Cruising (then limping) to Hot Springs: a favorite place, a favorite city

I slept very well in the bunk in standing Bear Farm and woke up early to enjoy a slow morning that included a cup of coffee with a cup (pure luxury). After that, I left. Martini decided to take a zero day at Standing Bear Farm, and that was the last one that would see my hiking friend, since he decided to leave the way for the birth of his grandson. Although the path became much less populated after the National Park, I met a completely new group of hikers with which I would continue to launch Flip for the next two sections.

The dream of a hiker: Max Patch and Cruisy Trail

There are some outstanding aspects of the Sendero of the Appalaches after the great Smoky Mountain National Park. First, Max Patch along the border of North Carolina/Tennessee was one of my favorite places along the way. As soon as I completed the climb, a «wow» attacked escaped my lips and I was suspended there while I turned to enjoy the 360 ​​-degree views. I introduced my nemo pad, ate lunch, and I sat there a lot as I looked imminent clouds rolling and rolling. One of the things that made this area so beautiful was the rounded fields and covered with grass scattered by flourishing wild flowers. He reminded me of the Prairie areas in some of my favorite parks at home. This is a really accessible one -day walk, I could see a parking lot from the summit, so I strongly recommend it.

It’s fun to look at this photo now. I was really so happy, both because the climb was over as the view at the Max Patch summit was so beautiful. It was one of those peaks that felt the effort worth it.

I loved that the path descended gently through the bald covered with grass before entering the forest again.

So what was the highlight of this section? Department. Path. I’m not joking. There was a stretch after the Max patch where miles (yes, plural miles) of the path were gentle and almost flat. He was still experiencing a pain and knee, but these flattest stretches provided relief. I decided to push to Hot Springs, North Carolina, a day before, walking 13 miles in the torrential rain. While descending to the city, the knee pain returned with revenge, and once again I found myself next to me and moved along the path, even using my trekking post like an improvised crutch to get something out of my knee’s weight.

What is that ahead? It can’t be a flat path, right?

I would love to cross this trunk bridge while going through this cruise path.

A little less than 7 miles to the hot springs; Only 1900 -ish to Maine.

My sister called Sunnybank Inn de Elmer in advance for a room (thanks Melissa!), What was of great help since the hikers who were trying to get out of the rain spilled in the city, reserving many of the accommodations. Hot Springs looked hard for floods during Hurricane Helene last year and several places are still closed. I was grateful to get to the inn, release my trekking posts and shoes soaked on the covered porch, and head to a room, a shower, loan clothes and clean clothes. Well, as soon as I limp and advanced for the historic staircase of the inn.

Hot Springs, NC: A lot to love this city of path

The less ideal climatic conditions did not ruin my experience with this small idyllic city. In any case, the rain inside and outside the next day was the perfect backdrop to walk through the city and read the markers and historical information. The path of the Apalaches literally crosses half of the hot springs, so when you talk about a city of the path, this is really a city of trails. Once I was cleaned and dry, I ate in the local brick pizza store, vinyl cakes, then walked to the river and observed some of the works that are done to repair and restore the areas damaged by hurricanes and floods.

A white fire on the bridge that crosses the French wide river. The trail of the Apalaches run just through the medium of Hot Springs, NC.

A historical marker outside the Hot Springs Resort And Spa. Curious fact: although the area served as a internment field for the Germans in World War I, the wives and families of the Germans were housed in the building that is now the Sunnybank Inn de Elmer. There was even a successful escape directed by the wife of a German naval officer.

I took a zero day at Hot Springs the next day to replenish and score a team in local outfitters. I wanted to get a waterproof sack for my clothes for an additional protection layer, and picked up a key to the compression knee. After investigating and talking with other hikers, I was quite sure that knee pain was due to the band’s syndrome. Someone showed me how to «extend» the muscles along my upper thigh with my trekking post, and looked for some additional stretches online. Although most of the online council is to stop the activity that causes pain, I hope these care techniques help.

One of the most prominent aspects of my time at Hot Springs was to visit the local Mountain Dining restaurant, which was excellent not only for incredible food (especially cinnamon buns of large plaque that are served only on Saturday mornings) but also for the observation of people. I saw how the main host greeted relatives and local greeted. I observed that couples bowed their heads to pray before starting their food. The place was a harmonious intersection of local routine and novelty for tourists.

While sitting at the expansive porch waiting for a table, an older man with a wild appearance stopped in his truck. He began to enter the restaurant, but stopped and walked along my way.

«Do you like to read entertaining books?» He asked me. And then, «Have you met an author?»

His questions took me by surprise, but when his words finally began to register, I replied: «I love books, and as I am a writer, I would love to meet an author.»

The man went to his truck and returned with a book, his Book, entitled «Mountain Bound & The Life I Found: Tales of Tug Fork Holler». His name was Tom Hare, and I had to respect his base sales tactics, so, of course, I bought a copy. In addition, it was a rainy day and assured me that the book took a little more than three hours to read (he had timed several times to be sure), so he could read it in a single rainy day.

The author Tom Hare and I pose on the porch of The Smoky Mountain Dining with his book.

And that is exactly what I did. I sat in one of the many porches covered in Sunnybank Inn, shaded by large trees, and surrounded by the buzz of the small city at the bottom of the hill, and birds and rain. During the day, I devoured the story of Tom Hare to move to the Hot Springs area from the Chicago suburbs to start growing at fifty years. Tom is one of the most interesting characters that I have found in a non -fiction book; So much so that I didn’t even care about the scattered typographic errors in their pages, in fact, they seemed to fit in Tom’s voice. Tom’s story about a man of many, many interests and hobbies, ingenuity, creative problem resolution, resistance, a deep respect for the new community he built in the mountains and hilarious predicaments found while daring to dream with larger and larger dreams for his farm. I feel so much gratitude for this totally random meeting on my walk and my rainy day on this path that passed on the porch of a historical inn. For readers interested in people who call the Mountains of the Apalaches, I recommend Tom’s book. You can find it online.

Speaking of recommendations, I wanted to provide some links to some of the places and communities mentioned in this blog, in case you are interested in supporting your recovery and reconstruction efforts. As mentioned in my last place, Standing Bear Farm was recently beaten by sudden floods that caused extensive damage.

To withstand the hot springs, NC: https://rebuildhotsprings.org/ either https://www.friendsofhotspringslibry.org/

To support Standing Bear Farm: https://www.gofundme.com/f/restore-standing-bear-farm-hostel-after-flood/

Thanks for reading and happy paths!

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