AT Day 19

2014/4/19 Mile 274

Slept really well. The woods were very quiet, I think the light rain overnight helped. Got on the trail by 0700.

Passed the trail magic spoken of last night and was not surprised to find them all still asleep.

Rain started again but it was very light. Just put the pack cover on... no rain gear. Made it in to Hot Springs by 1000 before things started getting muddy.

First stopped at Laughing Heart Host and almost decided to stay there because they were the cheapest and had internet. However there was a hiker there that I had encountered before who gives me a bad vibe.

Instead ended up at Elmer's which turned out to be an excellent choice. Its an old Victorian style house with much of the original flare (sinks, wood stove, door knobs, etc). I even ended up getting my own room which was the second half of the library. Elmer has a diverse and well organized book collection.

Showered and unpacked before heading over to Smoky Mountain Diner for second breakfast. Eggs, country ham, biscuit, and pancakes.

Next up was laundry. Ran in to Boss and his gang (later we decided to call them the Boxcar Children) at the laundromat and followed them down to a hiker ministry setup that had WiFi. After some internet, a trip to the dollar store for lunch supplies, and some planning back at Elmer's I decided to head to the bar and write some postcards.

After about an hour Bear Bag (self employed gear maker) and Not Black (German SAP programmer) from Elmer's also showed up. We hung out and talked for a bit before heading back for our 4 course vegetarian dinner.

Dinner was tomato bisque, salad, Thai noodles, and cheesecake. Had a big crowd around the table (10?) making great dinner conversation.

By hiker midnight I was stuffed and sleepy so I called it a night. Excellent day in town. Hope to get an early start tomorrow.