START LOCATION: Hot Springs, NC
FINISH LOCATION: Spring Mountain Shelter
TODAY'S MILEAGE: 11.0
TRIP MILEAGE: 282.8
MILES TO GO: 1,896.3
Easter Sunday was like two separate days in one... and they were
Jekyll and Hyde. There was the great morning where I... Woke up in a
big bed, had a hot shower, a big breakfast sandwich with ham, cup of
coffee, a mimosa and lots of laughs with the cousins. Not to mention a
beautiful day's ride to Hot Springs.
Then the afternoon hit. My pack was the heaviest yet of the hike, my
nalgene bottle fell off a bridge, I almost stepped on a large snake, I
dropped and lost my map page temporarily, I didn't hydrate that well,
the bugs are awake, I thought I heard banjo music and it got really
hot. I'll elaborate a bit on the more humorous storylines here...
My water bottle came dislodged over the rapid flowing Spring River in
downtown Hot Springs. It rolled under the bridge railing and got stick
in a thicket 20 feet down on the edge of the river. Thank god! It
would have been gone had it fallen one more of my steps further.
A very kind deaf man who was generously cleaning up trash on the trail
found my dropped map page and picked it up. He kept going northbound
which allowed me to reunite with it sooner than expected.
There was a very sketchy guy on Rich Mountain that made me think I was
hearing banjo music. He made me uncomfortable enough that I didn't
climb the observation tower for pictures. I bailed.
It was a tough 11 mile climb today that started around 12:45! So, it
was a push to make the first shelter before dark. A heavy pack makes
pushing tough though. Lots of breaks drained my water and I didn't
plan that out well like I usually do. No more whining. Shared some of
my delicious baked goods with a new crop of hikers...
Land Walker, Wildman, Floweezy and the Diesel-and-Pusher couple from
Amesbury. We talked Red Sox ignorance around camp, as we are big fans
but have no idea how the boys look. Did the Sox beat the yanks in the
opener tonight? Someone let me know!
Anyway... Beat down exhausted tonight and looking to rebound well
tomorrow.
-natedog
Great opening day at night at Fenway! Beckett was not sharp and Yankees led up for a good part of the game. But Sox knocked Sabathia out in the 6th and went on to a 9-7 win. Sox in first and Yankees in the cellar in the AL East! Also, Pedro threw out the first pitch. As related by Shaughnessy, when Beckett was faltering, someone in the press box said, "Should've left Pedro in." Someone else then said, "Grady Little would have."
ReplyDeleteEat that extra weight in your pack; it's easier to carry that way!
Sorry it's taken me 200 and some odd miles to comment brother. Sounds like you are having a blast. Don't pack pretzels though, I've heard they make you thirsty.
ReplyDeleteCheers-
Matty P