This one would win the award for best bathroom/shower house. I love how every hostel has its own character. I tented even though it was raining, because they have a covered tenting area which is pretty sweet. It’s the morning (of day 15), and I was the only one here last night (at Nature’s Inn Hostel), other than 4 hikers who shuttled back from trail days and stayed in a cabin. Long spring days mean less time sitting in the tent, unlike the colder hikes when the days are shorter and there’s time to kill. Sometimes I’m just too tired at the end of the day. The days all blend together, especially when I skip days of writing. I’m at Nature’s Inn Hostel right now, off of Sam’s Gap between Hot Springs and Erwin. Days 13-15: Stealth Tentsite near Jones Branch Tributary to Nature’s Inn Hostel It’s going to take a little bit of discipline not to go into town tomorrow, but I’ll be fine. Maybe tonight I’ll fall asleep early, but actually get moving when the sun comes up. Last night I fell asleep early, but still left camp kind of late. I was slightly worried about camping here since it’s so windy, but I don’t have many options other than going into town. It’s a lot easier to write when I have something to sit back against. It’s still light out since I got to camp early, so I’m still sitting outside leaning against a tree. I’m going to wrap it up and get in the tent. He and his friend were dropping off a resupply for themselves at Greasy Creek Friendly the other day when I was leaving. He had clementines, lemonade, and pumpkin bread. There was trail magic at one of the roads today by a guy named Brother Tom, a missionary. I still saw a bunch of Nobos today, but less than I’ve been seeing. Plus, Trail Days starts tomorrow so I’m sure a lot of people have found their way up to Damascus. It’s a very peaceful spot, and somewhat hidden from the trail so I’d be surprised if anyone else shows up. I guess I’ve been camped up high a lot, and even though I’m close to town tonight, I’m sort of in a valley between two hills. Surprisingly, this is one of the first camp spots that doesn’t have service. But the trail was full of rocks and roots which made going down really tough. It was mostly a downhill day, so I figured I’d be able to go farther. My feet were hurting and I was just really tired. I stopped earlier than I hoped today, but it was just one of those days where I needed to be done hiking. It might be a bit hard to follow, because I write about certain days out of order, but the true essence to be conveyed here is just the raw hiker thoughts in their original form! Day 12: Stealth Tentsite on Unaka Mountain to Stealth Tentsite near Jones Branch Tributary Just to differentiate, I decided to put everything copied straight from my journal in italics. I only write in the journal for myself, but sometimes it’s fun anyway to share the non-polished version of my thoughts that took place in real-time from my tent that weren’t intended to be directly shared. Since this post serves as a catch-up, and the end of the section hike this is about was 8 months ago, I decided that I’m going to directly copy my journal entries from those days. Hmm, this sounds eerily like the same concept of a section hiker (me) coming back to the trail time after time until it’s finished regardless of how long it takes, doesn’t it? I guess I’ll just blame a busy summer! I just feel the need to add this last post before moving on and digging into stories from my final section of the trail, for the sole reason that it will drive me nuts if I leave the writings of this section hike unfinished. I managed to write five posts about it but then abruptly stopped before the ending. But before I can dig into telling stories from that hike, I need to finish writing about my second to last section hike from this past May 2023. My previous blog post was about completing my final section of the trail in Maine this past September. This is the 6th and final part of a 196-mile southbound Appalachian Trail Section Hike.
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