A pretty uneventful day. Five miles of fairly easy hiking in good weather. Nice but not photo-worthy views. Arrived at the hostel around 11. Tortoise, whom I had heard coughing as I lay in my tent before my alarm went off but who was gone by the time I got outside, was at the hostel as a day guest for shower, laundry and resupply. We chatted for an hour or more, about his work past (server in high end Atlantic City casino restaurants, where he could make $5k per week in tips), the terror of the US healthcare system (he hasn’t received medical care sincr he was a teenager, he’s 57 now), and the current president, whom he served several times.
Once he left I finished up laundry, planned meal shopping, and read. At 5pm I ordered two pizzas from Smoky Mountain Bakery and Robert, the host, a past thru hiker with 10,000 miles of hiking experience, drove me to Reddi Mart and Dollar General and the bakery. He gave me lots of helpful tips about the next few hundred miles of the trail (resupply options, water issues, interesting side trips). The food options in town were as limited as in Hot Springs but when I added in a few supplies they sell at the hostel, I am good for the next 5 days.
Shortly after we got back, the other expected hiker showed up. He walked 27 miles today. His name, aptly, is Flash. He is 23. We chatted a little but between his calls to friends and family and my organizing my pack we didn’t find time to say that much.
