Appalachian Trail: Day 32
Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored. All the gear mentioned in this post was purchased by me at retail prices. I have no affiliations with any of the companies or brands mentioned.
Today was less windy than yesterday, but still cold. My watch helpfully told me it was 41 degrees when I got up at around 7 AM. Can't vouch for the accuracy of it, but it definitely felt cold enough to be 41 degrees.
I planned for today to be a quick day. Around 10 miles and mostly downhill. A quick stop my the spring on the way to filter some water and I was off.
That "mostly" did a lot of work. There were a few climbs today. Nothing like the ones yesterday, but still enough to slow me down a bit. I do seem to be getting a little faster on the uphills, but I'm still slow.
I took a quick stop at Deer Park Mountain Shelter for brunch. As I was getting low on food, as planned, my brunch consisted of peanut butter and Nutella on tortillas. My Nutella was a bit hardened from the cold the past couple days, so I had to really dig to get it out and it didn't spread well. Still ate the same though.
From there I continued my hike into Hot Springs, getting into town around 1 PM. The trail actually goes straight through the center of town. While hiking I was reviewing the options for stay and ended up splurging on a cabin at the Hot Springs Resort & Spa. It, of course, was in the far end of town. There was another option that was slightly cheaper, but the supposed magical mineral baths called me.
Only on problem with those mineral baths. I didn't pack a bathing suit. Fortunately, on the way to the place, I walked past the local outfitters. I stopped in there to check them out, and fortunately they did have a small selection of bathing suits. I was able to find something in my size even if not ideal. Good enough for a semi-private soak.
The office is on one side of the main road down a long gravel driveway while all the cabins were in the opposite side of the main road. They are also doing construction on the bridge out of town which is right next to where the resort is. This proved to be a minor issue, but something I had to deal with.
Once I got checked in, I walked over to my cabin and proceeded to take a much needed shower. Sadly, the hot water ran out quickly and I had to finish with cold water. I, then, walked back into town to go find some dinner at one of the few restaurants in town. Other than the Dollar General, everything in this town is locally owned and operated. After dinner, I went back to my cabin to rest.