Scenes from trail's past

My time is abbreviated here. I'm staying at a hostel in Erwin, TN, where the AT intersects the Nolichucky River. Since beginning the Smokies with Early Bear my miles have increased substantially: Last night I arrived here at 5 p.m. after an 18-mile hike, on top of a 21-mile hike the day before. I'm planning to head out today, which means chores, chores, chores and hike. To that end I'm going to flash through Standing Bear to Hot Springs in photos...

[Early Bear doing laundry at Standing Bear hostel. The washboard system really tied the place together. We arrived at the hostel late on a Friday night and did our chores in the morning. I cooked up the greasiest sausages and pancakes ever on an iron skillet and gas stove.]

[Sunrise at Max Patch, 392-acre grassy summit of a 4,629-ft mountain. EB and I hiked to the summit late at night and found the summit crowded with hikers cowboy camping, stargazing and waiting for sunrise.]

[People watching the sun come up at Max Patch.]

On our way down from Max Patch, Early Bear abruptly turned around and said why not go all the way to Hot Springs and end his section hike at the Rock Bottom bar and grill? It ended up being my first 20-mile day of this southern trek. We ate most of the appetizers on the menu. The next day Early Bear took me to resupply and then he returned to the real world. 

The week of hiking from Fontana to Hot Springs, 108 miles, was very enjoyable. It went fast. Now I'm working to keep that momentum going as I progress north. In fact, I've caught up with all of the people I left behind at Fontana when I went to Asheville.