Day-123: Hike from Roaring Fork Shelter to Laughing Heart Hostel (Hot Springs, NC)

Keep calm. Keep walking.

June 2, 2023
AT miles: 17.5
Ascent: 2497’
Descent: 5067’
Weather: sunny and upper 70’s
Sightings: a garter snake and my very first rattlesnake
High points: arriving at the hostel. Today was a long hard day.

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Today started with lots of stream crossings. The bridges were cute, and the streams burbled.

I saw lots of cute little waterfalls.

I climbed up Walnut Mountain (4299’) and there was a lovely clearing, though not really any views. The field made me think that once upon a time someone had a farm up here. Talk about an isolated location!

Eventually, there was a steep ascent, and after a lot of huffing and puffing I arrived at the top of Bluff Mountain (4686’). There was no view, but there were a bunch of rocks, which is very unusual in this part of the world!

The rest of the day the trail went fundamentally down, but with a frustrating number of ups. I was pretty tired, and the day was very warm. I was chugging along in a bit of daze. However, I had my eyes glued to the trail enough to avoid stepping on this fellow.

I saw my first rattlesnake! He was slithering lackadaisically across the trail. Thankfully he headed off in one direction, and I was able to scoot around the other side and on down the trail. My adrenaline was pumping!

After that stressful encounter, the trail mostly went down. It was fairly clear, and I just drank lots of water and kept on moving along.

I had heard that the trail arrives at the parking lot of the hostel where I’m staying, but I was not expecting to be hiking down the trail and to see my faithful car just waiting for me!

Today was a long day, but I have taken a shower and done my laundry. I even managed to find a great restaurant that served me a truly delicious meal of bourbon, swordfish, sweet potato, fries, garlic, green beans, and peach cobbler. I ate every bite!

Today’s a great day for a long walk in the woods!