Hot Springs, NC

After hiking through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the next section covers 152 miles and is called the NC/TN border.  Sometimes I am in one state and at other times, I am in the other.  On Thursday (4-14) I saw Swamp Dawg at the Standing Bear Hostel in Tennessee.  He had been "slackpacking" for a few days--carrying only what is needed for that day in terms of food and water.  I left the hostel and hiked 15.4 miles crossing Max Patch Bald with breathtaking vistas.  There were some very difficult climbs.  I tented at Roaring Fork Shelter.  On Friday (4-15) I hiked to the first town on the AT--Hot Springs, NC.  The AT goes right down the main street of town.  Although I hiked 18 miles (longest distance in one day so far), the terrain wasn't very difficult.  I enjoyed a spaghetti dinner at a community center sponsored by a civic organization.  I tented down a street near another trail.  They was a lot of heavy rain overnight.  On Saturday (4-16) I had breakfast at the Smoky Mountain Diner and bought a few items at the Dollar General.  I talked with Swamp Dawg and set out alone for the next shelter (Spring Mountain).  It was a very difficult day with rain first, then sun, the turning very cold.  There were two very challenging climbs--one on the morning and one in the evening.  The 11 mile hike was much more difficult than the 18 mile hike the day before.  Sunday morning (4-17) was frigid.  I heard coyotes howling at 6:15 AM.  I stopped at 10:30 AM for water in a small creek.  The water wasn't very clean so I decided to not get it.  As I was standing up, I fell to one side.  My shoes and pants got very wet.  I decided not to change clothes though as the weather was getting quite warm.  In the late afternoon, I encountered the Blackstack Cliffs which is a very rugged and difficult area with treacherous ascents and descents over large boulders.  When a path existed, it was extremely narrow and my backpack and body brushed the bushes on both sides.  What a relief to get through to a normal trail!  I've gone 298 miles.