2018 AT – Day Twenty Four – Hot Springs

Friday, 22 June

Destination: Hot Springs, NC	Today’s Miles: 13.1
Start Location: Walnut Mountain Shelter	Trip Miles: 275.7

It rained from two until seven yesterday. I was warm, dry and cozy in my tent. Rather than take my stove and food down to the shelter and cook, I had a Clif bar and dark chocolate M&Ms for dinner. It rained a little more overnight.

Some of the folks I heard stop at the shelter during the rain kept hiking. I found a small hole chewed in my food bag while it was hanging on the bear cables. The cables keep your food out of reach of bears but not out of reach of mice. I spoke with a gentleman who stayed in the shelter and a couple of the ladies camped nearby before heading out just after seven. Today was the first day in a while without fog or mist in the morning. The day dawned bright and sunny. It got quite warm coming down into Hot Springs.

I hiked the entire thirteen miles into Hot Springs without seeing another hiker. Since it was mostly downhill, I was in town a little after one. I am staying at Elmer’s Sunnybank Inn. It is a Victorian house with a great history. Parts of the house date to 1840. I have a real bedroom. I headed for a late lunch after a much needed shower. I visited the outfitter to check on food for resupply and found the laundromat. Sean, the hiker who came into the shelter after eleven two nights ago, showed up. We found some ice cream and milk shakes while the washer was running. We walked back stopping at the outfitter and hardware store for some items Sean needed. He is staying at a nearby hostel. I put my clothes on the line here since the laundromat had no working dryers. Also, dried out my tent and figured out my food needs for the next forty five miles.

It was off to dinner at the diner across the street and then back here to catch up on the internet and update my journal. The only bad thing so far is that this is Harley Davidson weekend in Hot Springs but I have been told they mostly stay at the campground. Tomorrow is a zero with no planned hiking, just planned eating.