So far, the hiking trip has gone very well. Eliza and I set out from about 4 miles east of Hot Springs, NC, southbound on the AT yesterday morning at around 8am. We began walking at an elevation of nearly 2300 ft. through gorgeous patches of Rhododendren and scattered Hemlock. After a few miles we began a sharp descent along a rocky ridgeline down over the French Broad River and the small resort town of Hot Springs. Following a highway bridge over the wide, swift river we could imagine what a welcome sight a place like this must be for thru-hikers. In fact, the first fellow hiker we had passed, earlier that day, after inquiring in a tone of quiet astonishment dripping with mild delight, "You southbound hikers?" [everyone we see asks us this, hoping that we might just be the first] lauded great praise on the town, it's southern hospitality, and the $9 four course meal at Elmers. It looked like a nice enough town to us, but as we weren't in any need of a buffet breakfast or !
a refill on our Isopropyl alcohol supply, we just headed right on by and started up the other side of the valley.
It turned out to be a day of tremendous ascent. Over the course of the day, we netted ovr 5000 ft in elevation. Today, however, we dropped down every one of them. I can't decided which is more difficult, up or down. Right now I'd have to say down, but that's only because we just spent the last 4 hours
coming down from about 4300 ft at the summit of Snowbird Mt to 1500 ft where I-40 crosses through from NC to TN.
We are camped now next to a loud brook which cascades exotically out of sight. The air is warm, around 70. Eliza is fast asleep next to me. This trip is about training and practice and this is a part of that as well, I guess-coming into our little yellow home and tring to put my thoughts together about the day.
I can only think of highlights now. Like the little green beauty of a bald which served as our campsite last night, the blue sky above and the warm sunlight and the iconic mountain ranges, so perfect in their monochrome blues, dwindling into clouds.
We awoke to my watch alarm this morning at 5:00 am and I've never felt so good waking in a tent as I did then. There was an ideal 50 degree breeze blowing into the open tent mesh facing SSW over the silhouetted mountains which we were to climb over later in the day. There wasn't a drop of condensation, in or out of the tent. This is such a relief to me, just knowing that the conditions can in fact be met to avoid turning the inside of this state of the art Black Diamond, ultralight, mountaineering tent into a dripping, damp sweatlodge. We spent two nights camping in Southern FL and were sorely disapponted with the tent's inability to breath. Here, it seems to be be breathing just fine. Other gear impressions: I am very pleased with my new altimeter watch. It's really great to keep an eye on the elevation changes over the course of the day. It's not somthing you would miss, but having it is really cool.
Speaking of watches. I just looked at mine and it's past my bedtime.
We've got a good 4000 ft direct ascent into the Smokies to wake up to. We're keeping our fingers crossed that the weather holds. Last weekend, the whole are got rocked with rain and snow and we've heard our share of horror stories.
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