If you're gonna take a zero...

Last nights farewell at the bar was a blast. We all had a little bit too much fun, if anything. Mr. Fantastic and I both woke up still a little sneezy, and a little foggy. The decision was unanimous, and we took another day in Hot Springs. Everyone else stayed behind except for Early Bird, who stayed true to his name.
The breakfast bell rang at 8:30, and everyone was lined up to get to the table. Breakfast consisted of muffins, grits, eggs with fruit and seasoning, cantaloupe, and granola cereal. It was all made from scratch and amazing.
Between breakfast and lunch we all wandered the house, enjoying the poems, paintings, news clippings, and books covering every square inch of the place. A few rounds of chess were played, and I put on Into the Wild. When in Rome and all.
Lunch was a quick walk across the street to the diner where I had some of the best pizza I've ever eaten. If you're ever in Hot Springs, stop at the diner and get the hot wing pizza.. it's still making me salivate.
Lunch led into a quick trip to the gear shop, and the Dollar General to fill my empty food stores. We need about 5 days of food to get us to Erwin, which we're hoping to reach by Friday night so we can more easily hitch to Damascus for Trail Days. That'll require 14 miles for 5 days. A challenge that we should be up to by now, but you never know what sort of terrain we have in store.
We continued to relax with some Robin Williams stand-up, and then some Crouching Tiger until the dinner bell rang. Another amazing meal beginning with a thick vegetable soup, then an amazing salad (all grown in his garden with a homemade dressing), a main course of vegetables in curry and coconut milk over rice, and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. I don't think I've ever eaten so much in one day. Everyone here is walking around with a food baby, about to fall over into a delicious-induced coma. Elmer (our host) thru-hiked in 1972, and shortly after purchased and began running this place. His hike changed his life, and he's loved doing this ever since. Meta decided he might even come work here after he's done hiking, and Optimus decided she's going to open a hiker hostel in her hometown which is a trail town.
I think this is the first time that everyone hasn't been dying to get back on the trail, as it's been wonderful here, but Trail Days beckons. If anyone wants to join in a really strange town-wide celebration of hiking and the outdoors, you should come meet us in Damascus, VA next weekend. It should be a very odd good time.
Tomorrow brings more walking, and hopefully the rain will have let up. It's weird to be out of contact on Mothers day. While this will be posted a little late I hope all the moms reading this had a great day, my mom in particular (you know who you are).
It's about time to enjoy the wonders of cotton sheets again, then back to the noisy nylon mummy bag tomorrow. I just enjoyed a long chat with Meta about the power of positivity, aliens, future plans, and past careers. It's been a nice mellow day, and I'll be interested to see how healed my feet and immune system feel on the morrow.

A room with a view

Another cold morning today, but this time we were all prepared for it. I got started a little later than planned, but 7:45 is early enough. Cooking a hot breakfast slowed me down, but as I was basically out of options for food I did my best. A strawberry Carnation breakfast and some apple cinnamon oatmeal peppered with raisins and cranberries. Not bad, but not enough.
A filling breakfast really does make all the difference out here on the trail, and my first few miles today were mired in hunger pangs and shuffling feet. It's amusing that my exhaustion no longer affects my lungs or my muscles, but just overall energy.
I stopped and had my lunch at about the 10 mile marker, and it definitely helped. More GORP and my last other item of food, a Lipton pasta side. My first hot lunch on the trail.
The last three miles found me a bit more energized, but still lagging. We may be spreading a little cold around our hiking troupe, as Mr. Fantastic and Purple Rain were sneezy and tired as well. Plus when you pass around a bottle of booze you get what you deserve.
I walked into Hot Springs at around 2:30 and made a beeline for the diner. Mr. Fantastic was out front stretching, and we joined James (still no trail name) on the deck. We also ended up sitting next to Lavender and Reid, who we thought had given up but had just hitched around the Smokies. Reid has a trail name finally: Mustafa Ibraham. They both regaled us with a crazy story about how Mustafa and his dog Rose fell off the back of a pickup truck while going about 20mph. Rose apparently leaned against the gate and it fell open, causing her hind legs to fall out. As she desperately clawed to get back up, Mustafa dove to grab her and they both tumbled off. He now has a concussion, so they've just been relaxing in town for a few days until his bearing are straight. Rose is doing fine.
We crossed the street headed toward the Sunnybank Inn hostel after devouring our respective meals, and were shocked to see how awesome it is. It's just a big house full of hikers, with some very cool owners, and a book collection to make any bibliophile jealous. There's a second story deck, a music room, a gorgeous kitchen, movie collection in the living room, and I have my own room. All for 10 bucks, with food included! It is unfortunately vegetarian, but I think I'll manage. Also staying here tonight are James, Dick Flap, Stonechair, Tapeworm, Meta, Optimus, Purple Rain, Early Bird, and a couple others I've yet to meet.
As exhausted as I am, there are plans tonight. A few of us are going to walk a block to the bar and have a drink with Lost & Found and What Not, since Hot Springs marks the end of their section hike. They're buying us a round, so that obviously has to happen.
Unfortunately this town has no signal for AT&T, but charging my electronics, taking a shower, doing laundry, eating real food (that I didn't cook), and socializing with the other hikers outweighs contact with the real world. Here's looking forward to a bountiful resupply tonight or tomorrow, and then back on the trail. Someone has to stop the grass from growing.

