So…I’m not sure what happened last night but I barely slept a wink. Being pitched on the front lawn of the Hostel, I heard Drag Racers going up and down the roadway till midnight. I didn’t realize that was a thing in Erwin! Once that stopped, a hammock hiker was coughing obsessively throughout the night. I’m glad I wasn’t in a Bunkhouse with him. It was tough enough being within 20’ of his constant hacking. Hopefully he is feeling better today. Finally at 4am, the Amtrak Train came through town and blows its whistle so anyone within 20 miles hears it. Needless to say, I may have slept an hour or two. Looking forward to being in a Private Room tonight. Just me and Blue.

Good news, I slacked pack today. Shuttle Driver John picked us up in his personal vehicle and drove Blue and I, along with two other gals to the top of the mountain. We arrived at 8am and headed southbound. That was different hiking the wrong way. Within a mile or two, we made it to Beauty Spot Bald which was lovely. It’s accessible by roadway so there were a lot of car campers and day hikers in the area.

Today was so much fun. With the fact that Blue and I took a couple of days off when we went to Asheville, and the event of Trail Days in Damascus, we missed quite a few of our trail friends. Today we caught up with a ton of missing friends. It took us all day to hike 10 miles because I had to stop and talk to everyone I saw along the trail.

Slack packing is revered as a day off of sorts, but with miles under foot. Instead of carrying my 25 plus pound backpack, I only have a day back that weighs, um, two pounds of less. I had some snacks, a liter of water, first aid kit and water purifier. That’s about it. I felt so light on my feet and the miles were easy peasy. Yet, as the day continued, the humidity returned! It is something to be reckoned with. I’m still trying to figure out what my best course of action is regarding this villain.

By afternoon, Blue and I arrived back to the Hostel. I planned on mailing some gear home like my 10 degree sleeping quilt, down pants, long pants and long sleeve shirt and a few other non-essential items. Anything that’ll lighten my load and keep me from expending extra energy. Blue did the same. Hopefully winter is gone for a couple of months, and I won’t regret my choice.

After sorting through all my gear, I took another shower. Two showers in two days. What a luxury! I washed my hair and wore my loaner clothes. Then washed my stinky clothes one last time. It probably doesn’t really matter as deep embedded stink is hard to remove. But it makes me feel better and it smells good for a few minutes or so.

Tomorrow we will be back to donning our full packs and humping the trail. Weather is suppose to change back to afternoon thunderstorms which honestly, I can live with. Maybe the rain will cool things down a bit. Today was over 90 degrees with a lot of humidity. In California it gets hot but it’s a dry heat. Now I truly understand what that really means. You don’t walk outside and feel like you’re in a wet sauna! I’m not sure how much of this I can take? Maybe I’ll get used to it or maybe I’ll just bring a portable fan with me! Anyway you slice it, it’s here to stay. One more thing to wrap my head around. Give me mercy Lord, this is tough stuff!