Hot Springs North Carolina

Hi Everyone

Sorry my blogs are so far apart, but, we were unable to get on a computer at a couple of the spots we thought we were going to be able to. I will try to update you on our progress since my last post in Franklin NC on April 1.

We left Franklin under the threat of a thunderstorm, but the weather turned out great and we had a couple of great hiking days with good weather. Patty had a Tom Turkey explode from about 10 yards in front of her and we had some great views of the mountains.

We hiked into the Nantahalie Outdoor Center, (NOC) on April 3 and had a fantastic breakfast. We decided not to stay even though the weather was threatening. This is a great facility for canoeing, kayaking and rafting. I talked to one of the guides and he said there was something like 200 rivers within 100 miles. We left the NOC at about 11:30 and headed up and up. It started raining shortly after we left and we hiked until about 5pm and spent our first night in a shelter. It was ok for us, but Patty had the T.P in here pack in a ziplock and a mouse found it's way inside to make a lot of bedding. That is one of the problems in the Shelters so you have to hang everything you don't want a mouse to go through. We knew everyone in the shelter and there were none that snored, so it was Ok. It pretty much rained all of April 4th and we spent that night in a shelter also. We knew everyone but one in the shelter that nite and we found out why they called him Hair Bear. He had the worst sleep apnia problem I have ever heard and kept everyone awake in the shelter. That is the second problem with shelters. We talked to him in the morning and he has some serious issues. He pulled off the trail the next day.

After a couple of days of rain we walked into Fontana Dam and stayed at the Hike Inn. They picked us up at the Dam and dropped us off the next day. They also took us into town and we had a great Mexican Meal and picked up a few things for the trail.

On April 6th we were dropped off at the Dam and had to walk an extra 2.3 miles around the Dam because they were working on the Dam and had it posted to trespass. It is very discouraging when you have to walk an extra 2.3 miles instead of just walking across the Dam that is only 300 yards long. We found out later that some hikers had just walked over the Dam without any consequences. Supposedly there was a $125.00 fine for trespass if you were caught. I think it would have been worth the risk because we had to go down a couple of hundred feet and then back up a couple of hundred feet on the other side. Anyway I am over it now.

Once we were across the Dam we entered Smokey Mountain National Park. It is 70 miles across the park and everyone said we would be lucky to get through without rain or snow. Well, our trail angel must have been watching, because we hiked across the park with highs in the 70's in our shorts and t shirts. We had 6 great days and five great nights crossing the smokies. There really are some fantastic views to be seen. You also have to stay in the shelters in the park, if there is room. They keep 4 spaces for thru hikers and then take reservations from people just using the park. We stayed in shelters 3 nites and tented the other two. It is also a little frustrating to have to hike up to some of these high sites and have roads going right up to them. We even had tourists taking pictures of us so the kids could show pictures of crazy thru hikers at show and tell. We were also blessed by a number of people who provided us with Trail Magic at locations along the trail. It is always nice when people who have done the trail or people who just want to visit with you share some of the treats you miss when hiking. There really were some great views along the trail in this park. We hiked a ridgeline for almost two days that was between 5000 and 6500 feet and most of the time the ridge was no wider than 6-12 feet and then it dropped off on both sides. I will try to post some scenery pictures when I am done writing.

We came out of the Smokies on April 11th and said a little prayer for our good weather. We hiked out the last 10 miles and then spent the night at Standing Bear Farm, just outside the park and about a mile from I- 40. This was a very unique place. It was an old tobacco farm. Patty and I stayed in the "Cabin" which had been an old shed and was fixed up pretty nice. We had a double bed, but, there were 3 other people in there with us; two in the loft and one just across the room. They also had a bunkhouse. There were only about a dozen people in this hostel when we stayed, so it was fairly quiet. The owners of some of these Hostels are very interesting.

We have gotten to know quite a few people along the trail and all are very good people, so when we are together with these folks in the hostels it is more like staying with friends and families than with strangers.

We did a 16 mile day on April 12, a 13 mile day on the 13th and then hiked in 3 miles this morning to Hot Springs. We had some fantastic views from a "Bald" called Max Patch. A bald is an area on the top of a mountain that has been cleared and maintained over the years for some reason or another. Without any trees there are some awsome view in every direction.

We hiked into Hot Springs this morning at about 9:30 am. We have had snow flakes falling on us for the past two days, but it is very comfortable hiking when it is just above freezing.

The guidebook we are using recommeded a number of places to stay in Hot Springs. This is not a very big town. We ended up at a B & B/Hostel called Elmers. We met Elmer who thru hiked in 1976. He gave us a tour of this huge 150 year old house filled with antiques. We have a huge room on the top floor in the corner of the house with two bathroom adjacent. They are very reasonable at $15.00/thru hiker/nite. The rate is more for others who want to stay, but, he takes care of the thru hikers. They also do a huge dinner and breakfast for a small extra fee and they cater to the vegitarians. We are going out to a pub for a burger and a beer tonight, but, plan on taking our first day off tomorrow. It is supposed to stay cold and snow and Patty wants to discover the hot springs and maybe even get a massage. We will enjoy dinner at Elmers tomorrow.

We have now completed 250 miles of the trail and our next town is Erwin TN approximately 70 miles further north. That will probably be the next chance I have to post. We should be there in 5 or 6 days and will probably be ready for another town stop. The town stops are really part of the entire experience.

We are comfortable doing days between 10 and 16 miles. Our longest day was a little over 16 miles and we gained approx. 5000 feet in those 16 miles. The days that really hurt are when you gain and drop 4000 or so feet in the same day. The down hills are tough on us old folk, but, we are still both very healthy with no blister or knee problems. The people who seem to hurt themselves are those 20 something hikers who think they can knock off a couple of 20 miles days. They just end up taking days off with knee and foot problems.

Take care, I will try to Post again on the 21st or 22nd and try to upload some scenery pictures after I am done with this.

We are still having fun.

Lucky Dog and Red Dog aka Patty and Jeff