I slept quite well in my upper bunk. It helped that we had linens and didn’t have to use our sleeping bags. I woke at 5:20 and thought, why not just get up and go? As quietly as I could, I stripped the bed, hauled my pack into the living room, ate some honeyed oats with water (the coconut milk powder was packed) and headed out into the dark.
Once I made it through the town, I needed my headlamp to find the way and to avoid stumbling on roots and rocks. The trail crosses two sections of the French Broad river (the river that flooded both Hot Springs and the Asheville Arts District during Hurricane Helene) then runs beside the river for a mile or so. There were half a dozen tents scattered along the riverbank. Most likely hikers who stayed late at the brew pub and then crashed as close to town as they thought they could get away with.
Eventually the trail left the river and began a long climb. I orobably climbed a total of 6 or 7000 feet today. I took it slow so as not to wear myself out. On the flat and downhill I went a little faster. By the time I was 500 feet above the river it was light enough to turn off the headlamp.
I rook a 0.2 mile detour to a firetower with great views. A few pics below.
I met few people on the trail. At least, few thru hikers. I did meet Check Engine, an ex army guy probably in his late thirties who remembered me from Tray Mountain shelter, although I never actually stayed there, but he did remember I was vegan. There was a large group of young adults, six or eight all together, then in dribs and drabs, heading south aftercan overnight trip. And I took a 100 tard detour to visit Southern Cookie Lady, who gives a big cookie to each hiker who drops by. We chatted for about twn minutes before I mived on. She retired after living in Cuyahoga Falls OH, and lives rught by the trail. She and her husband do trail maintenance for the five mile stretch south of them. They will be going out with a weed wacker soon to clear plants and shrubs from the edges of ge trail so it doesn’t get crowded in.
After that I just kept hiking all the way to 5:30 p.m. with occasional breaks for a snack or to get water or take my shoes and socks off to dry the socks and my feet in ghe sun (an important part of blister prevention on the trail). I wound up at a small camping area with a good spring, and one tent already uo. Unfortunately the guy in that tent is pretty antisocial. The only words I got out of him were “Chief” (his trail name), “A bear barrel” (in response to “Did you find a good place to hang your food? Or do you have a barrel?”, and “I smoke” when I tried to show concern for his hacking cough.
It took me half an hour to get my bear hang done, mainly due to ineptitude, but I’m fed, the dishes are washed up, the tent is looking great and all my gear is set up, and I am feeling pretty tired si will crash soon. Longest miles of my thru hike so far…
Mile 275.1 to mile 297.3 plus 0.4 detour to fire tower = 22.6 miles
