AT09 Standing Bear to HotSpring

March 26 – 0 at Standing Bear Farm

For the first time that night, I managed to sleep 6 hours straight ! I usually wake up in the middle of the night, so it feels good to have a good night sleep. 

Soon after I get up, the rain starts. It will not stop for the rest of the day… 

I am waiting for my new shoes to be delivered here. So I am kin of stuck at Standing Bear until they come. 
I spend a fair amount of time writing an article during the morning. Still no shoes… 
I drink a lot of coffee and talk with some hikers to kill time. We are all packed in the tiny kitchen to get away from the rain. Still no shoes… 
I start to feel a little bit claustrophobic. Too many people in such a small place… Most of the hikers decided to stay here to rest and avoid the bad weather. Clouds, Ripple, Bella, Sparkles and her Dad headed out though. I would love to go back on the trail despite the rain, but I am still waiting for my package. 

For lunch I decided to buy the meal. $16 Dollars if I recall. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t enough ! I am still very hungry and I am not the only one. So I go into the store to buy an expired yogurt and a chocolate croissant to fill me up. 

I also buy some resupply in there. The store is cute, and there are a lot of little things we need. But many products are expired… 
I buy just enough to get to Hotspring, and a sample of oatmeal packages to try different flavors.  

Bubbles arrives ! She took a couple of days off trail to see friends of her, but she caught up with us. 
My shoes are not here yet, so I believe I am stuck here for another night.  
I decide to go for a nap in my tent. It will kill some time… 

 
The mail arrives with 3 parcels, but not mine. I start to worry. 
Don’t take me wrong, the place is nice. But not to spend 2 zeros on rainy days. And I want to hike ! 

After a boiling shower (because it is very hard to adjust here), I put some warmer clothes on. It is getting chilly after all this rain. And at last : my shoes are delivered !!! Houra ! 

I spend the evening chatting with Boomerang, Bubbles and Firefly (a hiker from Austria). When I see the dinner plates, I am glad I decided not to pay for it. The chicken is undercooked. 

I hunker in my tent, falling asleep at the sound of the rain hitting my tent fly. 

March 27 – 18 miles to Roaring Fork Shelter

I wake up before sunrise. The rain has stopped, but everything is soaked. 
I have condensation on my quilt and under my pad. 
The tent fly is completely soaked, and the ground around me is a mess because of the rain. 
I get wet very fast when I get out of my tent. It is not raining anymore, but there is a thick wet fog. 

I pack everything and go to the kitchen for a nice hot coffee and some oatmeal, and I have to come up with a plan to pay for my stay. 
Standing Bear takes only cash or Venmo. I don’t have enough cash, and I realize that I cannot use Venmo because I am French… I don’t have an American bank account… 
Luckily Boomerang agrees to pay my tab, and I transfer money via PayPal. 

I leave with her and Bubble. I fall behind when I stop for a snack. It actually feels good to be on my own after being surrendered by a pack of people yesterday. I take my time, enjoying the sight of the flowers blooming on the trees.

When I reach Snowbird Peak, the fog is so thick that I cannot see anything but the Air Traffic Station. Luckily, the sun manages to pierce through the clouds soon after. It is getting warmer now. 

I stop for lunch when I find a nice spot. 3 other hikers were already there, and one offered a dehydrated meal to me to lighten his load. My very first Biscuits and Gravy. Thank you mate ! 
6ft and Milwaukee show up for lunch break as well, and I resume my hike soon after.  

I reach the parking lot just before Max Patch, and here are JFK and Ladybird, the trail angels I met at New Found Gap ! So happy to see them ! 
They offer hotdogs and chili, a lot of snacks and drinks, some necessary items… 

 
I hang out there for a while, joined by 6ft and Milwaukee. I enjoy some good company and food before climbing the famous Max Patch. 
The view there is great ! I love it ! 
I video call my friend Trey-Try because she loves this place. 

But it is already time to hike down to Roaring Fork shelter now. 
I could go further with Milwaukee and 6ft, but my stuff is very wet. I want to pitch my tent and spread my gear, so it has time to dry before I go to bed. 

There is already a couple of hikers at the shelter. Then some more arrive (Blue, Back9, Strider, Coyote, What if and Odeon…). 
I pitch my tent and leave everything open. I hang my quilt and my mat on branches to dry, and head back to the shelter for dinner where eat with everyone. A hiker tells us he decided to quit. He is just not having fun, and wants to go home…  

I go back to finish setting up my tent now that everything is dry. 
It is then time to throw my bear bag in the box and at 6.30 I am already lying down in bed. 
I spend almost an hour writing in my journal before putting my audio book on and fall asleep. 

March 28 – 18 miles to Hotspring

It felt colder than I expected during the night. But at least, my tent is dry this morning and the weather is fine. So I am happy ! 

I hike alone all day, and I enjoy it. 
I crossed a lot of little streams, and I notice changes in the vegetation. From birch trees to rhododendrons to pine forest. And it smells good ! 

I stop for lunch at the highest point of the day. I sit on a rock, in the sun, and eat the chicken packet I bought at Standing bear. It is 6 months passed the date, but don’t have anything else to feed myself… 

Time to go all the way down to Hotspring now. I am almost jogging down the hill. My pack is light, and the trail is smooth and even. 
On the way I text Clouds and Ripple so we can meet for a drink in town. 
I reach Laughing Heart hostel at 3.30pm and I sign up to pitch my tent on the lawn. 
There is a free meal that night, but I already planned to hang out with my British friends… 

6ft, Milwaukee and Bubbles are already tenting there. I share a laundry load with Bubbles and I chose loaner clothes for the very first time of my trip. 

After a quick stop at the outfitter for fuel, I join Clouds and Ripple at the tavern for drinks and snacks. 
3 pints and some sweet potatoes fries latter, I head back to the hostel. On my way I buy some marshmallows to share because I know there will be a fire going. 

After a few minutes hanging out with everyone, Bubbles gets a call from Boomerang. 
Bubbles turns to me and asks : do you want to go in a hot tub in 30 minutes ? 
I sure do ! 
So we quickly change and grab a towel. On our way to the spa, we stop at the liquor store to get some ciders. 
At the spa, we meet Boomerang, Firefly, Miles, Slingshot and Roadie. We all jump in the tub for an hour. 
It is so cool . The sun is setting and it is getting dark. We chill all together and drink a couple of beers and ciders. 

On our way back, we walk by the tavern and we decide to have a last drink before bed. Inside, we find many other hikers we know, and we join the big table. 

Time to go to bed after a good day hanging out with everyone.