Another bald luncheon

It was a cold morning again. Mr. Fantastic was particularly unhappy about the temperature. I started out early, as cold mornings always push me to warm up. It was a relatively nice climb all the way up to another bald today (Max Patch). It warned up quickly, and it was a nice, quiet, uneventful hike.
I met Tapeworm up on the bald, and saw a few others who had driven up to see the vista. It seemed like a popular spot, which we understood, as we both agreed it was a better view than Clingman's Dome. We could even see the bald that we had eaten lunch on yesterday.
Everyone else eventually made their way up there to see the sights and stuff their faces. We chatted with a few day hikers, and some people who had just parked 100 yards away and walked up. It's always a bit of culture shock to see normal people on the trail. I think we all get a bit snotty about them being there. Ownership is a funny thing.
The second half of the hike was a bit more tiring, but that's always the way of it. I did at least finish Reamde, and it was pure adrenaline. We bumped into Meandering Snail, who I've passed twice before back in Georgia. He's an odd older overweight guy who hikes between 2 to 3 miles a day with ankle weights on. He also talked about how he's the king of the forest, and a very serious Buddhist and vegetarian. I was calling him out as a cheater in my head, until he admitted to it. He had to get a ride around the Smokies because he couldn't hike the distance between shelters.
I got to the shelter first today, and picked out a choice level locale for my tent. We all overate today, because we arrive at Hot Springs tomorrow after another 13 mile day. No need to carry food or have a growling stomach.
Tapeworm, Dick Flap, and Stonechair want to rent out a cabin in town with us, since it'll only cost us $15pp. Pretty tempting.
It's going to be another cold night, so everyone's climbing into their tents early. We also want to get out early to make it into town as soon as possible. I'd like to leave by 7am, eat a first lunch around 11am, and get to town before 2pm. Once in town I'd enjoy a much more serious second lunch. Then dinner, drinks, and Dr. Horrible. No one else in our group has seen it, so it makes my trail name a little odd. This will soon be rectified.

Sunshine!

I slept to the sound of running water, as the stream was corralled beneath the cabin. A biker came late and took a third bed, then left in the morning before sunrise. Walking over to the kitchen I got to see everyone enjoying the use of a stove for breakfast foods. I raided the hostel store as well for my own. We set our shoes out to dry in the sun, which was shining brightly today!
Laundry was a fun task for all, as we got to use a washboard, but a real dryer. It did a great job and we all left with the distinct aroma of clean.
We waited until 12:30 to leave, giving our shoes ample time to dry, and had another pizza for lunch. The Standing Bear Farm was the best hostel I've seen so far and made for an oasis on the trail.
It took so long to dry out that we decided for an easy 8 mile day. The hike started all uphill, but after the refueling I got it felt easy. After climbing for 6 miles I arrived at the top of a man-made bald, catching up with Tapeworm, Stonechair, and Dick Flap (whose name seems to be changing to Too Far). It had a fantastic view, and was the first we've really seen the trail open up quite like this. It got us all excited for the balds of the northern parts of the trail. Purple Rain quickly joined us, along with a couple of section hikers who were also at Standing Bear, and then Mr. Fantastic. Lastly a guy came up who had gone the wrong way out of Standing Bear. He doesn't have a trail name yet.
We all enjoyed the bald and ate from our fresh stockpiles, then left in a big hiker-train as it started to get late (except for Tapeworm who had gotten a head start). When we got into camp we rejoined a pair of section hikers, Lost & Found and What Not, as well as a couple and a father and son. I set my tent up, and it feels good to be back in it. I prefer the quiet privacy of my tent to the sport of social snoring in the shelters.
The night brought a lot of laughs and interesting conversation. A long series of quotes from Dumb & Dumber and Forrest Gump, as well as a pretty deep video game conversation with the couple from North Carolina.
Coming up we've got two 13 mile days to bring us to Hot Springs. Everyone has been getting excited for this place, as it's supposed to be really nice. We will see soon enough.