah right.. I’d never have left my house if that were the case. Lizard and I were packed and ready, breakfast in hand to eat in the car on the way to Max Patch Road, when Sunshine came to get us at 8am.
It was cooler this morning than yesterday, and we ended up in our jackets early on. Lizard led and I followed, we talked for awhile and then just hiked together, both listening to audiobooks. I enjoy that, hiking along together-she slightly ahead of me, but close enough to talk if there’s something to say, but not having to fill a void and force conversion at all. Lizard is both easy to talk to and easy to simply be around, even when talking isn’t required.
During a big climb of the day, close to 4 miles in the making, we stopped to eat lunch near the top. From there it was all downhill for Lizard, who was getting picked up by SoFarSoGood at a road crossing at the bottom of the mountain. She’d be going to visit Hannah for the weekend, and I’d be hiking another 3-4 miles uphill to my first shelter in Smoky Mountain National Park.
The downhill to that road seemed to take forever, and it was chilly out. We made it to the road just after 2pm, took our packs off and plopped down to rest. I stayed and waited with her, knowing that this is probably the last time I’ll see her until she finishes the trail. Her zeros to go home will put her behind me, and I’m not planning on taking any zeros between now and finishing. This made me incredibly sad, because I’ve liked having my friend back, to hike with, to talk to.. going into the Smokies alone feels a little scary, honestly. But I know we’ll both be fine.. it’s not like we haven’t made it this far going through way worse on our own.
SoFarSoGood arrived and we all hugged and said our byes and be safes.. they drove off and I hiked on, jacket off since I knew I’d be climbing. Within a mile I was crossing a bridge and the I40 underpass when a cute black and brown dog started following me. She was sweet, licked my hands as we walked, but made me nervous as hell. She came when I called her, when cars came flying by on the road she was just prancing around on. She seemed happy but skinny, and she had no collar on.
I saw her trot down the road when I turned to go up the trail, but minutes later I felt something wet on my hand and looked down to see her there, hiking along side me. Crap. She stayed right by my side, never stepping ahead. When I climbed rock steps, she patiently waited for me to get up a few before joining me. She crossed creeks with no problem, and I started to worry. I didn’t have any food for her, and I was about to be walking into the Smoky Mountains.
I called mom when I had service. She called the rangers station for me, and called me back to say there was nothing they could do. Frustrated, I called my friend Hayley, the pupper saver guru. She calmed me down just by talking with me. We decided I could feed her some peanut butter, and try to call local animal shelters and see what they could do. Crazily enough, I ended up passing another road crossing! I had a mile to go to get to the shelter, so I wasn’t expecting another road crossing. I called 4 different shelters and rescues, one giving me the none emergency number for the police station. They transferred me to the on call animal control lady.
She was sweet, but not helpful. I told her exactly where I was with the pup-and mentioned that now she was walking with a limp and protecting her right front paw. She said she couldn’t get someone out to us tonight.. I explained that I’m hiking and couldn’t stay here.. while our conversation went on and was going no where, hikers passed me. They all looked at me like I was nuts for not having my dog on a leash. I finally hung up with the woman and tried to talk these hikers into taking her to the shelter. The one seemed apprehensive.. I went into a whole rant about how she’s hurt and sweet and if they don’t she’ll die out here and obviously if I had a car I’d do it myself but clearly I don’t… bla bla
They finally gave in with a “well if she’ll even follow us..” and I silently prayed she would. Several minutes of talking and explaining where to take her, they walked away and the man called to her and she followed-after glancing at me. I nodded to her and said, “go” and off she went. I started up the trail again, looking down every few seconds expecting to see her. I won’t lie, I miss her now as I type this. I pray they got her there safely and didn’t abandon her after I was gone and they reached their car. I don’t have service to call and check in.. I got their number and they have mine-plus I have the number to the on call lady.
My God, she’s perfect ❤️
Anyway, at 5:15 I got to the shelter-officially in the Smokies now! The shelter has a loft and a fenced gate across the front of it, to protect from bears apparently. It’s a little creepy honestly. My claustrophobia doesn’t like it-and there’s no flat space to tent nearby, so the shelter it is. I picked the bottom right corner to set up. A father and son (10 years old and absolutely adorable) have the top left side. I got water and ate dinner talking with them, and having him tell me all about this first camping trip they’re on. He is loving it!
Not long after I finished eating, 2 younger women showed up. This is their first backpacking trip, and they’re learning the hang of things. Then, 3 guys showed up-they are section hiking too, but it’s not their first rodeo. I listened to everyone chatting away, offering in a giggle every now and then when the boy would say, “daddy, there sure is a lot of people here now.” No kidding, kid-I don’t like all the people either.
They attempted to start a fire for quite awhile-and failed. I got comfortable in my sleeping bag and set to work writing this up instead of offering any assistance. Fires aren’t my thing.. and as cold as it is, I’m warm and cozy in this sleeping bag. It’s almost 7pm and I’m already about to put in my earplugs and call it a night. I’ll be attempting to get up early tomorrow. I have a long day with a full pack and an early setting sun.. I’ll have to get a move on.
Alrighty, I’m off to do just that. Goodnight y’all.
