Stephanie's Trail Journal

Tuesday, May 18th

-- Stats from Day 26 --
Beginning Point: Roaring Fork Shelter
Ending Point: Elmer's Sunnyside Inn, Hot Springs, NC
Daily Mileage: 14.9 miles
Total Mileage: 270.9 miles
Weather: Warm and humid with light afternoon showers.

We had a long morning on our hike into town. The downhills dragged on for hours and made my feet and knees hurt. Everyone's feet and knees hurt. The few uphills we did have also made me hurt. However, we kept up a steady pace and trudged on. We met up with Kiwi (Paul from New Zealand) and chatted with him during our hike for about an hour; then we met up with Jacob - another hiker we've been playing tag with - who stopped by a waterfall for a break. A few miles from town, Jacob caught up to us and we all descended into Hot Springs. Shivers met us where the trail left the forest and acted as our welcoming committee. We checked out the cabins at the campground but they were too small and lacked charm so we headed for Elmer's Sunnyside Inn. Its kind of a cross between a hostel and a B&B in that you get a room in a huge Victorian mansion, but you share it with another hiker. Rates are very reasonable ($15 pp) and they also offer breakfast in the morning.

We took our showers and then checked out the town... first stop was the ice cream parlor, then the outfitters, and finally, the Pub. I had my first trail Bass Ale and it was delicious! Stephan and I sat down with Kev-Dog (Kevin) and were later joined by Dan and Jacob. As the evening wore on, more and more hikers assembled until we had a good crowd of 15-20 folks. That will likely be the last time we see some of the guys who hike 20+ mile-days already; Dan, Stephan and I don't really feel ready to move that fast yet. We each complain of foot problems by the end of the day. At any rate, it was awesome to hang out with the guys at the pub.

However,... we are traveling faster and faster. Most of the time we average 2 or more miles per hour, including the uphill climbs. I am proud to tell you that most often I lead the boys because I set a strong and steady pace. And if I didn't they could leave me behind, damn these 6+ feet tall guys and their long legs.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow; we have to do some chores like grocery shopping and laundry, but then we get to do the fun stuff like have massages and sit in the hot tubs at the hot springs resort. I'm excited about getting my massage - I've never had one before.

Cheers,
Steph