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275 miles in, the Trail passes through the small town of Hot Springs, NC. Going into this journey, I had Hot Springs as a virtual checkpoint. It would be a good time to critique and adjust my initial plans and evaluate my progress to date. The last 25 miles before arriving in town, I was already mentally dissecting my pack and its contents, as I needed to enhance my ability to succeed in potentially getting to Maine
The Shakedown
Taking a zero in Hot Springs allowed me time to fully contemplate and evaluate my pack and weight. With the help of Justin at Bluff Mountain Outfitters, I identified a new pack – ULA Ultra Circuit, a full 2.3 lbs LIGHTER than my ancient, 13 year old pack. Combined with a shakedown by Big Catt, the caretaker @ Appalachian Trail-er, and ‘22 AT Alum, I was successful in reducing my pack by 6 lbs! Big Catt spent time with me reviewing everything. Her knowledge & experience was so valuable, and her suggestions came across sympathetic, caring, and not arrogant. In addition, she helped me repack everything, considering weight distribution, and made sure the pack was adjusted to fit me properly. I was a new man! Hustling out of Hot Springs, with the dinosaur off my back, I found my trail legs, putting up my first 20s on back to back days, arriving in Erwin, TN four days later.
Hurricane Helene
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Hurricane and the lasting devastation to Hot Springs. Not much in town was open; many hostels were closed, as were many stores, taverns and restaurants on the main strip. Cleanup and construction was ongoing, but too many stores looked far from opening anytime soon. The locals were all optimistic, and discussed the rebuild with a smile, but the New Yorker in me thought that was fucking bullshit – evidenced by the fact that the United States Post Office was STILL not fully functional -WTF?!
16 miles past Hot Springs, I met the Southern Cookie Lady, who resides 0.1 miles from Trail. Here she posts a sign inviting hikers to come get a free cookie! She’s been doing this the past four years, but this year she was asking for donations for Hot Springs, and with such a donation, you get a choice of peach cobbler with ice cream, or a cinnamon roll. It was the best cinnamon roll ever! Hot Springs (and other towns) that have been affected by Hurricane Helene are yesterday’s news, long forgotten in today’s fast-paced news cycle, and it’s so sad, as they need our help! For those interested in helping the community, please visit the following: https://rebuildhotsprings.org
Misc:
Thank you to Big Catt, Justin @ Mountain Bluff, and the Southern Cookie Lady. Woodstock, who gave us drinks watching the sunset @ Max Patch, and the girls who shared their birthday cookies. Blueberry Corndog for cooking for us @ Appalachian Trail-er, Kado and Gunner (AT Alum) for their Trail advice, and the mystery cooler @ Devils Fork Gap for the pop-tarts, Rice Krispies and soda! And Jackie @ Uncle Johnny’s in Erwin, TN. Lastly to all the volunteers who helped open and maintain the trail since Hurricane Helene, the number of downed trees spanned hundreds of miles – its incredible!
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