Day 23 – Nope Ropes and the Southern Cookie Lady

Today we started a little later, enjoying a real bed for a while longer before heading out to the mountains again. I had a big breakfast at Smoky Mountain Diner yesterday, but it was heavy! So today, on my way out of town, I chose to go to Artisun Coffee, for some fancy coffee and some pastries. With the thought that it would weigh less on me on my way out of Hot Springs. While I was there, I met up with Tortuga and enjoyed a cup of coffee with him outside. He left while I finished my coffee cake muffin and bagel, before I left.

Goodbye hot springs

Leaving Hot Springs, I crossed the French Broad River and then followed it upstream a bit, before climbing the switchbacks of the mountain overlooking Hot Springs. It started with a moderate climb, eventually leveling out and walking a bit up the ridge/side of the mountain. Towards the end of the climb I came across an interesting concrete wall, in the middle of nowhere. When I got to the top I saw that it was a dammed pond, which was interesting as I’m not sure what it was for.

A curious dammed pond

Walking a little further, I came across Nomad doing magic at a road junction just after the pond. So I sat and chatted with him for a while while I enjoyed a Gatorade and a banana. After about 30 minutes, I decided it was best to keep moving. I thanked Nomad and grabbed a honey bun to go. This is the second time I’ve encountered him, the first was when I left the Smokies.

No, ropes

The morning continued with more climbing, culminating at Rich Mountain Fire Tower. It was a brief blue fire to visit, but it was worth it. Pretty decent views from the top, and there were actually firefighters actively using the tower to spot wildfires in the area when I was there.

rich mountain fire tower

Back on the trail, I continued through the early afternoon, mostly hiking up the side of the mountain with a couple of climbs for good measure. I took a short break at Spring Mountain Shelter for a quick snack, but I didn’t want to linger too long as I wanted to get to Southern Cookie Lady before the day was over. So I put on my headphones and started listening to a podcast to get some miles done. As I moved forward, something fell on the trail in front of me and caught my attention. I quickly identified the “something” as a snake! Which I recognized with an involuntary scream! I assure you it was very manly… It appeared to be a rat snake about 6 feet long, which must have been a little uphill from the trail and was startled by my passing. It slid off the trail, down the hill, and stayed there until I moved on. With adrenaline pumping, I put away the headphones and remained highly alert for the rest of the day. I, like Indiana Jones, don’t like snakes…

No!

The Southern Cookie Lady

Towards the end of the day, I finally achieved my goal for the day, the Southern Cookie Lady! His house is only about a hundred meters from the road, so I walked there. Offer a free cookie, drinking water, and a trash can! All very nice things for hikers!

Cookie!

After chatting for a while, I continued on my way. Going up and looking for a suitable place to spend the night. After about a mile, I found a decent spot and set up my tent. A bit longer than anticipated day as I’m trying to keep my miles in the 15-18 range for the next two weeks before increasing them a bit more.

Sunset

Statistics for the 23rd:

18.1 miles

5,440′ ascent, 3,665′ descent

From hot springs to a stealthy place

15 DSLC…

Stove use times: 4

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