Spring Mtn Shelter (4-25-10)

Last evening was pretty nice. Elmer's first floor has a number of common rooms where you can relax, read a book and socialize with the other guests. I think there were 14/15 guests that night - all but 4 were hikers.

After going to the library, I made a trip to the outfitters to pick-up some food as well as some more fuel for my stove. After that, I was walking back to Elmer's and I bumped into Mr Fox and his girlfriend. They got a room at Elmers for the night as well - awesome. Apparently, in Gatlinburg, he called up his girlfriend (who lives in Alabama) to take him home so he could re-new his license (which he had lost in Franklin). So, they stayed there that night as well as a number of other hikers I kinda knew (Barley, Jersey, Lifeguard).

The reading room had a small tv as well as an awesome collection of DVDs (Super Troopers, Zoolander, Planet Earth). So, I thought we'd have a good movie night. Instead, one of the other guests insisted on watching some other movie ("Songcatcher") which was set in the Souther Appalachians in the 1800s - dud!

I shared a room with DartMan, an older guy who had hiked the AT twice and was bouncing around the trail this year. Dartman was a nice guy who knew a lot about hiking gear and carriend a flyfishing rod with him. I told him my Dad makes bamboo fly fishing rods and he was pretty impressed. A few times during the night, I woke up to him growling. I asked him about that the next morning: "yeah, I've been known to do that."

The next day (this morning), Elmer served us breakfast. Elmer cooks vegetarian, but his meals are legendary - even amoung meat-eaters. He had cantaloupe, coffee, pancakes, apple juice and eggs - with ramps and other home-grown produce. Ramps are onion-like plants which grow in the forest around here - in case you weren't familiar with them, which I wasn't.

From AT 2010

Yesterday and today, I've seem a number of grave sites / memorials along the trail - what's up with that?!

I just had my dinner and am now comtemplating walking to the next shelter. It's at least 4 hrs away and the sun will be set within an hr. Something I've been wanting to try on this trip is nightwalking - which works best when there's a full moon. It's almost full right now, and partly cloudy - so tonight should work.